Lake Forest Hockey  

Locker Room Policy

LAKE FOREST HOCKEY CLUB LOCKER ROOM POLICY

(Effective August 2026)

AHAI Locker Room Policy

All USA Hockey Member Programs are required to have at least one (NCSI-screened and SafeSport-trained) adult present at all times and monitoring the locker room during all team events to ensure that only Participants (coaches and players), approved team personnel, and family members are permitted in the locker room, and to supervise the conduct in the locker room. While USA Hockey expressly prefers that Locker Room Monitors remain inside the locker room while Participants are present, if the monitor is “in the immediate vicinity outside the locker room (near the door within arm’s length and so that the monitor can sufficiently hear inside the locker room) who also regularly and frequently enters the locker room to monitor activity inside,” the Member Program is in compliance.

The following conditions are required of all AHAI Affiliates for locker room use at all team events including conditioning clinics, tryouts, practices, games and any event that a locker room is being utilized:

  1. No players shall be allowed access to the locker room unless a NCSI-screened and SafeSport-trained Locker Room Monitor is present.  
  2. If a single player is present, the locker room should be monitored by at least two Locker Room Monitors until additional players arrive.
  3. If there is only one Locker Room Monitor present, they should wait for multiple players to arrive before allowing access to the locker room.
  4. The same strategies should be applied after practice with a Locker Room Monitor staying until the last player leaves. At no time should one adult be alone in the locker room with one player, unless the player is their own child.

Affiliates found in violation of this policy will be sanctioned automatically, under Zero Tolerance, in the following manner:

  1. 1st team offense: $500 fine to the Affiliate and one game suspension to the head coach
  2. 2nd team Offense: $1000 fine to the Affiliate and 3 game suspension to the head coach.
  3. Any additional offenses will require the Affiliate president and coaches of the noncompliant team to appear before AHAI’s Rules and Ethics Committee to determine appropriate discipline, which may include exclusion from participation in the Illinois State Tournament. 

AHAI strongly encourages all Affiliates to review its locker room policy with parents and players at a team meeting, where the rules and expectations for players with respect to locker room activity are clearly explained, including the corrective action that will be taken if necessary (player could be benched or suspended, for example). Rules and expectations of the Locker Room Monitor must also be clearly explained.

 AHAI is confident that this policy will reduce inappropriate behaviors caused by an unsupervised locker room. The safety and wellbeing of every player is and will continue to be AHAI’s top priority.

 

Additional Lake Forest Hockey Club Locker Room Monitor Procedures

The purpose of a Locker Room Monitor is to ensure there is a safe environment for all members of the team. The use of Locker Room Monitors will help eliminate unacceptable behaviors in locker rooms such as hazing, bullying, harassment, inappropriate use of electronics, all forms of abuse and misconduct prohibited by USA Hockey, and other inappropriate behaviors. In addition to the requirements of the AHAI Locker Room Policy above, the Lake Forest Hockey Club will enforce the following:

  • The Head Coach is responsible for ensuring a Locker Room Monitor(s) is/are present. A Background-Screened & SafeSport-Trained Monitor will supervise the locker room if no Coaches are available. Managers will not serve as locker room monitors. Managers are not responsible for making sure Locker Room Monitors are present, unless there is an emergency.
  • All locker room monitors, including coaches, will sign a Lake Forest Hockey Club pledge acknowledging they understand the AHAI policy, are background screened and SafeSport trained, and understand the responsibility of being a mandatory reporter.
  • The use of mobile electronic devices and phones is not permitted in the locker room. The exception is for ONE device to control music; this device’s video recording and camera capabilities may not be used at any time in the locker room. A Coach may use a phone for championship photos, assuming all players are appropriately dressed.
  • If an incident in the locker room should occur, the Locker Room Monitor must report the incident immediately to Rules & Ethics (scoutshockeyre@gmail.com) to determine the next steps to be taken. 
  • All Locker Room Monitors will be listed on the AHAI roster.

 

Requirements to Become a Lake Forest Hockey Club Locker Room Monitor.

  1. USA HOCKEY: Every Locker Room Monitor will need to register at USA Hockey as a Volunteer. It does not cost anything, and you will receive a hockey number just like your player did. When you receive this number, please notify the Lake Forest Hockey Club President via email.
  2. SAFESPORT: https://www.usahockey.com/safesporttraining. No Locker Room Monitor can be added to a roster until SafeSport has been completed.
  3. NATIONAL LEVEL BACKGROUND SCREENING: In compliance with new requirements from the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), USA Hockey has launched a new national level background screening program. All adult coaches, officials, board members, employees, volunteers, and anyone else who will have regular contact with, or authority over, athletes under the age of 18 are required to submit to a background screen before any such contact with those athletes. Please visit https://www.usahockey.com/backgroundscreen for more information and to begin the process. The eight-digit self-registration ID number for USAH to initiate your screen is 35615801. Lake Forest Hockey Club will reimburse screening fees submitted to the treasurer.
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