Referral of Child Abuse to Legal Authorities.
An independent investigation into child abuse, sexual or physical abuse, can be detrimental to any
legal process or investigation. Therefore it is USA Table Tennis policy to refer each report to the
relevant law enforcement body for that area and to cooperate fully with any investigation made by
that law enforcement body.
In some states, it is mandatory for a person holding any office (in this case, with USA Table Tennis), to
report any suspicions to the authorities.
Immediate Suspension
USA Table Tennis has a policy of no tolerance to both SafeSport violations as well as to Bad Faith
allegations. A report that is made in Bad faith, is malicious or frivolous will be considered in breach of
this policy and face disciplinary action, which may result in suspension or permanent expulsion from
USA Table Tennis. When an allegation of a breach of any element of the USA Table Tennis SafeSport
strategy is made, the accused individual will face similar and equivalent ramifications.
The individual will remain suspended until the outcome of a USA Table Tennis hearing, or until the
completion of a law enforcement process. This suspension in no way implies guilt on the part of the
accused but is made purely to provide precautionary protection to USA Table Tennis
membership.Hearings & Outcomes
USA Table Tennis shall conduct a hearing for the accused after proper preliminary data gathering is
complete by the responsible person (usually the Chief Executive Officer)
The complainant, victim, and accused individual shall have the right to receive written notification of
the hearing and be invited at their own expense to present relevant information, and also at their
own expense to be represented by a legal counsel.
The hearing panel should convene in the absence of any of these noted individuals if these individuals
cannot be located, do not make contact within reasonable deadlines or decline to attend.
All individuals have a right to a written summary of the decision made by the hearing panel, although
the panel is recommended to consult with a legal counsel before making any findings public.
Where the decision of the BOD is to permanently expel an individual, that individual has the right to
make a written appeal to the Board of Directors of USA Table Tennis, whose decision is final.
The appropriate sanction shall be up to the panel (or CEO) in each complaint and the panel will
consider the following, in no particular order;
- Any legal proceedings and their outcome.
- If the individual poses a future risk to any person connected with USA Table Tennis
- The seriousness of the offence or act.
- Age of the accused individual when the offence or act occurred.
- Any information produced by the accused individual, or on their behalf, to the effect of their
rehabilitation and/or good conduct.
- The interests of USA Table Tennis and its members, including its member clubs.
A sanction may range from reprimand, formal warning, suspension of membership, or permanent
expulsion from USA Table Tennis.
Where the sanction is less than permanent expulsion the individual or individuals will be expected to
undergo further training to their appropriate conduct.