Travel & Overnight Policy
Travel & Overnight Policy
McKinney Ice Hockey Club (“MIHC”) maintains this Travel & Overnight Policy to protect high school‑age athletes, align with USA Hockey Safe Sport/MAAPP standards, and reflect widely accepted best practices for high school hockey travel. This policy applies to all MIHC‑affiliated high school teams for any out‑of‑area travel, overnight stays, or tournaments where the team is representing MIHC.
Core Travel Principles
- Player safety, adult‑minor boundaries, and respect for team rules and host facilities are the top priorities on all trips.
- Parents always retain the right to choose and manage their own player’s travel and lodging, provided the player can meet team schedules and complies with this policy and the Code of Conduct.
Hotel and Rooming Standards
- Adult‑minor room sharing is not permitted, except when a parent or legal guardian shares a room only with their own child, consistent with Safe Sport/MAAPP guidance.
- If Rooms will be “player‑only,” typically two to four players per room, with assignments made or approved by team staff considering age, maturity, and reasonable compatibility (e.g., avoiding placing significantly younger players with much older players).
- Coaches, managers, and other adults will room alone or with other adults and may not sleep in players’ rooms.
- Adults should avoid situations where they are alone with a single player in a hotel room; player check‑ins and conversations should occur in hallways, lobbies, or other observable and interruptible locations whenever reasonably possible.
- Team meetings and social time should be held in designated team spaces (e.g., a meeting room or lobby area), not in individual rooms, to support supervision and boundaries.
Transportation and Supervision Ratios
- When using buses or vans, MIHC will strive to have at least two screened, SafeSport‑compliant adults present on each vehicle whenever reasonably possible, recognizing that high school athletes travel as a group and benefit from visible supervision.
- One‑on‑one, non‑observable car rides between an adult and a player should be avoided; if unavoidable due to logistics or emergency, they should follow MAAPP exceptions (such as prior parent consent or use of public, well‑lit routes and quick drop‑offs).
- The head coach or team manager will plan supervision coverage so that, during hotel stays and team activities, there are enough adults to monitor floors, curfews, and common areas without relying on older players to act as “chaperones” for younger teammates.
Curfews, Conduct, and Player Expectations
- Curfews, quiet hours, wake‑up times, and team meeting times will be set in advance of each trip and reinforced daily; players are expected to be in their assigned rooms by curfew unless participating in a scheduled, supervised team activity.
- MIHC prohibits hazing, bullying, harassment, sexualized behavior, alcohol or drug use by minors, and possession of weapons at all times on trips, including in hotel rooms, lobbies, vehicles, restaurants, and rinks.
- Noise levels must be kept reasonable; players and families are expected to respect other hotel guests, staff, and property. Damage to hotel property or serious misconduct may result in restitution, team or club discipline, and potential reporting to leagues or governing bodies.
- Social media use on trips should reflect positively on the team and MIHC; players and staff must avoid posting content that is harassing, sexually explicit, discriminatory, or otherwise inconsistent with the Code of Conduct.
Club‑Run vs. Parent‑Managed Travel
- For club‑run trips (where MIHC or the team arranges hotel blocks, buses, or other shared logistics), all provisions of this policy apply fully, and team staff will act as the primary coordinators for lodging, transportation, and schedules.
- For parent‑managed travel (where families independently book lodging or travel), MIHC still expects players, coaches, and volunteers to follow SafeSport/MAAPP standards and this policy for all MIHC‑affiliated practices, games, and activities during the trip.
- Team staff will clearly identify which events are official team functions (e.g., games, team meals, video sessions) and when players are under team supervision versus exclusively in the care of their parents or guardians.
Communication and Incident Reporting
- Before each overnight or long‑distance trip, MIHC or the team manager will provide written trip details to families, including hotel information, rooming approach, transportation plans, curfews, team rules, and emergency contact information.
- Concerns about travel, lodging arrangements, adult‑minor interactions, or potential SafeSport/MAAPP violations should be raised promptly with the team manager, head coach, or MIHC’s SafeSport/Discipline contact, following the club’s SafeSport & MAAPP Implementation Policy.
- MIHC will support in good faith any athlete, parent, or volunteer who reports concerns, and will escalate to league, Affiliate, or USA Hockey channels when required by policy or law.
Review and Continuous Improvement
MIHC will review this Travel & Overnight Policy regularly and after any significant travel‑related incident or concern, adjusting practices as needed to reflect evolving best practices for high school hockey travel. The club will also incorporate changes from USA Hockey, the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and the relevant leagues to keep this policy current and effective for high school‑level athletes.