As used in this part 4, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1) Abuse means physical or mental injury, sexual abuse or exploitation, or negligent treatment of a child.
(2) Coach means a person employed or volunteering as a coach, manager, or supervisor of a youth athletic activity but does not include occasional assistance with or support of the youth athletic activity by a person, including the action of other volunteers or employees of the youth sports organization in a passing, general, or nominal manner.
(3) (a) Youth sports organization means a private for-profit or not-for-profit organization that, as part of its core function, provides persons who are less than eighteen years of age the opportunity to participate in scheduled competitive or recreational sporting activities, whether individually or as a team, but does not include a sporting activity that is incidental to a nonathletic program or lesson.
(b) Youth sports organization does not include:
(I) A neighborhood youth organization, as defined in section 26.5-5-303;
(II) A public or private school serving any of grades kindergarten through twelve;
(III) A licensed child-care facility;
(IV) A public or private institution of higher education; or
(V) An organization that merely provides the opportunity to participate in an unsupervised, unscheduled competitive or recreational sporting event on a walk-in basis.
Source: L. 2024: Entire part added, (SB 24-113), ch. 196, p. 1193, � 1, effective August 7.
26.5-4-402. Organized youth athletic activities - abuse prevention training. (1) (a) Starting July 1, 2025, each youth sports organization shall require each coach to annually complete mandatory reporter training that adheres to the recommendations of the mandatory reporter training task force pursuant to section 19-3-304.2.
(b) Each youth sports organization shall encourage each coach to annually complete an abuse prevention training program that includes the following:
(I) Prohibited conduct by coaches;
(II) Appropriate one-on-one interactions between players and coaches;
(III) How to recognize and appropriately respond to and prevent behaviors that violate the prohibited conduct policy developed pursuant to subsection (2) of this section; and
(IV) How to respond to disclosures of sexual abuse, child abuse, or reports of behaviors violating the prohibited conduct policy developed pursuant to subsection (2) of this section in a supportive and appropriate manner that meets the mandated reporting requirements pursuant to Colorado statutes.
(2) (a) (I) Each youth sports organization shall develop a prohibited conduct policy relating to youth athletic activities.
(II) The prohibited conduct policy must include:
(A) A list of prohibited conduct by parents, spectators, coaches, and athletes and a mandatory reporting policy for adults who have knowledge of an act of prohibited conduct; and
(B) A code of conduct for parents, spectators, coaches, and athletes to follow.
(III) A youth sports organization may adopt the model code of conduct policy made available by the department pursuant to section 26.5-1-117.
(b) Each youth sports organization shall require each of its coaches to comply with the prohibited conduct policy developed pursuant to subsection (2)(a) of this section.
(3) Each youth sports organization shall post the notice created pursuant to section 6-1-736 on its website, and if the youth sports organization does not have a website, it shall provide the notice to the parents and legal guardians of each participant.
Source: L. 2024: Entire part added, (SB 24-113), ch. 196, p. 1194, � 1, effective August 7.