A Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct is hereby adopted to the end that the public respect, safety, and the status of the association members in the coaching profession may be enhanced and secured. The ethical principles are to be followed to avoid all actual or perceived impropriety.

1. Coaches shall at all times exercise the greatest care and discretion in their relationships with other members, athletes, and act in a manner which avoids verbal, mental, emotional, physical, or sexual misconduct of any athlete, coach, parent, or official as defined in the current U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport Handbook.

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2. No Coach shall represent themselves using false or deceptive statements intended to mislead.

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3. In order to protect the safety and development of athletes, no Coach shall engage in any in-person solicitation of an athlete while the athlete is actively engaged in a lesson or while “performing.” “Performing” means skating or preparing to skate in an event at an arena in a test, competition, or exhibition, and includes meeting with coaches, locker room time, practice skating, and warm up skating.

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4. Coaches shall at all times be mindful that they have the responsibility to influence athletes to act ethically, with dignity, and with high moral conduct. No coach shall act in any manner inconsistent with a high standard of ethical and moral conduct.

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5. Coaches shall be advocates for drug-free sport and take an active role in the prevention of drug, alcohol, or tobacco abuse by athletes.

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6. Coaches shall not engage in, nor knowingly permit, any athlete with whom they are charged with the responsibility of coaching, to engage in any offense in violation of federal, state, or local law, or laws of a foreign government.

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7. Coaches shall at all times avoid conflicts of interest which can be considered to exist at any time, when the actions of the Member for his or herself or on behalf of an athlete would involve the obtaining of an improper advantage.

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8. Coaches shall not engage in, nor knowingly permit, any athlete with whom they are charged with the responsibility of coaching to engage in any offense in violation of the U.S. Figure Skating SafeSport policies, including willfully tolerating misconduct of an athlete(s), coach(s), official, and/or volunteer.

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Tenets of Professionalism

The purpose of these tenets of professionalism is to provide a framework of conduct above and beyond the minimum standards provided by the code of ethics .
 

1.  As coaches of skating, we will conduct ourselves in a manner which demonstrates respect for the rules under which our skaters compete and we will preserve with decorum and integrity the testing programs and competitions.

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2.  Professional courtesy is consistent with the role of the coach. Coaches will be civil and courteous to all with whom we come in contact and will endeavor to maintain a collegial relationship with other coaches.

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3.  As skating coaches, we acknowledge that from time to time the students with whom we work may wish to leave us as the coach and seek coaching elsewhere. We acknowledge that we will cooperate with other coaches when conflicts arise and will be willing to make such changes on behalf of the students as will complement the further performance and progress of that student.

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4.  When competitions or testing situations arise, we agree to keep our students and the parents of those students well informed and involve them in the decision making that affects their interest while at the same time avoiding emotional attachment to our students and their activities both in skating and out of skating which might impair our ability to render professional service.

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5.  As professionals, we will honor our promises and our commitments, whether oral or in writing, and strive to build a reputation for dignity, honesty, and integrity in the skating profession.

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6.  As professionals, we will not make groundless accusations of impropriety or attribute bad motives to other coaches in bad faith or without good cause.

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7.  As professionals,  we will not engage in any course of conduct designed to harass another coach, skating organization official, another skater, or the parent of another skater.

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8. As professionals, we will strive to expand our knowledge of skating and to achieve and maintain proficiency in our area of expertise.

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9.  We will never allow race, gender, religion, age or other suspect classifications of persons to improperly motivate our actions.

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10. At all times and in all things when dealing with the skating public, officials, and other members of the coaching profession, we will adhere to the proposition that our practices shall be governed by the principals of honesty and integrity.
 

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