As our Stoa tournaments begin to roll out, it is helpful to remind ourselves that keeping our students safe is everyone’s responsibility. As tournament leaders, be sure to ask yourself: Do we have clearly defined requirements to keep our students and adults safe? Examples include:
It is a best practice not to allow an adult to be alone with any student out of the eyesight of at least one other adult or multiple students. This means having two judges in each room.
All aspects of your tournament should be open to observation by parents and leaders.
Appropriate attire should be required for all activities. Tournament attire is required for competition. Tournament attire is also required for the awards ceremony at NITOC and local tournaments.
Sometimes it is difficult to recruit the needed amount of judges. However, having at least two per room in speech events is for everyone’s safety. Tournament leadership should prepare a plan of action if there is a shortage of judges. Options may be that more students are added to rooms in an event, or worst case, a round may need to be dropped.
We want every Stoa tournament to be a safe environment for students and adults alike. Do your part in ensuring this for YOUR local tournament!