WAG Anyone following what is happening with USAG?!?! (Rhonda Faehn asked to resign)

[coachmolly]

The link says PROFESSIONALS are mandated Reporters... and then it goes on to define Professionals:
Professionals include teachers, nurses, doctors, day-care employees and others who are either licensed by the state or work in a facility licensed or operated by the state and who have direct contact with children in the course of their job (Texas Family Code, Section 261.101).
Which one of these was Rhonda?
Reporting laws vary from state to state. I would have called the cops immediately, but that's just me. ... and I have been a mandated reporter in various capacities over the years, so that might be part of it.

I just had to do a lengthy training for mandatory reporters, in some states coaches (paid and volunteer) as well as any other adults working directly with children in any organized activity are mandatory reporters. But I think it's a relatively small number of states where the mandatory reporter laws are so far reaching. But the training I took was very clear, the second you have reasonable suspicion that something is up you must report directly to authorities. Do not run it by your supervisor, do not pass along to someone else in a position of power, go directly to law enforcement and/or child welfare authorities (some states have hotlines) and then tell your employer/supervisor/whatever.
I think there's a lot going on here, probably far more than what most of us know, but the fact is that a whole ton of adults dropped the ball in this situation. Some where much more at fault than others, but all that played a role needed to be addressed. Rhonda was probably not trained on how to handle abuse when she was hired for the position, that's not her fault. But she did play a role. And athletes were hurt by the way she handled the situation. Maybe providing her with extensive training on how to better handle these matters should the arise in the future would have been enough, maybe firing was necessary. I don't know enough details to say.
The timing was inappropriate and unfortunate. The athletes and coaches are obviously hurt and scared about what this means for their futures which is understandable, and I think the "what's next" piece of this puzzle should have been spelled out for them when the announcement was made. But maybe that remains unknown. Regardless, I don't see this getting better before it gets worse.

 

[Deleted member 14190]

It is irrelevant what happens or does not happen after you go to the police, with regards to the person who initially reports it.

Their job is to report it. If they report it to the police they have done their job.
They fulfilled their obligation.

It they don’t report it. They have not done their job.

Personally not reporting abuse should be grounds for immediate dismissal. Many balls were dropped.

Yes , I am just telling you why people don't report it. Not saying it's correct , but this is why in many cases .

 

[momnipotent]

I am a mandated reporter, but I also took USAG’s training as a judge before everything went down, and the policy as they outlined it in their training tests and videos was that you report it to the organization, so Rhonda was following the policies as outlined by USAG at that time. As a mandated reporter, I had a hard time with that section of the safety training, because I kept thinking “no, you need to report this to the police or CPS”, but in most states coaches are not mandated reporters and don’t have to take mandated reporter training on who to contact. Whether or not she should be the national team coach or not, she was following USAG policy by reporting it the way she did, so for her to be fired for that? In the middle of camp? Seems like a CYA to me.

 

[sewgood]

I just had to do a lengthy training for mandatory reporters, in some states coaches (paid and volunteer) as well as any other adults working directly with children in any organized activity are mandatory reporters. But I think it's a relatively small number of states where the mandatory reporter laws are so far reaching. But the training I took was very clear, the second you have reasonable suspicion that something is up you must report directly to authorities. Do not run it by your supervisor, do not pass along to someone else in a position of power, go directly to law enforcement and/or child welfare authorities (some states have hotlines) and then tell your employer/supervisor/whatever.
I think there's a lot going on here, probably far more than what most of us know, but the fact is that a whole ton of adults dropped the ball in this situation. Some where much more at fault than others, but all that played a role needed to be addressed. Rhonda was probably not trained on how to handle abuse when she was hired for the position, that's not her fault. But she did play a role. And athletes were hurt by the way she handled the situation. Maybe providing her with extensive training on how to better handle these matters should the arise in the future would have been enough, maybe firing was necessary. I don't know enough details to say.
The timing was inappropriate and unfortunate. The athletes and coaches are obviously hurt and scared about what this means for their futures which is understandable, and I think the "what's next" piece of this puzzle should have been spelled out for them when the announcement was made. But maybe that remains unknown. Regardless, I don't see this getting better before it gets worse.

I have worked in many different places as a coach in couple different sports, as well as a substitute teacher. Prior to my current employer, every place I've worked would say that you had to report it as a mandatory reporter and then either directly say or indirectly imply that reporting meant telling your supervisor. My current employer has provided training that explains the above - that mandatory reporting means reporting to law enforcement... they even give you the hotline number and a step by step guide in the employee handbook when you are hired so you know exactly what to do. But NONE of the other places I've worked over the last two decades has done this, including public schools! I understand that ignorance of the law is not an excuse for not upholding it, but OTOH, how in the world are you supposed to just magically know this??? Especially when you are told or it is implied that reporting means telling your supervisor.

IMO, employers that employ and/or utilize volunteers that are mandatory reporters (schools, daycares, sports organizations, medical staff, etc, etc) should be required to give training on what mandatory reporting is and what a mandatory reporter's responsibilities are within so many days (30?) of hiring. You have to have documented training in other areas, like first aid, CPR, AED, back to sleep (for daycares), safe sport (for amateur sports), blood borne pathogens, etc. Mandatory reporting training should be included in that as well, IMHO.

I'm not saying that Rhonda bears no culpability here. She absolutely does. However, it is worth remembering that she had been hired less than a month before and this was the first or second camp she had attended as SVP. She was told the information, she reported it to Steve Penney that day, who assured her that it was being taken care of. Whether or not you think she should have been fired for not reporting directly to law enforcement, I just don't understand this pitchfork and torches mentality toward her (given the information we have been given so far).

 

[cloudy]

A bunch of the National Team Athletes had Instagram posts up too... but those all mysteriously disappeared?

And here you go:

https://twitter.com/FloGymnastics/status/997556449529253891

I heard Valorie Kondos Field.

 

[coachmolly]

I have worked in many different places as a coach in couple different sports, as well as a substitute teacher. Prior to my current employer, every place I've worked would say that you had to report it as a mandatory reporter and then either directly say or indirectly imply that reporting meant telling your supervisor. My current employer has provided training that explains the above - that mandatory reporting means reporting to law enforcement... they even give you the hotline number and a step by step guide in the employee handbook when you are hired so you know exactly what to do. But NONE of the other places I've worked over the last two decades has done this, including public schools! I understand that ignorance of the law is not an excuse for not upholding it, but OTOH, how in the world are you supposed to just magically know this??? Especially when you are told or it is implied that reporting means telling your supervisor.

IMO, employers that employ and/or utilize volunteers that are mandatory reporters (schools, daycares, sports organizations, medical staff, etc, etc) should be required to give training on what mandatory reporting is and what a mandatory reporter's responsibilities are within so many days (30?) of hiring. You have to have documented training in other areas, like first aid, CPR, AED, back to sleep (for daycares), safe sport (for amateur sports), blood borne pathogens, etc. Mandatory reporting training should be included in that as well, IMHO.

I'm not saying that Rhonda bears no culpability here. She absolutely does. However, it is worth remembering that she had been hired less than a month before and this was the first or second camp she had attended as SVP. She was told the information, she reported it to Steve Penney that day, who assured her that it was being taken care of. Whether or not you think she should have been fired for not reporting directly to law enforcement, I just don't understand this pitchfork and torches mentality toward her (given the information we have been given so far).

I am in total agreement. I have worked in multiple positions where I was a mandatory reporter in several different states (including the public school system) and this training was the first to spell out that mandatory reporter= call the authorities then tell your supervisor. Before taking this, I too would have told my supervisor first. And in many of those positions, I also would have assumed my supervisor was taking care of the issue if he/she said they were. Which is why I suggested that perhaps providing Rhonda (and others in similar positions) with extensive training on mandatory reporting would have been a better solution than firing. But I don't know all the details, so maybe firing was necessary. I just can't say.

 

[coachmolly]

And here you go:

https://twitter.com/FloGymnastics/status/997556449529253891

View attachment 7252

I heard Valorie Kondos Field.

I think there is probably far more to the story than that. The gymnasts posting these messages likely have a limited idea of all that went on with the Nassar scandal, which is a really good thing. They spoke out of a place of self preservation and were strictly speaking from their own experiences which have been generally positive (also a good thing). They are worried about what all of this means for their future, and understandably so. Those fears are valid and they have a right to feel those things. They likely were not considering those most deeply impacted by Nassar
's abuse. However, some of those athletes will be heading to NCAA teams in the near future where they will have teammates (or coaches) who were victims of Nassar who feel let down by USAG, Rhonda included. How must that feel to survivors? I imagine the coach communicated that the athletes might want to reconsider the way those messages would be perceived by those who were deeply hurt by the inaction of USAG and its employees rather than forcefully asking for their removal.

 

[sewgood]

I am in total agreement. I have worked in multiple positions where I was a mandatory reporter in several different states (including the public school system) and this training was the first to spell out that mandatory reporter= call the authorities then tell your supervisor. Before taking this, I too would have told my supervisor first. And in many of those positions, I also would have assumed my supervisor was taking care of the issue if he/she said they were. Which is why I suggested that perhaps providing Rhonda (and others in similar positions) with extensive training on mandatory reporting would have been a better solution than firing. But I don't know all the details, so maybe firing was necessary. I just can't say.

I agree 100%. And just firing her with no plans to properly train the other people still there seems like putting a dollar store bandaid on a wound that needs a tourniquet.

 

[DebraNC]

I just had to do a lengthy training for mandatory reporters, in some states coaches (paid and volunteer) as well as any other adults working directly with children in any organized activity are mandatory reporters. But I think it's a relatively small number of states where the mandatory reporter laws are so far reaching. But the training I took was very clear, the second you have reasonable suspicion that something is up you must report directly to authorities. Do not run it by your supervisor, do not pass along to someone else in a position of power, go directly to law enforcement and/or child welfare authorities (some states have hotlines) and then tell your employer/supervisor/whatever.
I think there's a lot going on here, probably far more than what most of us know, but the fact is that a whole ton of adults dropped the ball in this situation. Some where much more at fault than others, but all that played a role needed to be addressed. Rhonda was probably not trained on how to handle abuse when she was hired for the position, that's not her fault. But she did play a role. And athletes were hurt by the way she handled the situation. Maybe providing her with extensive training on how to better handle these matters should the arise in the future would have been enough, maybe firing was necessary. I don't know enough details to say.
The timing was inappropriate and unfortunate. The athletes and coaches are obviously hurt and scared about what this means for their futures which is understandable, and I think the "what's next" piece of this puzzle should have been spelled out for them when the announcement was made. But maybe that remains unknown. Regardless, I don't see this getting better before it gets worse.

I don't disagree about the timing of this termination being really confusing and upsetting. I personally find the negligence about not calling DCFS huge because I really feel that agency would have moved faster because the goal there is to immediately protect the children and not as much about criminal liability. It was such a miss. Added to the fact that some of those who were abused by Nassar feel she should be gone I just can't cry any tears over her dismissal. I do feel very badly though for the team members being negatively impacted here.

 

[gymyogimom]

I think there may be a lot to do with keeping Olympic certification, or whatever it is called, with the clean the entire house bit. Anyone who knew but didn't report it to the cops has to go. The OC has decertifird groups in the past for not changing enough. They were threatened in January by the USOC. Perhaps they're worried about it coming from the International Olympic Committee as well ...

 

[gymyahoo]

It sounds like the kids are the ones cancelling the camp. They are refusing to train because they don’t like a decision USAG made.

Frankly, if Rhonda was told about the abuse and did nothing, she needs to go. USAG needed to fire her as soon as the new leadership found out and confirmed it was true. If that confirmation happens during a camp, so be it. (I can’t believe it took this long, but better late than never.)

I cannot believe these girls think one coach is more important than the abuse their predecessors faced. What selfishness.

The kids did not cancel or refuse to train. Practice on Thursday was cancelled because coaches were in meetings with USAG sorting out the news on Rhonda. Friday’s workout was optional and athletes and personal coaches were given the option to train. I think most did light workouts because mentally most kids were still trying to cope with the news on Rhonda.

 

[Natasha]

I don't disagree about the timing of this termination being really confusing and upsetting. I personally find the negligence about not calling DCFS huge because I really feel that agency would have moved faster because the goal there is to immediately protect the children and not as much about criminal liability. It was such a miss. Added to the fact that some of those who were abused by Nassar feel she should be gone I just can't cry any tears over her dismissal. I do feel very badly though for the team members being negatively impacted here.

DCFS or its counterpart in each state is only involved in family/household abuse, they do not investigate reports involving non-relatives not in the home.

 

[Mish]

Now this:
https://www.usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=21989

 

[bogwoppit]

Now this:
https://www.usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=21989

Who would even want this job?

 

[BachFlyer]

Who would even want this job?

Agreed! But, in all honesty, who would we even accept, as a community? I am not in-the-know enough to really know who is qualified and who we could trust. I'm gonna take a wild guess that no one is going to give up a college gig to come over to JO at this point.

 

[mom2557]

Agreed! But, in all honesty, who would we even accept, as a community? I am not in-the-know enough to really know who is qualified and who we could trust. I'm gonna take a wild guess that no one is going to give up a college gig to come over to JO at this point.

I read the job description as National team and developmental team head coach. I think there are likey people interested. Especially those who think they can help lead USAG in a positive direction.

 

[BachFlyer]

I read the job description as National team and developmental team head coach. I think there are likey people interested. Especially those who think they can help lead USAG in a positive direction.

Yes, that's correct. I'm sure there are a few interested parties, but I'm asking who we might accept as a community. Anyone want to throw out a suggestion or two?

 

[2gymkids]

IMO, employers that employ and/or utilize volunteers that are mandatory reporters (schools, daycares, sports organizations, medical staff, etc, etc) should be required to give training on what mandatory reporting is and what a mandatory reporter's responsibilities are within so many days (30?) of hiring. You have to have documented training in other areas, like first aid, CPR, AED, back to sleep (for daycares), safe sport (for amateur sports), blood borne pathogens, etc. Mandatory reporting training should be included in that as well, IMHO.

Um, YES X 1000 and I'm kind of horrified that it isn't commonplace. I've always gotten that training and was the responsible trainer when I worked at a church. We reviewed all of this information with all of our volunteers- including that they need to report to LAW ENFORCEMENT, provided the number and told them how to find it if they were to need it. We always told them if you're nervous or uncertain you can ask us to sit with you and hold your hand through the process but you absolutely always report to the hotline if abuse is reported to you or suspected.

 

[DebraNC]

DCFS or its counterpart in each state is only involved in family/household abuse, they do not investigate reports involving non-relatives not in the home.

That's absolutely incorrect

 

[raenndrops]

That's absolutely incorrect

it depends on the state Too bad it isnt consistent in all states.