Participant Protection & Concerns Reporting
SAPA Incident Reporting
SAPA is committed to the safety of our performers at every level of our activity. You may any concerns or issues via the anonymous form linked below. It will be sent to our Ethics team, comprised of the SAPA Executive Director and SAPA Executive Board President. You can also email any concerns or issues directly to executivedirector@sapaonline.net or president@sapaonline.net.
SAPA Participant Protection Requirements for Performing Groups
SAPA will now require all participating groups to certify they have obtained a national criminal history background check (or some satisfactory equivalent for country or locale) for anyone in contact with their participants. Individuals required to obtain a background check are:
- Instructional and administrative staff
- Participant drivers
- Participant chaperones
- Prop crews
- Clinicians
- Others who may have more than just a casual contact with participant
Such background checks shall be performed at the discretion of the participating group’s director no less than every two years. For scholastic groups, those requirements can be fulfilled by requirements imposed by the school district/educational institution; however, if a school district/educational institution, or an independent organization does not have a requirement for such background checks, the group will have to comply with these requirements.
SAPA also requires all participating groups to certify that they have had the pertinent individuals complete “SafeSport™ Trained” Abuse Prevention course. Individuals required to complete the SafeSport training are:
- All adult instructional and administrative staff having regular contact with or authority over participants
- All employees and independent contractors, including adjudicators and staff
- Board of directors
This 90-minute online training course provides a broad understanding of core requirements and principles for creating a safe and positive marching arts environment and outlines how to identify, report, and prevent emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and misconduct. Information about how to complete the course is located on the WGI website here: https://wgi.org/safesport-training/
*Please Note* Individuals that have taken the “SafeSport™ Trained” course between January 1, 2020 and June 1, 2023 will need to take the Refresher 1 Course for the 2024 season. Directors should gather course completion certificates for all their staff members and keep on file in the event your group is selected for a random audit.