No player, parent, volunteer, or employee of FC Stars shall be subjected to harassment, intimidation, hazing, bullying, or cyberbullying in the course of FC Stars activities on and off the field. For clarification, harassment, intimidation, bullying, or cyberbullying include, but are not limited to, any written, verbal or physical act, or any electronic communication, shown to be motivated by an individual’s actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry or ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability, gender, gender identity and expression, or other distinguishing personal characteristics, or based on association with any person identified above, even in jest. Hazing, as defined by Massachusetts law, shall mean any conduct or method of initiation, whether on public or private property, which wilfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any player or other person. Such conduct shall include whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, exposure to the weather, forced consumption of any food, liquor, beverage, drug or other substance, or any other brutal treatment or forced physical activity which is likely to adversely affect the physical health or safety of any such student or other person, or which subjects such student or other person to extreme mental stress, including extended deprivation of sleep or rest or extended isolation. Consent shall not be available as a defense to any prosecution under this action.

Furthermore, no player, parent, volunteer, or employee of FC Stars shall engage in, or knowingly tolerate, any such behavior harassment, intimidation, hazing, bullying or cyberbullying on or off the field as it relates to any teammates, other youth teams, referees, coaches, etc.

FC Stars Board of Directors will respond quickly to any and all allegations of harassment within the organization. Any violation of this policy may involve a disciplinary hearing and/or action, including suspension or expulsion from FC Stars and related activities.