The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners approved new Recreation Department policies designed to safeguard children at a recent meeting.
County Attorney Four Eggers said that the policy changes will bring the county into compliance with recently enacted state laws.
“The General Assembly has passed a statute that will … require background checks for all individuals who work for counties and cities — who work with children — to have a background check that has been conducted by the SBI (State Bureau of Investigation) as opposed to alternative options for background checks,” Eggers said. “The other item in reviewing this with staff was to get in place a robust abuse-prevention and background check policy, which is what you have before you.”
Recently, Ryan Hoyle, a Bakersville man volunteering with Mitchell County Recreation sports, was arrested and charged with taking indecent liberties with minors.
Eggers said that the new recreation policy incorporates the recommendations of the U.S. Center for SafeSport to safeguard minors.
“SafeSport is a congressionally chartered nonprofit that oversees the United States Olympic and Paralympic movements,” Eggers said. “Those policies are considered the gold standard for youth sports programs. They have been developed by nationally recognized psychologists and psychiatrists to identify items that are a potential risk for abuse and also to have training programs to help folks identify potential markers that might indicate abuse.”
The new policies require a 90-minute training session from SafeSport for everyone working with children, as well as an annual 30-minute review.
“It’s very comprehensive and covers all kinds of facets of the potential for abuse and the relationship,” Eggers said.
County Manager Allen Cook said that these changes would not require parents who stay in the stands to complete any trainings, just those who get down on the field and interact with players other than their own children.
“If you want to be in the huddle … you got to do this,” Cook said.
“This is not a requirement for parents … in the bleachers,” Eggers reiterated.
County Commissioner Steve Pitman described the abuse incident as heartbreaking.
“A lot of people have been hurt — a lot of people. It breaks my heart for what this county has went through,” Pitman said.
Pitman praised Recreation Director Brock Duncan and his staff.
“My prayers are for every family that’s involved with all this stuff,” Pitman went on. “It breaks my heart to see what all these families have went through. … I think tonight we made a very good step in doing the right thing.”
Board Chairman Jeff Harding also described the situation as heartbreaking.
“I support this agency and these men and these workers — my heart breaks on a daily basis,” Harding said. “It’s a tragedy. What I would say is it’s time to heal, it’s time to move on, and try to be one community again.”