CIC CIC Legal Liability & Risk Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A risk management plan for an interscholastic athletics program should FIRST include:
- Identification of potential hazards in facilities, equipment, and activities (Correct answer)
- Purchase of the most expensive insurance policy available
- Elimination of all contact sports
- Hiring additional legal counsel for the athletic department
Correct answer: Identification of potential hazards in facilities, equipment, and activities
Identifying hazards is the foundation of risk management, enabling appropriate mitigation strategies to be developed.
Question 2: Under Title IX, a CIC coach has a responsibility to:
- Ensure equitable opportunities, resources, and treatment regardless of gender (Correct answer)
- Provide identical uniforms to all sports teams
- Eliminate competitive differences between boys and girls sports
- Only apply rules equally during mixed-gender practices
Correct answer: Ensure equitable opportunities, resources, and treatment regardless of gender
Title IX requires equitable—not necessarily identical—access to participation opportunities, resources, and treatment across genders.
Question 3: When an injured athlete is transported to the hospital during an away game, the coach should:
- Ensure a responsible adult accompanies the athlete, notify parents immediately, and complete an incident report (Correct answer)
- Continue coaching the game and address paperwork afterward
- Let the opposing school's staff handle the situation
- Send the athlete alone in an ambulance and call parents after the game
Correct answer: Ensure a responsible adult accompanies the athlete, notify parents immediately, and complete an incident report
Immediate parent notification and adult accompaniment fulfills duty of care, and incident documentation protects the program legally.
Question 4: A CIC coach discovers that the playing surface has a dangerous crack before a game. The correct action is to:
- Report it to the athletic director, postpone use, and document the hazard in writing (Correct answer)
- Cover the crack with tape and continue practice
- Warn athletes verbally and proceed with the game
- Wait until after the season to report it to facilities management
Correct answer: Report it to the athletic director, postpone use, and document the hazard in writing
Reporting and removing athletes from dangerous facilities is required to meet duty of care and prevent foreseeable injury.
Question 5: FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) requires coaches to:
- Protect the confidentiality of student educational records, including athletic eligibility documents (Correct answer)
- Post all athlete grades publicly to promote academic accountability
- Share student records with college recruiters upon request
- Destroy all records at the end of the school year
Correct answer: Protect the confidentiality of student educational records, including athletic eligibility documents
FERPA restricts disclosure of student educational records without consent, and athletic eligibility records fall under this protection.
Question 6: An athlete reports being bullied by teammates during practice. The coach's FIRST legal and ethical obligation is to:
- Investigate immediately, document the report, and follow the school's anti-harassment policy (Correct answer)
- Tell the athlete to handle it independently within the team
- Dismiss it as normal locker room culture
- Wait to see if the situation resolves itself over several days
Correct answer: Investigate immediately, document the report, and follow the school's anti-harassment policy
Coaches are mandatory reporters in harassment situations and must follow school policy to fulfill their duty of care and legal obligations.
CIC CIC Legal Liability & Risk Management 2
A risk management plan for an interscholastic athletics program should FIRST include: