Procedures for Complaints of Inappropriate Behavior 

  1. PURPOSE

The Board of Directors strives to create a safe and welcoming environment that everyone can enjoy, but given the nature of social dancing, incidents may occur that cause the people in our community to become uncomfortable with the behavior of their fellow dancers. This policy is in place so that we may be ready to provide support and an appropriate course of action to the people in our community should such an incident occur.

  1. SCOPE

To establish and make clear the procedure the Board will follow should their assistance be requested with a matter of this kind.

  1. BEFORE MAKING A REPORT

In most instances, the Board would request that you first attempt to reach a resolution yourself. In the event that the actions of another person are making you feel uncomfortable, disrespected, or are causing you pain, your first course of action should be to communicate this to the other person as politely as possible without sacrificing clarity. In many instances, the person may not be aware that their actions are impacting you in the way that they are. Making them aware of your concerns can be a good first step to resolving the issue. That said, we acknowledge that approaching someone about things of this nature can be difficult. To ensure that you are understood and to increase the likelihood that the other dancer receives your news well, try to follow these steps:

  1. “In the past, you’ve occasionally (state the nature of the issue)…”

  2. “…it (hurt, made me uncomfortable, etc.)”

  3. “I understand that this was most likely not your intent, but in the future I would appreciate it if you would be more mindful.”

If, after attempting to communicate your concerns with the other person, the inappropriate behavior should continue, please feel free to contact the Board through the form on our website, https://www.louisvillecountrydancers.org/feedback,  or by approaching any member of the Board at one of our events.






  1. PROCEDURES

  1. Upon being contacted by a person wishing to report an incident of inappropriate behavior within the community, a member of the Board will contact the person making the report to obtain and record the details of their experience as well as their full name and contact info, should they wish to disclose such. The Board member will explain the “Procedures for Complaints of Inappropriate Behavior” and give a copy of these procedures to the person making the report. The Board member will have 24 hours to submit this information to all other members of the Board for consideration. Should someone approach a Board member in-person wishing to make a report, the Board member is authorized to collect the information necessary to allow the board to move to the next step in the procedures.

  2. Should the Board deem it necessary to attempt to collect more information about the reported incident, the Board will designate at least 2 representatives to conduct an investigation. These representatives will preferably be from within the Board itself, but should a situation arise where it is found to be more appropriate (such as a report being made against a member of the Board), the Board reserves the right to designate representatives from within the dance community.  The representatives will be given access to any information collected so far and instructed to attempt to contact any other relevant parties to obtain more information, should they be available. This includes but is not limited to witnesses or other persons with similar experiences to the person making the report. 

  1. At this point the accused individual will normally be informed that they are the subject of an investigation by the Board and the nature of the reported incident, but only if the Board is reasonably certain that the reporting person cannot be identified by such information.

  2. Should the Board deem it necessary, the accused individual may be prohibited from attending any and all LCD events while the investigation is conducted. The Board will notify the accused individual of the investigation and prohibition as soon as possible once such a decision is made.

  1. The designated representatives will make a detailed written record of all conversations regarding the investigation. This includes conversations with any witnesses, further conversations with the reporting person, and any conversations with the accused individual. This record will also contain any written statements gathered from the person making the report, any witnesses, and the accused individual. Upon completion of their investigation the designated representatives will have 24 hours to submit this record along with their recommended course of action to all members of the Board through whatever channel is most convenient. This record will be maintained and made available to future members of the Board for reference.

  1. In situations where the Board believes that the safety of persons in other dance communities may be at risk, the Board reserves the right to share the identity of the accused and the nature of the incident with the relevant community leaders, but not the identity of any victims. These records are otherwise confidential.

  1. If it is determined by the Board that the reported incident did not occur or is not severe enough to warrant action from the Board, then the reporting dancer (and the accused, if necessary) will be notified of the Board's decision and reasoning and the matter will be considered ended. If it is determined by the Board that their action is necessary, the reporting dancer shall be notified of the Boards decision and one of the following shall be issued to the accused based on the severity of the issue:

  1. A verbal warning

  2. A written warning

  3. A temporary ban of a predetermined length of time

  4. An indefinite ban


In all instances other than a verbal warning the notification shall be issued in writing via certified mail.

The receipt will be kept for our records.

  1. APPEALS

If an individual is banned from LCD events, they reserve the right to appeal the decision to the Board. Any individual to which a ban is issued will be made aware of this right at the time their ban is issued to them. If the ban is for a specific period of time, the individual will ordinarily have 30 days to appeal the decision. If the ban is indefinite, the individual will ordinarily have 60 days to appeal the decision.


  1. DISCLAIMER

These procedures are not intended to cover extreme cases, such as threats or acts of violence. In such cases, LCD reserves the right to immediately remove the offending individual. Such instances may be considered an indefinite ban without right of appeal.

February 2016

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