REC Foundation Organizational Policy

Changelog

May 2024

• Minor typo fixes and clarifications throughout
• Added additional private organization example to the table
• Updated terminology for the new season (e.g., Primary Coach, Regional Support Manager, etc.)
• Added definitions of organization types

What is an Organization?

Organizations within a single REC Foundation program are defined by the location of the hosting school or group and can be described using the following criteria:

• All teams within an organization reside in the same event region.
• All teams within the organization have the same organization type.
• Teams within an organization meet together consistently throughout the season at a central or common location.  
• Each school in a school district is recognized as a different organization and should have their own set of team numbers.
• Each location of a private or community-based club is recognized as a different organization and should have their own set of team numbers.
• Organizations with multiple grade levels that reside at the same location can choose whether to register both grade levels under the same organization number, or under separate numbers for each grade level.  
• Changes to the organizational address must be approved by the Regional Support Manager.

Exceptions

• Schools that have a JROTC program can register their JROTC teams as a separate organization if the JROTC teams are being run separately from their school programs.
• Organizations that have more than 22 teams in a program should register additional organizational numbers as needed.

We appreciate that teams will try to follow this policy to the best of their ability, but that due to different circumstances it may be challenging to know if their teams should be classified as one or multiple organizations.  If organizations are unclear how they should be categorized, they should contact the REC Foundation for clarification.  

An organization's address may not be switched to provide a team with a competitive advantage by competing in a region that does not include their physical region. Teams that intentionally violate the REC Foundation Organizational Policy may be in violation of the Code of Conduct. The REC Foundation reserves the right to make exceptions to this policy to best fit the needs of the region.

Definitions of Organization Types

The REC Foundation reserves the right to reclassify a team's organization type based on the available information.

School

A school is an accredited full-time academic institution. A school can be a public school, charter school, or private school. Teams who are school-based must:

• Do all or most of the physical construction and programming of robots on school grounds
• Have a faculty member as a team coach
• Submit proof, either through email or a pdf attachment, that the school recognizes the team and confirms that the team meets the requirements of the previous bullet points

Community/Non-Profit Team

A community team is managed by or run through a non-school community organization such as 4-H, Boys and Girls Club, BSA or Girl Scout troop, community centers, etc. Community teams typically meet and work in a public or semi-public location such as a library, community center, or religious center, and students go to that public or semi-public location to participate. While some community teams may include dues, the entity overseeing the organization is not a for-profit entity. Community teams are generally open to enrollment by all students in the community they serve.

Private/Independent Team

A private team typically does the majority of their robot construction and programming work in a private home. Private teams are generally comprised of friends or family members, and do not have open enrollment. These are sometimes referred to as “independent” teams.

Paid STEM Enrichment Program

Teams that fall into this category typically charge student registration fees, and are managed or run through a for-profit business entity. Student enrollment is typically done by paid subscription. Paid afterschool STEM enrichment programs and paid STEM education centers or services would fall under this category.

Other

Teams will fall into this category if they do not fit within another existing category. REC Foundation staff will review the team's circumstances and, if needed, make a recommendation to reclassify the team's organization type.

Examples of Organizations

Below are examples of organizations and how they are categorized per the REC Foundation organizational structure.

2024-2025 Competition Season Team Registration Fee

• VEX Robotics Programs: $200 per team*
• Aerial Drones Competition: $175 per team*

*Registration fees for non-US teams and organizations will be determined by the area RSM.

Additional information about the team registration structure can be found in this REC Library article.

REC Foundation Programs

The REC Foundation supports a variety of programs aimed to inspire and motivate students to excel in STEM education. When referring to programs in the context of the REC Foundation Organizational policy, these programs include programs that are open for registration on RobotEvents.com. Examples of REC Foundation programs include:

• VEX IQ Robotics Competition
• VEX V5 Robotics Competition
• VEX U Robotics Competition
• VEX AI Robotics Competition
• Aerial Drone Competition

Grade Levels

The grade level for a team is ultimately determined by the definitions in the Game Manual corresponding to the program and are usually dependent on the age of the students on the team.  Typical grade level categories include Elementary School, Middle School, High School and University. Please select the appropriate program in the main page of the REC Library to locate Game Manuals.

Team Contact Definitions

There are many types of contacts associated with a team in RobotEvents.com: Primary Coach, Secondary Coach, Financial Contact, and Organizational Contact. Every named Team Contact must have a verified RobotEvents.com account and verified email address, which enables them to manage the team’s registrations. All Primary and Secondary Coaches for US teams must complete a background check.

It is important to note that all team contacts will have the ability to manage the team in RobotEvents.com, including registering the team for the season, registering for events, and modifying team information. 

If the team is associated with a school, at least one contact must be a staff member from that school. Schools that add parents as team contacts are encouraged to develop an internal process and guidelines for exactly what the non-school staff contacts are allowed and not allowed to do. 

The email address used to create the RobotEvents account for any Primary and Secondary Coach must be associated with a single user that matches the name on the account, and only that account holder should know the password.

If you need to add, remove, or revise team contacts, the article How to Manage Team Contacts on RobotEvents includes step-by-step instructions.

Primary Coach (required)

The majority of email communications from the REC Foundation and Event Partners are sent to the Primary Coach.

• The Primary Coach is typically the “head coach” of the team, and is responsible for maintaining the accuracy of all contacts and account attributes. Teams associated with schools will typically use a staff member as the Primary Coach. 
• Any major changes to a team’s Robot Events account should be made by the Primary Coach.
• The Primary Coach is typically responsible for registering the team for the season and events, and for ensuring that payments have been made.
• The Primary Coach is responsible for ensuring that REC Foundation Participant Release Forms are completed for each student on the team.
• The Primary Coach should attend events with the team.
• The Primary Coach is the primary person responsible for the students on the team and will be the first person contacted with team-related communications. 
• Primary and Secondary Coaches can post questions in the Official Q&A systems on RobotEvents.com.
• The Primary Coach must be an adult (18+ years old) and cannot be a student team member associated with a current team in that program, unless the team is registered for a college/university competition program.
• The Primary Coach for a US team must complete a background check.

Financial Contact (required)

A team’s Financial Contact is the person responsible for processing payments through RobotEvents.com. 

• The Financial Contact can be the same person as the Primary Coach.
• The Financial Contact coordinates payments for team registration, event registrations, and any product purchases made through RobotEvents.com. 
• The Financial Contact must be an adult (18+ years old) and cannot be a student team member associated with a current team in that program, unless the team is registered for a college/university competition program.

Secondary Coach (optional)

A team’s Secondary Contact is an additional individual who will help manage the team in RobotEvents.com, and is optional. 

• The Secondary Coach is typically an “assistant coach” or other adult who will attend events when the Primary Contact cannot attend.
• The Secondary Coach can complete team and event registrations, update Secondary, Financial, and
• Organizational Contacts, and assist with managing Student Participant Release Forms.
• Primary and Secondary Coaches can post questions in the Official Q&A systems on RobotEvents.com.
• The Secondary Coach must be an adult (18+ years old) and cannot be a student team member associated with a current team in that program unless the team is registered for a college/university competition program.
• The Secondary Coach for a US team, if listed in RobotEvents, must complete a background check.

Organization/Administrative/District Contact (optional)

The team’s Organization/Administrative/District Contact is used when there is a centralized person who helps manage multiple teams or organizations. 

• The Organization/Administrative/District Contact does not serve as the “head coach” or Primary Coach for a Team.
• Examples of Organization/Administrative/District Contacts are:
• A school district STEM Coordinator who pays registration fees for teams at multiple schools within the district.
• A non-profit manager who helps with administration of multiple programs across different sites. 
• The Organization/Administrative/District Contact must be an adult (18+ years old) and cannot be a student team member associated with a current team in that program, unless the team is registered for a college/university competition program.