Facilities Use Information
Community Use of School Facilities
Community groups shall be permitted and encouraged to use school facilities for worthwhile purposes when such uses will not interfere with the school program. All arrangements shall be subject to the following provisions:
Eligible organizations
Organizations connected with and promoting recognized school functions may use the buildings without charge. Other organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America, Big Sisters of America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Future Farmers of America, Girl Scouts of America, Little League Baseball Inc. and any other group intended to serve youth under the age of 21 listed in Title 36 of U.S. Code may use school property upon payment of suitable fees and costs, according to the fee schedule recommended by the superintendent and approved by the Board of Education. Rental or fees may be waived for charitable or other nonprofit organizations or groups by the Superintendent.
Whenever a community group is permitted to use a school or other facility, at least one district employee must be on hand, paid for by the organization, when in the opinion of the Superintendent it is necessary to supervise the individuals and protect school property. The number of paid employees shall depend on the type of service, number to be served and number of volunteer helpers.
Whenever a cafeteria is used, it shall be under the supervision of a school employee. The group using the facility shall reimburse the district for the salary of the employee.
No school building or facility shall be used for any purpose which could result in picketing, rioting, disturbing the peace or damage to property or for any purpose prohibited by law.
Rental charges and approval of use
Specific regulations for scheduling outside uses of school facilities shall be drawn up by the superintendent and approved by the Board. Fees for the use of school facilities shall be determined by the superintendent or designee based upon the rental charges and personnel fees approved by the Board.
All rentals of school facilities shall be approved by the superintendent or designee on the basis of this policy and its accompanying regulations. Any special requests or exception to policy and/or regulations must be approved by the Board.
Any individual, group or organization using school property as provided under this policy shall hold the Board of Education, individual Board members and all district officers, agents and employees free and harmless from any loss, damage, liability, cost or expense that may arise during or be in any way caused by such use or occupancy. When using school facilities, organizations may be required to furnish satisfactory liability insurance protection.
Adopted: 1987
Reviewed: March 2006 by Policy Review Committee
Policy Manual Updated November 2006 to Reflect CASB Recommendation
By Policy Review Committee June 2010
Revised: May 21, 2001
January 20, 2004
September 20, 2004
July 2011
LEGAL REFS.: C.R.S. 22-32-110 (1)(f)
20 U.S.C. 7905 (Boy Scouts of America Equal Access Act contained in No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)
CROSS REFS.: EDC, Authorized Use of School-Owned Materials or Equipment
JJA-2, Student Organizations – Open Forum (Secondary Schools)
File: KF-R
Community Use of School Facilities
Responsibility
The Superintendent shall be responsible for the administration of the accompanying policy on community use of school facilities.
The role of the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant shall be that of assisting potential users in finding suitable space and providing technical assistance to appropriate building staff upon request.
Scheduling
After district activities have been scheduled, space will be available with attention to broad and equitable use of facilities. Alternate locations will be offered whenever possible if a particular building cannot accommodate all requests. All community use is subject to the general guidelines and availability of district staff.
The Principal or Dean of Students, the Maintenance Director, the Food Services Director (if Kitchen is involved), and the Superintendent shall sign off on the Facilities Use Request granting approval for use. The Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant shall be responsible for notifying the Administrative Assistant of the building or facility being used, the person requesting permission and the Maintenance Director when permission has been granted. The Maintenance Director shall inform the head custodian of the date and time of all building activities and the rooms reserved and the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant and the Maintenance Director shall keep a calendar of all rental commitments and reservations for regular school activities during the year.
Permission for use during the hours of the regular school day or during the period immediately after the closing of school, which in the judgment of the principal may be necessary for school purposes, may be refused.
Field use
Fields will be available for approved community use. This use is subject to cancellation or adjustment due to weather or field conditions. Groups requesting reserved and exclusive use shall be charged a fee based on the number of teams and fields used.
Application for use (CLICK HERE FOR FACILITIES USE REQUEST)
Written approval is required for use of a school building or grounds by any group that is not a part of the regular public school program. Such approvals which are considered to be a part of these regulations may be granted for a single use or a limited, continuing use.
The requestor must submit a completed application form for "Use of School Facilities" to the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant for approval, denial, or modification.
Approval will depend upon satisfactory assurance that the use of the school facility will be under the direct supervision of an adult who in the judgment of the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant is responsible and competent to supervise the proposed program or activity. The supervision provided by each renting group must be adequate to ensure that the members of the group remain in the assigned portion of the facility. If required by school officials, guards or uniformed police also must be provided at the expense of the user.
If approved, the activity will be added to the building master calendar and copies of the application will be completed and distributed to the person requesting use of the facility, the Maintenance Director, the building’s Administrative Assistant, and other school personnel as deemed necessary.
Cancellation and revocation
The user must notify the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant if the event is canceled or times are adjusted. Repeated and/or short notification of cancellations may result in denial of further requests for building use.
The district reserves the right to cancel building use permits should the space be needed for school or school-related activities. This privilege will be used only when necessary due to unavoidable circumstances. Attempts will be made to offer alternative space. The district may revoke building use at any time. When this occurs, appropriate financial adjustments will be made.
General regulations
No permit will be transferred to any person or group other than the one to whom issued.
Safety: All applicable fire and safety laws/regulations governing use of school facilities must be observed at all times, including:
Auditorium exit lights must be used.
Open flame (including candles) is prohibited.
Room capacity is not exceeded.
Temporary electrical or mechanical modifications are prohibited.
Flammable holiday or other decorations are prohibited.
Stairways, corridors and entrances/exits must be kept free from obstruction at all times.
No equipment, scenery or decorations of any type may be used within the building or on the premises except as specifically authorized in the permit. Such authorized equipment, scenery or decorations, must conform to all local and state regulations and must not be attached to the walls, floors or ceilings (except to anchors presently provided).
Prohibited activities
Use or possession of alcoholic beverages or controlled substances. Failure to comply will be dealt with by local law enforcement agencies.
Smoking, chewing or any other use of tobacco products within the building or on school grounds in accordance with state law and Board policy on tobacco-free schools. If an individual group does not comply with this policy or these regulations, the group will be denied use of district facilities for a period of no less than 18 months.
All disruptive or illegal activity, including obscene language, quarreling or fighting.
Unlicensed gambling.
Damage
The approved party will be responsible for all damages and losses to the school facility and/or the contents and must indemnify and hold harmless the Board and its employees from any claim resulting from or arising out of the use of the school facilities named in the application or any part of the facilities covered in the application.
The Board will not be held responsible for any damage or loss which may occur to non-school property brought on the premises. Such property must be removed from the facility immediately after the use or before such time that the materials will interfere with school activities.
Insurance
School district property insurance and comprehensive general liability insurance do not extend to community or other groups using school facilities.
The district may require non-school groups to provide certificates of insurance in the following amounts:
Entities which can establish coverage under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act must provide certification of proof of insurance at least to the limitations provided in the act.
All other entities not protected by the limitations of the Governmental Immunity Act must provide a certificate of insurance in the amount of $500,000.
Locations
All applications will be approved for specific rooms or fields. It will be the responsibility of the approved party to restrict the activities of the group to that specific area except for necessary hallways and restrooms. The approved party is responsible for not allowing unauthorized individuals into the approved area or activity. The presence of unauthorized individuals must be reported to the staff manager on duty.
Times
Facility use times will be specified in the application. All groups are expected to vacate the premises by the hour specified. Exceptions to this may be approved by the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant. No non-school groups will be permitted use of facilities on regularly scheduled school days prior to 4:30 p.m.
Days
Facilities may be rented Monday through Friday as space is available and as such rental does not interrupt or disturb regular school activities. Use of school facilities on Saturday or Sunday may be permitted and will be subject to staff availability where applicable. Summer use may be limited due to custodial work schedules.
Clean up
General clean up will be the responsibility of the approved party. Rubbish must be removed from the facility immediately after use or before such time as it will interfere with school activities. Additional fees will be charged for clean up when deemed necessary.
Guidelines for religious use
Facilities may be used for religious activities under the following conditions:
Church services and religious activities must be conducted at times when school is not in session.
Religious objects and symbols must be removed after each use.
Nondiscrimination
All users are subject to laws and regulations applicable to school districts which prohibit unlawful discrimination based upon age, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, race, color, ancestry, creed, religion, marital status, disability or need for special education services.
Rental categories
Category 1
No security deposit or fees will be charged to the following:
All pre-approved developmental programs for students within the school district boundaries sponsored by a school employee andschool-affiliated groups such as parent-teacher organizations, school-related parent and community groups, or employee groups of an educational or professional nature
Governmental entities using facilities as a polling place.
Precinct caucuses.
Category 2
A security deposit will be required of groups within the school district boundaries that do not meet the criteria in Category 1. In order to qualify in this category, all group monies shall be run through the school district’s Activities Fund. If a group opts not comply with this regulation, Category 3 applies.
This category also includes:
Community-sponsored groups that do not charge a fee and whose main purpose is to hold an informative meeting that is open to the public (such as League of Women Voters, political parties, local neighborhood organizations and recognized community service groups).
Community-sponsored youth and senior citizen activities when:
Instructors or supervisors receive no payment for their involvement in that activity.
Fees for the activity, if any, provide only for direct non-personnel costs.
Any private or public school on school-sponsored trips to Mesa Verde National Park or travelling through the area.
Category 3
Any group from outside the school district boundaries may rent school facilities when their use is not incompatible with Board policy. Facility use fees, proof of liability insurance and a security deposit will apply.
Fees
Custodial
Any organization or individual, regardless of classification, shall be required to pay the cost of custodial services if use of the facility will result in direct costs to the school district. For those facilities where a custodian is regularly on duty during the rental, the user may be charged up to two hours per use at the current custodial salary rate to compensate for additional work required in opening, securing, cleaning, etc., related to the rental.
Cafeteria
A school cafeteria manager or other designated cafeteria employee(s) must be present for general supervision of the cafeteria/kitchen. All persons working in the kitchen (preparing food and/or handling kitchen equipment) must meet state and county requirements for school food handlers. The user shall pay the district in accordance with the fee schedule for all cafeteria personnel. The user shall be given and must abide by a set of guidelines for kitchen use.
Payment
All users are expected to pay rental fees in advance. Organizations that have made prior arrangements with the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant may pay on a monthly basis. Organizations wishing to pay on a monthly basis should submit a request in writing. Failure to pay as per agreement may result in denial of access to the facility and denial of future requests. Checks should be made out to the school district and forwarded to the district business office.
Financial accountability
It will be the responsibility of the Superintendent’s Administrative Assistant to ensure that revenue received is forwarded to the business office for deposit to the appropriate accounts. Fees collected for salaries will be used to reimburse those accounts. Fees collected for facility rental/use will be deposited in the district facility maintenance account.
Fee revision
Rental fees are subject to review and revision and may be adjusted annually by the Board.
Guidelines for denial of use
The district reserves the right to deny building use for any reason. Approval will be denied if in the judgment of the Superintendentthe proposed activities would:
Jeopardize the equipment and/or facilities of the building.
Conflict with school activities.
Be incompatible with the school neighborhood.
Violate any Board policy or local, state or federal law.
Guidelines for appeal
Applicant(s) may file a written appeal to the superintendent if an application for use of school facilities is denied. Further appeal, if necessary, may be made to the Board of Education.
Adopted: 1987
Reviewed: March 2006 by Policy Review Committee
Policy Manual Updated November 2006 to Reflect CASB Recommendation
By Policy Review Committee June 2010
Revised: May 21, 2001
September 20, 2004
July 2011
LEGAL REFS.: C.R.S. 22-32-109 (1)(bb)
C.R.S. 24-10-101 et seq.(Colorado Governmental Immunity Act)
C.R.S. 24-34-601 (discrimination in places of public accommodation)
C.R.S. 24-34-602 (penalty and civil liability for unlawful discrimination)
C.R.S. 25-14-103.5 CROSS REF.: ADC, Tobacco-Free Schools
File: KF-E
Community Use of School Facilities
User Fees:
Category 1Category 2Category 3
Deposit RequiredNo Deposit$100.00$100.00
Any classroomNo ChargeNo Charge$30.00
Elementary Gym without kitchen No ChargeNo Charge$100.00
Elementary Gym with kitchen
No ChargeNo Charge$ 125.00*
Historic GymNo ChargeNo Charge$ 150.00
Performance CenterNo ChargeNo Charge$ 200.00
Track/stadiumNo ChargeNo Charge$100.00
* Use of the Elementary gym with kitchen by any Category requires a kitchen staff member be present. The group using the facility will be responsible for paying the hourly wage of said kitchen staff member.
Users of the facilities will pay all fees and provide necessary proof of insurance at least 10 days in advance of the activity.
A $100 deposit is required for Category 2 & 3 users. The deposit is to be returned after a cleaning/damage inspection is conducted and the facility is found to be clean and without damage. If the deposit does not cover the extent of damage, the excess will be billed and further usage of facilities denied until payment is received.
If the used facility needs to be cleaned,the security deposit will not be refunded. If you request in advance for a custodian, the custodial rate will be $13.50 per hour per employee with a minimum charge of one hour.
Adopted: May 21, 2001
Reviewed: March 2006 by Policy Review Committee
Policy Manual Updated November 2006 to Reflect CASB Recommendation
Fall, 2011
Revised: September 20, 2004
September 15, 2008