902 Procedure: Use of School District Facilities and Equipment
902 Procedure: Use of School District Facilities and Equipment
I. General Rules and Regulations
A. Permits are not transferable and are issued only for the dates, hours, and areas specified.
B. Every group must have competent adult leadership. The individual whose name appears on the permit will be responsible for the group's conduct while using the facility. Additional supervision must be supplied by the applicant as required by the District.
C. The person and/or organization will reimburse the school district for any damage to the school and its property by any participant and/or others involved.
D. Except for emergency situations, only equipment requested and approved on the permit will be issued for use by the group.
E. Special equipment, such as projectors, microphones public address systems, etc., must be identified in the permit request. Appropriate event planning information forms will be sent to the permit holder to be completed and submitted to facilities scheduling. If the operation of special school equipment requires school personnel, provision for this service will be arranged and the additional service costs noted on the permit.
F. The school district has established after hours emergency procedures to be followed during emergencies. The Community Education Building / Stadium Supervisor will supervise the operation of the facility under the direction of the Community Education Coordinator. All users must follow direction of the Building / Stadium Supervisor or may be denied future use.
G. The use of tobacco is prohibited for all persons on school district property. (See Policy 921 - Non-use of Tobacco on School Premises.)
H. The use or possession of drugs and alcohol is prohibited for all persons on school district property. (See Policy 922 - Non-use of Chemicals on School Premises.)
I. Students and non-students, including adults and visiting youths, are forbidden to possess, store, transmit, or use any instrument that is considered a weapon or a look-alike weapon in school, on school grounds, at school activities, at bus stops, on school buses or school vehicles or school contracted vehicles, or entering upon or departing from school premises, property or events. (See Procedure 506 – Student Discipline)
Exception: a class, activity or program which uses equipment and tools for instructional and training purposes; provided, however, all exceptions must be approved by the Community Education Facilities department and under supervision of a district staff member.
J. All users of school district computer stations must comply with the acceptable use policy for network/internet use. (See Policy 524 – Network/Internet Acceptable Use By Students.)
K. All users of District Facilities must comply with Policy 926 – Conceal & Carry on School Premises.
L. Gambling is not permitted on school district property with the exception of school-sponsored events that have a gambling permit (when required) and are in operation solely for fund raising to benefit students and school programs.
M. Failure to comply with school district policies, procedures, rules and regulations may result in the termination of the permit and will impact consideration of future permit requests.
N. Employee usage after regular school hours shall be confined to the employee’s immediate work station or other authorized areas necessary for conducting district business. Gyms, pools, cafeterias, auditoriums, shops and stadiums shall not be considered as workstations for any employee before or after normal school hours.
O. Playgrounds are available for public use during non-school hours without a permit. Stadiums and athletic fields can be scheduled for community use during non-school hours by following the normal permitting procedure. Joint powers agreements between municipalities and District 279 will be honored in relationship to the policy and procedures for use of school district facilities and equipment.
P. On days school is in session, the Maple Grove Sports Dome is available for rental from 6am – 2pm, November 1 – April 30. The community education facilities scheduling department issues permits based on the priority levels.
Q. Building security procedures require all individuals to use designated entrances. Propping locked doors or gates open is strictly prohibited.
II. Classification of Organizations Using School Facilities, Listed According to Priority of Scheduling
Permits will be issued within their priority levels in the order in which they are received.
A. Required Priority by Law: Government elections and caucuses
B. Priority I: District Groups and Functions
1. District-sponsored and school-sponsored events including, but not limited to, District staff development and committees, School Board meetings and special hearings, District Community Education activities, concerts, athletic events, parent/teacher advisory groups, and school fundraisers intended for school families. The District 279 Foundation and the Wastebasket Revue, Inc., which are initiated by District 279 employees and benefit students district-wide, are specifically designated as Priority I groups.
2. District functions have first priority provided that requests have been submitted within the annual time line (see IV, D) and lower priority classifications (see Appendix A) have not yet been scheduled.
C. Priority II: District Fundraisers, Governmental, Municipally-Affiliated Athletic Associations, and Youth Groups
Fundraisers generated by the school district intended for the general public, such as but not limited to tournaments (booster club or school sponsored), dinners, and craft fairs.
1. Governmental usage, such as Parks and Recreation activities (including youth athletic camps), public hearings, police and fire examinations.
2. Youth and character-building organizations composed primarily of ISD 279 residents including, but not limited to, Scouts, YMCA, 4-H, K-12 nonpublic school activities, and faith community youth recreation (a roster of members and their addresses may be required).
D. Priority III: Non-profit, Neighborhood and Faith-based Groups
Groups which originate within the school district and are devoted to community interest.
1. Civic/Fraternal/Non-profit organizations with limited membership, including, but not limited to, Lions, Jaycees, and Rotary.
2. Faith community worship services.
3. Neighborhood groups located within the school district boundaries with restricted clientele of up to 50 individuals for informal recreational purposes including but not limited to homeowner’s groups and independent athletic teams operating outside of community organizations.
E. Priority IV: Commercial Groups
1. Groups in this priority classification may include, but are not limited to, local businesses, individual and home businesses, colleges and universities, commercial dance studios and private agencies.
2. Any group that does not qualify as a Priority II or III organization may apply for a permit as a commercial group.
III. Authorization Procedures
A. In order for the permit originator’s group to qualify as a Priority II, a minimum of 80% of its membership must reside or work within school district boundaries. This provision does not apply to Priority III non-profit, neighborhood and faith based groups, IV commercial groups or II fundraisers generated by the school district.
B. Facility requests that generally duplicate existing school or community activities may be denied.
C. Permits will not be granted for any request which may be detrimental to the best interests of the school district.
D. Facilities will not be available for any use which might result in any undue damage or wear, or is not consistent with the use for which the space was designed.
IV. Application Procedures
A. Permit application fees are non-refundable. In the rare event that the district needs to schedule emergency maintenance at a district facility once a permit has been approved and issued, every effort will be made to relocate the event to a different location within the district. If no suitable location can be found, a complete refund, including the permit application fee, will be issued to the organization making the request.
B. Building use permit applications may be obtained on the school district’s web page at www.district279.org, click on the Community Ed tab, then click on Facilities Scheduling and go to Facilities Scheduling, or by calling or visiting the Community Education facilities scheduling program staff.
C. All permit requests must be filled out completely and submitted with the permit application fee (see Appendix B) at least fourteen (14) days prior to the date of use. In order to ensure that groups hosting large events are able to secure the dates and facilities requested, it is strongly encouraged that permit applications be submitted 90 days in advance.
D. All permit requests are processed according to the priority classification categories (see Appendix A).
E. Processing permits for the upcoming school year begins in May. Requests made after June 15th will be filled as space and time are available.
F. The Community Education Division will, upon receipt of a "Request to Use Facilities" form, verify space availability, compute applicable costs, and upon approval will issue a permit for the activity. Copies of the permit will be sent to all necessary parties.
G. District sponsored and school sponsored events must meet the following criteria:
1. Complete the permit process for use of school district facilities and equipment.
2. The building principal or administrative designee is required to be on site for the entirety of the event (building/field supervisors may be needed in lieu of principal/administrative designee).
3. All event revenues (such as registration fees, admissions) are made payable to ISD 279.
4. District 279 will comply with State High School League requirements when hosting events.
V. Permit Cancellations
If the permit holder needs to cancel any dates on a permit;
A. Cancellations for events involving less than 200 people must be made at least one (1) business day in advance of the scheduled date.
B. Cancellations for events involving 200 or more people must be made at least nine (9) business days in advance of the scheduled date.
VI. Security
A. Police support may be required for any event to host over 100 people and/or if the nature of the event warrants additional security.
B. Community Education will work with local law enforcement to determine and hire the appropriate number of police staff.
VII. Swimming Pool Facilities
District swimming pools may be used by community groups. Information regarding community use of District swimming pools may be obtained by contacting the appropriate City Parks and Recreation Department listed below:
North View Middle School - Brooklyn Center
Brooklyn Middle School - Brooklyn Park
Maple Grove Middle School - Maple Grove
Osseo Middle School - Maple Grove
VIII. Food Service
Food may be served in District schools under the following regulations:
A. Food and beverages must be served in the cafeteria or other approved locations within the school buildings.
B. A Food Service employee must be on duty when the kitchen facilities are used.
C. While potluck meals are generally discouraged in district facilities, anyone wishing to have potluck meals must adhere to laws and regulations established by state and local health departments.
D. Dinners and banquets may be catered through the district catering service or by an outside catering service. The District Director of Food Service must approve any requests for food service.
E. Food service requests must be submitted to the Director of Food Service a minimum of three weeks in advance of the event.
IX. Indemnification and Liability Insurance
A. All organizations (including an individual, informal groups, commercial entitles, political subdivisions, and nonprofit entities regardless of legal status) understand that as a condition of the use of the facility they must agree to defend and indemnify and hold harmless the school district, its officers and employees against any and all losses, claims, damages or liability to which the organization, its officers, or participants may become subject in connection with the conduct of any activity on the premises by the authorized organization. All organizations must agree to reimburse the school district, its officers and employees in connection with defending any actions relating thereto.
B. All non-district groups, falling in Facility Scheduling Priorities II, III or IV including PTO’s, PTA’s, and Booster Clubs, are required to provide a certificate of Liability Insurance in the amount of $1,000,000.00 and name ISD279 as an additional insured.
C. School-sponsored curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular groups and activities are excluded from this requirement since they are included in District coverage.
X. Rate Schedule, Invoicing and Payments
A. Rates apply to groups according to the Rate Schedule for Facility Use (Appendix B or C).
B. For all groups in priority classification categories III, and IV, the following invoicing and payment schedule shall apply:
1. Prepayment
a. Prepayment of 90% of the estimated charges for the event are required a minimum of 30 days prior to the event date or at the time the permit is requested if less than 30 days prior to the event.
b. Prepayment equal to one month’s estimated charges will be due a minimum of 30 days prior the first event date for all long term permit holders in priority classification categories III, and IV, which have been specifically approved by the school board.
2. Permits will be cancelled if prepayment has not been received a minimum of 30 days prior to the first event. Following the initial prepayment, payment for all final invoices is due upon receipt.
C. The district may assess additional fees for staff services, facility rental, refuse removal, and other services as necessary.
D. If an outstanding balance exists from a previous event, the outstanding balance and 100% of the estimated amount for the new event will be required at least 30 days before the new event. Final payments are due upon receipt of an invoice from the district.
Appendix A: Staffing and Rental Fee Structure
Appendix B: Indoor Facility Rate Schedule
Appendix C: Outdoor Facility Rate Schedule
Appendix D: Staffing and Equipment Rate Schedule
Created/Revised
Revised: 1/24/17
Revised: 11/17/14
Revised: 9/23/14
Revised: 6/8/11
Revised: 2/12/10
Revised: 7/17/07
Revised: 10/16/01
Created: 10/6/98 (formerly Procedure 1331)
Revised: 6/4/96
Revised: 12/20/83
Created: 7/6/82
Legal References
M.S. 124D.18-124D.57 – Purpose of community education programs
M.S. 123B.51 - Schoolhouses and sites; uses for school and non-school purposes; closings
Cross References
Procedure 506 – Student Discipline
Policy 921 - Non-use of Tobacco on School Premises
Policy 922 - Non-use of Chemicals on School Premises
Policy 926 – Possession of Dangerous Weapons on School Property