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Albemarle County Public Schools
COMMUNITY USE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES
The Superintendent, subject to the approval of the Board, may provide for or permit the
use of school buildings and grounds out of school hours during the school term or during
vacations for any legal assembly. School facilities also may be used as voting places in any
primary, regular, or special election.
The Board is authorized to permit use of school property under its control when such use
will not impair the efficiency of the school.
Requests for the use of any school facilities shall be made to the Superintendent or
designee.
In accordance with Virginia Code §22.1-131, the Superintendent shall provide a monthly
report to the Board regarding the community use of school facilities.
Adopted: July 1, 1993
Amended: October 26, 2000 (effective January 1, 2001); August 16, 2004; January 28, 2010
Reviewed: May 24, 2007
Legal Refs.: Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, §§ 22.1-79.3, 22.1-130.1, 22.1-131, 22.1-132;
20 U.S.C. §§ 4071 et. seq.
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Albemarle County Public Schools
COMMUNITY USE OF SCHOOL FACILITIES
The School Board believes in the full and best possible utilization of the physical
facilities belonging to the citizens of the County. To achieve this end, the use of school
facilities for school and student-related activities as well as by outside organizations and
groups shall be encouraged when these activities will not interfere with the educational
program in the schools.
Safety of citizens, students, and employees and care of school property shall be
primary considerations in the use of school facilities. The Superintendent or designee
reserves the right to deny usage or terminate an existing contract in accordance with this
policy. Failure to pay promptly all rental charges or damages may be considered sufficient
grounds for refusal to grant further use of school property to an applicant.
A. Eligible Organizations
The Board has classified various organizations and groups for the purposes of
establishing priority for use and for the charging of fees.
1. Classifications
Type I Organizations
• School and School Division sponsored organizations for activities related
to School Division programs or business;
• Associated organizations, such as PTOs/PTAs and Booster Clubs, for
activities supporting School Division programs;
• Youth organizations, such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, and 4-H
Clubs for programs, meetings and activities
• Albemarle County Local Government agencies and departments for
programs and activities serving Albemarle County citizens;
that do not require a direct fee
for participation in such activities;
• Virginia High School League for District and Regional athletic events; and
• Albemarle County neighborhood associations for meetings of less than 30
people.
Type II Organizations
• YMCA Summer Programs.
Type III Organizations
• Other YMCA fee-based programs and other activities by organizations not
covered by Types I and II.
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Albemarle County Public Schools
2. Membership
The membership of any group or organization requesting the use of school
facilities must be largely from the County of Albemarle. This restriction does
not exclude the use of certain facilities, as determined by the Superintendent,
by state and national organizations that have a local sponsoring division of
such organization.
B. Applications and Approval
Applications must be sponsored by reputable and established clubs, societies,
or organizations that reasonably can be held responsible for the payment of charges,
compensation for damages to property, and use of the property in reasonable
conformity with regulations on the application. All groups using School Division
fields or gymnasiums for activities not sponsored by the Albemarle County
Department of Parks and Recreation (“Parks and Recreation”) must complete a
Building Rental Application. These groups will be subject to established rental and
personnel fees.
In no cases may school property be leased to individuals or in ways contrary
to the County’s zoning ordinance or any other ordinance, law, or regulation.
Commercial use of school property by any organization or individual is also expressly
forbidden unless approved by the School Board.
The Board authorizes the Superintendent or designee to approve all
applications for the use of school facilities that meet the requirements of the Board,
this policy, and any other implementing regulations the Superintendent may issue in
accordance with this policy in order to protect school property. The Superintendent
or designee shall design such application forms as are required. The completed and
signed form shall be a binding agreement upon the applicant and the School Division.
The School Division reserves the right to deny usage of a facility if the application is
received less than three (3) business days prior to the start of the event. No rental
application will be considered more than six months prior to the desired rental date.
Parks and Recreation may submit applications for the whole season in advance. Field
rental may be restricted to four days per week or less to allow fields to rest and to
provide for informal use.
School organizations and PTA's/PTO's, followed by Parks and Recreation
Department, have priority usage of all school facilities.
The Superintendent/designee reserves the right to limit use of School Division
facilities during school vacations.
School Division facilities are not intended to be permanent locations for Type
III organizations. Therefore, a Type III organization using School Division facilities
for more than forty (40) days per year for three (3) consecutive years may be required
to show evidence of plans to provide its own facility as a condition of use beyond the
third year.
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Albemarle County Public Schools
The School Division reserves the right to cancel a rental contract up to ten
(10) days prior to a scheduled rental in the event of an emergency, adverse weather
conditions, or a violation of this policy. Use of schools will automatically be
canceled when schools close due to inclement weather or emergency conditions.
C. Fees
1. Establishment of Fees
The Board has established a minimum schedule of fees based upon the
Superintendent’s recommendations and the following factors: classification of
the group or organization, facilities to be used, size of the group, approximate
cost to the school division, and the purpose for which the facility will be used.
The specific fees to be charged are listed in table format at the end of this
administrative procedure. In general, the following will apply:
Classification
Fees
I
1. No custodial fees will be assessed during normal building
operating hours if activities do not require supervision or
excessive cleanup, as determined by the Building Services
Department.
2. If an event extends past 10:00 pm on week nights, personnel
fees will be assessed at the established rate. If excessive
cleanup is required after 10:00 pm, personnel fees will be
assessed at the established rate. The minimum personnel
charge for custodial and audio/visual service workers for
after hours use will be three (3) hours. Specific custodial
needs will be determined by the Building Services
Department.
3. School, School Division sponsored organizations and
associated organizations may receive up to four (4) hours of
custodial service at no charge for a given event that occurs
outside of normal operating hours. Any custodial service
beyond four (4) hours will be charged at the established rate.
4. Outside of normal operating hours, non-school
organizations will be assessed personnel fees at the
established rate. The minimum personnel charge for
custodial and audio/visual service workers for after
hours use will be three (3) hours. Specific custodial needs
will be determined by the Building Services Department.
II
Personnel fees and base fees (see table at end of Administrative
Procedure).
III
Base fees and personnel fees (see table at end of Administrative
Procedure).
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Albemarle County Public Schools
2. Additional Provisions Regarding Personnel Fees
a. After Hours Fees
. The minimum personnel charge for custodial
services, audio/visual services or Food Service employees for after
hours use will be three (3) hours.
b. Food Service Employee Fees
. If the kitchen is to be used, a Food
Service employee must be present to ensure safe and sanitary
operation of the food service equipment. The need for Food Service
staffing will depend upon the needs of the organization. All
organizations will be charged if a Food Service employee is required.
c. Custodial Fees
. Custodial services shall include unlocking and locking
doors, operating ceiling lights, maintaining heating and air-
conditioning systems, setting up chairs, and normal cleanup. Rental of
facilities by large groups or organizations which require the services of
more than one custodian will result in additional personnel fees.
d.
Audio/Visual Technician Fees
. Audio/Visual Technician services are
required when a group requests to use the Albemarle County Public
Schools audio/visual equipment. The services shall include set-up,
operation and securing property. All organizations will be charged if
an audio/visual technician is required.
2. Payment of Fees/Cancellation
All fees must be paid in advance, and the sponsoring organization whose
name appears on the application shall be held responsible for any and all
damages to school property and equipment. For prolonged contractual
agreements, payments may be paid monthly in advance. Cancellation of a
rental must be done a least three (3) business days before the rental.
Cancellation later than three (3) business days will result in the renting
organization being assessed three (3) hours rental fee and three (3) hours
personnel fees.
3. Use of Building Rental Fees
Building rental fees collected will be distributed as follows: 60% to cover out-
of-pocket expenditures and 40% to the rented facility to be used toward the
equipment replacement effort (to be distributed annually).
D. Use of Athletic Fields and Gymnasiums (Not Synthetic Turf Fields)
The use of athletic fields on school property and school gymnasiums
by outside sports groups will be scheduled through Parks and Recreation.
Scheduling of these spaces will be done in coordination with school
principals.
School activities will be given priority in scheduling
. School
needs will be determined by principals.
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Albemarle County Public Schools
High schools, with the approval of the Superintendent/Designee, may
designate specific athletic fields for limited use by outside groups because of
maintenance needs or use by high school athletic teams. High school athletic
directors, in consultation with their principals, will make all decisions
concerning the closure of these fields to use by outside groups due to weather
conditions or for other reasons. Parks and Recreation will make these
decisions for all other fields. Groups that do not abide by these decisions may
lose the privilege of using school athletic fields.
The use of athletic fields on school property and school gymnasiums
for activities not sponsored by Parks and Recreation or during times not
scheduled for use by Parks and Recreation will be subject to established rental
and personnel fees.
E. Use of Synthetic Turf Fields
1. General
All users must complete the Division application for use of the turf fields and
adhere to the regulations and restrictions set forth by the applicable Athletic
Director. All game use or other use requiring a staff attendant requires the
payment of a $25/hr additional fee for staffing to control the scoreboard
and/or maintain the facilities. The Athletic Director will determine the need
to have staff on site, although all weekend rentals will require it.
2. Parks and Recreation Sponsored Youth Organizations
Parks and Recreation maintains a list of sponsored youth organizations
according to its established criteria. These organizations may apply through
the Athletic Director and Parks and Recreation for free use of the turf field for
practices
. For games or other events, these users will have access at $50/hour.
3. VHSL Applications
VHSL in-district teams may apply for field use at $50/hour. For VHSL
regional and state tournaments, field use will be charged at $100/hour.
4. All Other Users
All other users that do not meet the criteria in sections 1-3 may apply for field
use at the rate of $100/hour.
F. Protection of School Property
For use of indoor facilities, an employee of the School Board shall be
on duty at the school property at times when the school facilities are in use.
Parks and Recreation employees may be used in lieu of School Board
employees. No equipment or furnishings may be used or moved without the
consent of the employee in charge if such usage is not in conformity with the
contracted agreement.
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Albemarle County Public Schools
The sponsoring organization shall be responsible for crowd control
measures, including the employment of police protection when required.
Such control shall be arranged in advance by the sponsoring organization
when deemed necessary by the Superintendent or designee.
The sale or consumption of food and/or beverages will be limited to
the cafeteria area only. Alcoholic beverages and the use of tobacco products
in any form will be prohibited at all times on school property.
All groups using school facilities are required to have liability
insurance. Documentation of a group's liability insurance coverage will be
required.
G. Informal Usage of Outdoor School Property
The Board endorses the concept that non-secured outdoor facilities at
the schools serve a community and district park function in Albemarle
County. It is understood that, in general, these facilities will be available for
free play or unstructured use during daylight hours at no cost to Albemarle
County residents, unless such use would conflict with a reserved use as
allowed for above or a school need inclusive of maintenance requirements.
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Albemarle County Public Schools
COMMUNITY USE OF SCHOOLS FEE SCHEDULE
BASE FEES
FACILITY
CLASSIFICATION III
Auditorium
(Audio/Visual Tech Required):
$50.00
Blackbox Theatre:
(Lighting Tech Required)
$15.00
Cafeteria:
Elementary School Cafeteria
$20.00
Middle School Cafeteria
$25.00
High School Cafeteria
$25.00
Cafeteria w/kitchen [2]
(Food Services Associate Required):
Elementary School Cafeteria w/kitchen
$35.00
Middle School Cafeteria w/kitchen
$40.00
High School Cafeteria w/kitchen
$40.00
Classroom:
$15.00
Forum:
$20.00
Gathering Area:
$10.00
Gymnasium:
Elementary Gymnasium
$20.00
Middle Gymnasium
$30.00
High School Gymnasium
$45.00
High School Gymnasium w/locker rooms:
$60.00
Media Center:
$25.00
Multi-Purpose Fields:
$25.00
Parking Lot (if specifically requested):
Elementary and Middle:
$10.00
High:
$10.00
Small Gymnasium:
$15.00
Tennis Courts:
$10.00
Track:
$10.00
SYNTHETIC TURF FIELD FEES
Youth Use
sponsored by
Parks and Recreation
Adult Group Use or
Non-Parks and Recreation
sponsored Use
Youth practices
sponsored by Parks
and Recreation
$50/hour $100/hour No Charge
Requires Custodian/Field
Supervisor
Requires Custodian/Field
Supervisor
PERSONNEL FEES
Custodial Services (per hour)
$25/hour (Requires minimum of 3 hours)
Food Services Associate
Billed through Food Services
Audio/Visual Technician
$40/hour (Requires minimum of 3 hours)
Student Lighting Technician
$8.00/hour
Adopted: July 1, 1993
Amended: May 9, 1994; October 26, 2000; August 16, 2004; May 24, 2007; January 28, 2010