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Any person or group wishing to use District facilities must fill out a Facility Use Application and submit it with the prescribed insurance certificates and a Hold Harmless document. The application must be submitted to the Facility Use Manager at least 10 business days prior to the date of intended use. Any changes to the request, after approval, shall be submitted as soon as possible to the Facility Use Manager.  Organizations requesting a series of uses may complete a single application for the multi-use.   

Use of School Facilities

Conditions for Use of District Facilities

A. Use of District facilities may be permitted unless such facilities are in use for school purposes or during educational programs. The District reserves exclusive and non-reviewable judgment to determine each requested use. To ensure the District facilities are preserved for the benefit of the greater District community, only groups with membership of at least 80% of District residents from within the geographic area covered by the District may be granted use of District facilities.

B. Organizations requesting the use of a school building or the use of the turf field must have the District required number of school custodians in attendance at all times at their expense.      

C. For meetings, entertainments and occasions where admission fees are charged, proceeds must be spent for a valid educational or charitable purpose.  

D. School equipment, such as, but not limited to, technology, stage lighting, cafeteria-kitchen, or athletic equipment,  may only be used with prior written District approval. 

E. Whenever kitchen facilities are used, a District assigned food service worker will cover the event and the user will be charged accordingly. When approved building use requires use of a kitchen facility, coordination, including specific kitchen or food requirements, will be undertaken with the School Lunch Manager in accordance with the District Wellness Policy and Regulation. 

F. Proper supervision of participants and attendees and meticulous care of District facilities must be provided at all times. This includes adequate clean-up after all events as determined by the District. Any costs resulting from damage to school property, facilities and/or equipment or additional clean-up by the District  will be charged to the person(s) and/or organization using the facility and must be paid immediately. Security deposits may be required for large events, as determined by the District.

G. The number of persons admitted for a function must not exceed room capacity or seating limits, as determined by the District.  

H. No smoking (including e-cigarettes, vaporizers or other nicotine delivery devices) within 100 feet of the boundary of an elementary or secondary school, including in vehicles (except on private property or within a private residence)  or other tobacco use, possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages; possession or use of unlawful drugs (including synthetic drugs, look-alike drugs) or inappropriate use of prescription or over-the-counter medications are not allowed on any school property. 

I. No animals are permitted on District property except for certified service animals. The certification must be produced for any such animal upon request.

J.  All Board policies, rules and regulations pertaining to Public Conduct on School Property and the Code of Conduct shall be strictly observed. 

K. Wherever inclement weather or an emergency situation causes the closing of District schools, all after-school functions, including the use of District facilities scheduled for that day, will be canceled unless specific authorization is given for the use by the Superintendent or designee. 

L. Recognized collective bargaining units may use school facilities to conduct meetings, upon approval as specified in the collective bargaining agreement(s), but may not be used for political purposes.

M. Certain groups, as determined by the Superintendent, may be granted use of school facilities without a facility use charge provided the facility is not already in use during the hours requested. Unless expressly permitted by law, no group or organization may use school facilities without charge while the District is operating under a contingency budget.  

N. School-related organizations, as defined in Policy 1222, and the Town of Yorktown are generally exempt from paying facility use fees but are responsible for paying  for personnel costs when they are providing education or extracurricular programs for District students, or planning for the same.  

O. The Superintendent and/or his/her designee has authority to grant or reject requests for the use of school facilities subject to appeal to the Board. The Board’s  determination  shall be final. The Board reserves the right to deny use of District facilities or to terminate use of District facilities at any time. The District may deny applications for any reason, including, but not limited to:  

1. any user who has previously misused or abused District facilities or property or who has violated the Facilities Use  policy and this regulation; 

2. any use which would have the effect of violating the Establishment Clause of the United State Constitution or other provision of the United States or New York Constitution;  

3. any use which the District or Board deems inconsistent with District policy or regulation; 

4. any use by a private, for-profit entity;

5. any instance where tobacco products, as defined above and in Policy 1530 Smoking or Tobacco Use, alcoholic beverages, unlawful drugs are possessed, sold, distributed, consumed, or promoted or where prescription or over-the-counter medications are inappropriately possessed, sold, distributed, consumed or promoted; and

6. any use prohibited by law.  

P. Any group using school facilities is required to present evidence of the District’s required insurance coverage at least 10 business days prior to the requested use or the group will not use the facility. The District shall be named as an additional insured, primary and non-contributory, under the user’s liability insurance, in an amount deemed adequate by the Superintendent  or his/her designee. The certificate shall state the period of coverage and must provide for prior notification of cancellation by the insurer. All policies issued shall be drawn by a company duly licensed to provide said service in the State of New York. Failure to provide proof of  this insurance prior to the use will result in denial of use. 

Application Procedure for Use of District Facilities

Outside organizations requesting use of District facilities shall be required to review Board Policy 1500 and this regulation and submit an application. Applications shall follow the guidelines and restrictions below: 

A. All applications for use of school facilities should be made at least 10 business days prior to the date of the requested use.  Applications must be submitted in writing or through other means as determined by the District.    

B. All applications must clearly describe the intended use of the District facilities and services and identify the individuals responsible for supervising the use of facilities. An authorized agent of the group or organization requesting use of the facilities must sign the application and the applicant’s signature on the application shall attest to the group’s or organization's agreement to comply with all Board policies and regulations.  

C. All applicants must agree to use the District facilities strictly in accordance with the use described in the application and to assume responsibility for all damages resulting from its use of District facilities. The person(s) and/or organization using the facilities must assume full responsibility for any injury or damage to persons or property which occurs during the use, regardless of cause. The Facility Use Manager will check each application to ascertain whether or not the application meets the District's requirements for facility use. Use of the District's facilities will be permitted only where the applicant agrees to pay the applicable fees according to the Facilities Use Fee Schedule which is available on the District website under “Facilities Use”, and to provide the required insurance coverage referenced in this regulation.  

D. The Facility Use Manager will ascertain whether fees are to be charged and, if so, the total amount as per the Facilities Use Fee Schedule on the District website. The Facilities Use Manager will invoice user for facility use and all related fees pertaining to such use. Any additional fees, charges for damage to the District buildings, facilities and equipment, or for clean-up costs, shall be billed after the use and must be paid immediately.  Applicants shall be required to remit payment for use of District facilities or services upon receipt of invoice. Failure to pay the District in a timely manner may result in the suspension or revocation of the user’s privilege to use District facilities in the future.  

E. The District will issue a confirmation of facility use via an email. The confirmation is valid only for the specific organization, the specific facility use and dates and times specified. Confirmation shall not be transferable. A confirmation may be modified only with the prior written approval of the District. In addition, the District may alter or cancel a confirmed use if it becomes necessary to use the facility for school purposes or for any other justifiable reason. Issuance of a confirmation of use shall not limit the right of access to the facility by District staff. 

F.  Direct payment to District employees is not permitted. Custodial assignments are determined and arranged by the District.  A minimum of 1 hour (30 min at the start and 30 min at the end) will be added to each use covering  preparations to open and close the building or field location.    

G. The custodian on duty is under the direct supervision of the Director of Facilities and is to be regarded as the representative of the District.

H. Only authorized District assigned personnel shall operate kitchen equipment. A member of the School Lunch Program must be present when any kitchen equipment is to be used. A minimum fee will be charged, per person, per hour and will be billed directly to the organization using the facility.     

I.  Fireworks, weapons, firearms and other dangerous items are strictly prohibited in school buildings or on school grounds. 

Supervision and Safety 

A. Organizations are solely responsible for providing adequate supervision of all participants and attendees covered by this application. The District may provide guidelines and minimum requirements for such supervision.

B. Safety equipment required for the use (such as first aid kits, AEDs) must be provided by the user. 

C. The person signing for the organization or group shall be personally responsible for ensuring the strict observance of Board policies and regulations and the District Code of Conduct, the assignment of adequate adult supervision, and the conduct of those in attendance. 

D. While the pool is in use, a certified lifeguard must  occupy the lifeguard chair.  

E. No person, including the instructor in charge, shall swim alone.

F. There must be a custodian on duty at all times in the buildings.  

G. Parking is allowed in designated areas only. There is no parking on the grass except in designated areas. Fire lanes must be kept open. Violators may be ticketed and/or towed at their expense.

H. The organization is responsible for ensuring that there are individuals guiding people to the designated areas only.  

I.  Visiting groups must agree to strictly adhere to the regulations on supervision, safety, cleanliness, conduct and security.  

J.  No one is allowed in the buildings unless appropriate school personnel are on duty.

K. The District may limit the areas that are accessible to outside groups.  

Users  must follow all District building and field posting of rules. See District's Policies and Code of Conduct for full listing of all rules and regulations. This list is to be used as a quick reference only.

1. Notice of cancellations, other than inclement weather related, must be communicated in writing to the Facility Use Manager at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled use. Cancellations with  less than 24-hours notice where the District incurs expenses, the user must pay the expenses.  

2. Profanity, objectionable language, disorderly acts or illegal activities of any kind are absolutely prohibited; those violating this prohibition will be ejected from the property and the police may be called.  

3. Any damage to District facilities shall be promptly repaired by the District at the user’s sole expense.

4. Any organization  must ensure the presence of adequate adult supervision at all times, including a designated responsible adult supervisor.

5. No unauthorized vehicles are allowed on fields or in unauthorized parking areas.

6. No field or building alterations (lining of fields or gymnasiums, erecting permanent structures, etc.) are allowed without prior written approval of the District.  

7. No repairs to fields are allowed without prior written approval of the District.

8. All Food and Beverages sold or distributed on school property must meet District Health and Wellness policy guidelines and regulations. Use of outside vendors must meet District guidelines and requires prior written approval of the District. In addition, the vendor must provide insurance coverage and certificates acceptable to the District.   

9. Prior to the start of any use, an announcement should be made regarding emergency evacuation procedures (e.g., pointing out posted exits).

10. The District is not responsible for any damaged, lost or stolen items.  

11. No political activity is permitted on school property.  

12. No signs shall be posted on school property without prior written approval.   

13. Security systems are located throughout the District.

By signing the District’s Building & Field Request Form, the user/organization agrees to follow all of the Rules and Regulations set forth in this document, the District’s facility use and other relevant policies, directives by school personnel and posted signs throughout the District.

Adoption date: December 1, 1995

Amended date: July 10, 2017

Reviewed date: April 28, 2019

Reviewed date: May 29, 2019

Amended date: August 26, 2019