The public use of school buildings and property is permitted in accordance with Board of Education policy E-130 (Community Use of School Facilities) and these procedures at any time the principal states the premises are not required for school purposes. 

As approved by the Board of Education, school buildings and grounds or portions thereof may be used for auxiliary, educational, recreational, cultural, and such other purposes as promote the welfare of the community and the educational goals of the Board. 

While it is not generally considered appropriate to use school facilities for personal memorial services, the Knox County Schools will consider requests for the use of school facilities for activities to honor alumni who have died in the line of duty in military service to the nation or alumni who have died in the line of duty while serving as an emergency first responder in service to the Knox County community. 

School facilities including buildings, athletic fields, and grounds may not be used for private profit, except for the purpose of providing an academic educational service.  

Proof of non-profit status, Federal 501c (3) or State SS-4418, may be required to be submitted with applications for use of facilities.  

These Procedures apply to all Knox County Schools-owned facilities. 

PROCEDURE FOR FILING APPLICATION  

1. All non-school groups or individuals requesting to use school facilities must complete an electronic application and submit it for approval by the principal or the principal’s designee of the school for which the facility use is requested. Upon approval by the principal, the request will be routed to the facilities use coordinator in the Knox County Schools (KCS) Maintenance Department. This coordinator will act as the Superintendent’s representative to ensure all policy and procedure requirements for use of the facility are met. Final approval or activation of any facility use request rests with the Superintendent or the facilities use coordinator. 
2. Non-school related events may not be scheduled to take place except as stated in this procedure. 
3. Applications must be submitted 15 business days prior to use to allow questions or deficiencies to be corrected prior to the date of use. 
4. A copy of the approved facility use application must be in the possession of the groups using the school whenever they are using KCS facilities. If the user is requested to show the document as proof that they have approval to use the facility, they must do so. If the document cannot be provided, they may be removed from school grounds.  
5. In accordance with Board policy, proper insurance must be provided for any group applying            to use KCS facilities.
   1. The insurance must have a rider listing Knox County Schools as an “additional insured” party.  
   2. The minimum liability coverage will be $1,000,000.
   3. The minimum property damage coverage will be $100,000. 
   4. If insurance is for a one-time event, the location, date, and description of the event must be     on the proof of insurance.
   5. KCS will accept insurance that covers larger groups of users that meet for longer periods of     time at one or more schools, provided that the minimum coverage applies individually to every event at every school listed.
   6. Insurance is not required for school groups or for groups insured directly by Knox County or     the State of Tennessee.  
6. Proof of valid insurance must be provided prior to final approval of any application.
7. The holder of an approved application to use school facilities may cancel the agreement by giving the Superintendent or designee at least 72 hours’ notice in advance of the date scheduled to be used. Otherwise, the group will be held responsible for the charges. 
8. The approved facility use application will be transmitted to the applicant via email. 

ADDITIONAL PROCEDURES FOR SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES 

1. It is not necessary for an application to be made to use school facilities for school-related activities. However, school related activities shall be properly scheduled using the SchoolDude application to ensure that conflicts in scheduling do not arise. School-related activities are defined in Board Policy E-130 (Community Use of School Facilities) 
2. The Knox County Schools reserves the right to either cancel an event or offer a substitute facility to an applicant at any time. The Knox County Schools will not be responsible for any applicant costs due to such cancellation or change of venue.  
3. KCS does not guarantee that KCS-owned lights, plumbing, or HVAC equipment will operate as expected by an applicant. KCS will not refund facility usage fees for minor inconveniences caused by broken equipment. 
   1. A mutually satisfactory reduction in the rental fee may be negotiated between the applicant and the Superintendent or his designee if inoperable KCS equipment caused a material disruption to a scheduled event. 
   2. Any labor or material costs incurred by KCS responding to a maintenance request by an applicant outside of normal working hours will be billed to the applicant and reimbursed to KCS along with the facility use fee.  

SUPERVISION OF APPROVED USE OF FACILITIES        

The principal or designated school employee shall be on duty when any KCS building is in use for any activity outside the normal school day. The Superintendent or designee may require additional staff as necessary depending on the size and activity of a group. 

Payments to KCS employees will not be made directly by any group using KCS facilities. KCS employees will be paid through the KCS payroll system. 

1. An application will not be approved if a suitable KCS employee is not able or willing to work the event outside of normal working hours.
2. The employee hourly fees (custodians, food service workers, security guards, etc) will be included as part of the Board-approved fee schedule. The principal will make the initial determination of how many and which types of employees are required for the event. The number and type of employee(s) will be listed on the application.
3. Normally, custodial fees will not be required for events that occur within the normal operational schedule of the facility as specified within policy E-130.
4. A custodian is required to be on-site for any event during non-working hours as follows:  
   1. If an outside area to be used requires access to a restroom in the main school building then a KCS custodian is required to be on-site for the duration of the event. The hourly cost of the custodian will be in addition to the facility use fee.
   2. If the restroom to be used is in a field house, stadium, or other separated building, the group will be required to pay for a custodian to clean the facility for a minimum of one hour per day for every day used.
   3. In all circumstances a principal can request more custodial hours to be charged based on the      cleanliness of the group.  
   4. Only the Superintendent may waive or reduce the custodial requirement.  
5. If a custodian assigned to a particular facility is not available, in coordination with the school’s principal the KCS maintenance department will assign a custodian to work the event. Other classified and certified personnel assigned to the particular school may serve as building custodian for an event. These employees will be compensated based on the custodial rate as listed in the fee schedule. For noncustodial employees a facility use payroll form must be turned in to the facilities use coordinator by the first day of the month following the scheduled event.  

PROCEDURE FOR PAYMENT  

1. School-related activities will not pay for the use of the facilities unless the activity places an unusual cost burden on KCS at the determination of the principal, the Superintendent or the Superintendent’s designee. Sponsors of school-related activities will be responsible for any additional employee hours required to supervise the events.
2. All non-school groups shall pay to the Board of Education the approved facility use and supervision fee. The cost of the use of the facility will be the sum of the hourly rates for all areas of the building listed on the activated schedule.
   1. If the number of hours actually used increases from that on the application, the user must include a letter specifying what hours were actually used.
   2. The payment will be compared against custodial timesheets to make sure the proper number of labor hours and rental rates has been charged.                 
   3. All checks shall be made payable to the Knox County Schools.            
3. Payment timeline and late payments
   1. For single occurrence events the payment for the event is due within two (2) weeks of               receiving the invoice.  
   2. For events with multiple occurrences or events scheduled for an entire school year, payments are required monthly for the actual use of the facilities during the month. The payment must be received within two weeks of the last day of use for a given month. Recognizing that holidays and weather will result in some event date adjustments, groups with recurring use are required to notify the facilities use coordinator if actual schedules differ from the application. 
   3. Any attempt to pay for fewer hours than those actually used could result in a cancellation  of the current application and could disqualify a group from using KCS facilities in the future.
   4. Late payments may result in the cancellation of an application and a disqualification for  future KCS facility use at the discretion of Knox County Schools.  

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE WHILE IN SCHOOL FACILITIES

The holder of an approved application to use grounds, equipment, or space in a school building shall agree to observe the conditions of use:          

1. To exercise care in the use of school premises and to use only designated areas as approved. 
2. To be financially responsible for any damage arising from the occupancy of any portion of the  school premises.  
3. To hold the Board of Education blameless for any claim, loss, or damage by reason of any act on the part of the applicant or other members of the organization.           
4. To properly supervise all activities  
5. The use of alcoholic beverages, tobacco, drugs, profane language, or gambling in any form is not permitted on school property.  
6. The area of school building being used shall not have its means of egress blocked and Fire  Prevention Regulations shall be strictly observed.            
7. Doors and windows of the school will not be propped open for any reason.  
8. Applicants will adhere to all KCS policies and procedures, including all terms and conditions of the school use application.  

Failure to adhere to all KCS policies, procedures, rules, and regulations may impact future use of KCS facilities.