- Wallingford-Swarthmore School District
- Building & Field Facility Usage
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Building & Field Facility Usage
District facilities shall be available to outside individuals and organizations to the extent that such use does not interfere with, conflict with or otherwise inconvenience regular school programs/operations. The use of District facilities by outside individuals or organizations shall not be construed to indicate endorsement by the District of the user's programs, services, or point(s) of view.
User Classifications
Group A – Directly School Related. Group A includes District or school-sponsored organizations, officially recognized parent and staff organizations (approved activities), the Foundation for Wallingford-Swarthmore Schools, and Wallingford Swarthmore Community Classes. If admission for any event is charged, the proceeds must exclusively benefit the sponsoring Group A organization; otherwise, fees will be charged to cover the cost of District personnel assigned to the event (i.e. security, custodial, food service, maintenance, etc.)
Group B – Non-Profit, Non-Commercial Locally Affiliated. Group B includes non-profit organizations. Any entity seeking to qualify as a Group B organization is responsible for providing sufficient documentation evidencing the entity’s status as a non-profit.
Group C – Outside Groups. Group C includes all individuals or organizations that do not qualify for Group A or Group B classification.
Application for Use of Facilities
All users and organizations requesting use of District facilities are required to submit an application, attached hereto as Attachment A, as well as to follow the procedures below and contained in this Administrative Regulation. The application must be signed by an authorized representative of the group requesting use of District facilities before the application will be considered. The individual signing this application is personally responsible for the enforcement of the rules and regulations set forth below and for any financial obligation to the District in the event that charges are incurred.
- In order to be eligible to use District facilities, the user or organization may not have a charter or admission policy that violates federal or state law.
- Requests for the use of District facilities will be determined on a first come, first served, priority basis (School-sponsored activities takes priority over all other proposed uses).
- A document detailing the rules for use of District facilities is attached hereto as Attachment B. This document must be signed by an authorized representative of the group requesting use of District facilities, in addition to the application form referenced above.
- Completed forms shall be submitted to the Director of Operations or designee. Requests must be made at least 30 calendar days prior to the scheduled facility use. This deadline may be waived by the Director of Operations or designee for good cause.
- The Director of Operations or designee will review applications as they are received and notify applicants within a reasonable amount of time (generally within five (5) business days) whether or not the proposed use is approved. A user’s prior history/conduct with respect to using District facilities may be taken into account when deciding whether or not a proposed use will be approved.
- Applicants will be notified regarding whether or not their application has been approved within a reasonable amount of time (generally within five (5) business days).
- Applicants may postpone or cancel requests to use District facilities by contacting the Director of Operations or designee. Requests must be received by the Operations Department at least 10 calendar days prior to the day of the scheduled use. Applicants who do not comply with this requirement will be required to pay all fees and costs.
- Group B and C users or organizations are required to provide a Certificate of Insurance to the Director of Operations or designee when the facilities use application is submitted. The Certificate of Insurance shall name the Wallingford-Swarthmore District as an additional insured. Applications will be considered incomplete and may not be further processed unless a proper Certificate of Insurance accompanies the application. The minimum insurance limits provided shall be $1,000,000 for personal injury and $500,000 for property damage. The Superintendent or designee may waive this insurance requirement, at their discretion, for good cause shown if doing so is determined to be in the best interests of the District.
Classification and Fee Schedule
Attached hereto as Attachment C is the fee schedule which shall be in effect with respect to the use of District facilities. In addition to the fees detailed in Attachment C, additional charges for necessary staff (i.e. custodial, maintenance/grounds, security, IT, etc.) or other services (i.e. use of District equipment) may apply. Reasonable efforts will be made to advise the user or organization of such charges prior to actual use of the facility. Added fees may be assessed for damage to District facilities or excessive/unexpected clean up.
At the discretion of the Superintendent or designee, a security deposit may be required of any user or organization requesting to use District facilities. If two independent users or organizations request to use a facility at the same time and both requests can be honored, each is required to pay all the required charges and fees in full.
All security deposits, if required, shall be paid 10 calendar days prior to the proposed use of District facilities. All other charges are payable within thirty (30) days after the billing date. Checks should be mailed to the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District, Attention: Director of Operations, 200 S. Providence Road, Wallingford, PA 19086. The District reserves the right to assess late fees of up to 1% per month when charges are not paid within 30 days of final assessment.
Additional Terms/Conditions
All provisions of Attachment B (Rules for Use of District Facilities) are incorporated into this Administrative Regulation by reference.
The availability of District facilities may be restricted by the Superintendent or designee. Any classroom or space which might contain confidential information is not available for use as contemplated in this Administrative Regulation and the accompanying Board Policy.
The Superintendent or designee reserves the right to revoke a previously approved application for use of District facilities that jeopardizes the health, safety or welfare of the District or otherwise interferes with the best interests of the District.
Permission to use District facilities will be immediately revoked for misuse, damage, vandalism, and/or any act of conduct violating this Administrative Regulation or the accompanying Board Policy.
Requests for facility use on holidays will be considered on an individual basis, at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee. The availability of security, custodial, or other staff on a particular holiday may impact the decision as to whether or not the request school facility will be available for use.
If schools are closed because of inclement weather, special holidays, or other emergencies, scheduled uses of District facilities for that day will be considered cancelled for that day and re-scheduled to a future date.
If, at the discretion of the Director of Operations or designee, weather conditions or excessive use of playing fields could result in damage to the fields, previously scheduled events may be cancelled.
Any user or organization that uses District facilities is responsible for the conduct of its participants and spectators. Users and organizations are responsible for damage, vandalism, theft or other loss to buildings, equipment, and grounds that takes place during or as a result of their use of District facilities.
Users or organizations who have been approved to use District facilities at a specific time but do not appear for their scheduled event will be charged for the requested time unless otherwise permitted by this Administrative Regulation.
All permits issued for use of District facilities are for specific rooms, spaces, and hours. Users of District facilities may not use other areas of the facility or use the facility at times other than those for which approval was granted. District equipment may not be used unless specifically approved in advance. Charges may be assessed for such equipment use.
Individuals and organizations using District facilities must comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations, as well as rules and directives of law enforcement, the fire department, and other first responders.
Individuals and organizations that receive approval to use District facilities are prohibited from transferring their approval to any other person, group, company, or organization.
The District reserves the right to limit, restrict, or prohibit the use of District facilities use when this use is not in the best interests of the District.
The District reserves the right to deny access to District facilities by any individual or organization that violates this Administrative Regulation or the accompanying Board Policy. Individuals or organizations found to be using District facilities without having obtained permission, if applicable, in advance to do so in accordance with this Administrative Regulation and the accompanying Board Policy will be considered trespassing on District property; law enforcement may be notified.
Questions regarding facility use eligibility, user categorization, and/or fees owed in connection with a particular use shall be resolved by the Director of Operations or designee. In the event a dispute remains unresolved, the matter shall be referred to the Superintendent or designee for a final determination.