Use of Facilities

In accordance with the law, facilities may be used for open discussion of public questions and subjects of general public interest, for the meeting or organizations of citizens and for such other civic, social and educational purposes as will not interfere with the use of the building for school purposes. No part of the facilities are to be used without permission being granted by the Superintendent/designee or the Board.

Applications for Use

Any individual, group, school or organization wishing to use any of the school facilities, grounds or equipment must submit an application in writing on a form developed for such purpose, which shall be identified as Application for Use of School Facilities. The building principal or their designee will review and provide initial approval of facility use.

The application is then forwarded to the Facility Usage office for final review and approval. In no case shall verbal commitments for facilities use be considered in any way binding upon the district. Individuals may not apply to utilize school facilities for private personal or family activities such as wedding receptions, family reunions or birthday parties. Upon final approval, the application will serve as the ‘permit’ and must be made available for review upon request by district staff during facility use. Groups failing to produce this permit will be asked to leave the premises immediately.  District-administered activities shall always have priority over non-district administered activities.

It will be necessary to have a member of the custodial staff present for all inside activities, unless otherwise approved by the Superintendent/designee.  In addition, a custodian may be required to be present for outside activities if deemed necessary by the district.  The sponsor must be present and supervising the group throughout the entire activity.  All youth groups must be sponsored. No members of any youth group will be admitted into a facility prior to the arrival of the sponsor/agent.

Use of school facilities is limited to the facilities requested by user at time of application and may not be modified without previous approval by the district. No portion of the public school facility may be used by any group after 12:00 o’clock at night without prior approval of the Superintendent/designee. Use of the facilities must be kept within the hours specified on the approved application.

Rockwood reserves the right to cancel a reservation if, in its sole discretion, it has reason to believe that the facility use will conflict with this agreement or the facility is needed for a district administered activity. Rockwood also reserves the right to change reservations to other rooms with the understanding that, if possible, comparable facilities will be provided. Rockwood reserves the right as permitted by law to deny any organization use of school facilities if Rockwood reasonably believes the organization and/or its activities may present a danger to the health or safety of the district.  As outlined in the Application for Use of School Facilities, the district shall be held harmless for liability incurred by the group while using district owned buildings, grounds or equipment.

When the superintendent has declared the "schools closed" because of inclement weather or an emergency condition, all facilities and fields will typically be closed to outside activity. If inclement weather does not force the closing of schools but has adversely affected the conditions of facilities or fields, the district has the right to close said facilities or fields to ensure their ongoing usability. It is the responsibility of the user group to confirm facility or field status prior to usage. If a facility is closed due to inclement weather, the user group will not be charged for usage. Failure to abide by the inclement weather policy may result in the future privilege of use being revoked.

Special permission must be given to serve food. The use of the school kitchen must be approved prior to the activity, and a Child Nutrition Services staff member must supervise the use of the equipment. The schools have the prerogative of allowing the operation of a concession stand.

The signing of the application constitutes a guarantee to the Board of Education that the sponsoring group will be responsible for the use of facilities as outlined in this regulation, on the Application for Use of School Facilities and on the General Guidelines for Facility Use.

Applications for facility usage are accepted according to the timeline published by the Facility Usage office each year.

Facility Usage Fees/Prioritization of Use

All facility usage is defined as either a district administered activity or a non-district administered activity.

District Administered Activities:  Activities where staff are hired and paid by the district.  The district is responsible for approving meeting dates or schedules and has financial oversight of the activity.  Any payment of fees for participating in the activity are made payable directly to the Rockwood School District.  District administered activities also include: a) Rockwood Community Education activities, b) Special School District and Rockwood National Education Association activities; c) district recognized booster group activities directly associated with a MSHSSA sanctioned activity; and d) District PTO/PSO and Rockwood Schools Foundation activities with the primary purpose to support and further the mission of the district and which are solely administered by the PTO/PSO or Rockwood Schools Foundation policies and guidelines.  District administered activities are not assessed a facility usage fee in most cases.  Insurance and personnel fees may be required, depending on the nature of the activity and/or the time and type of facility being used. 

Non-District Administered Activities: Activities where staff are not hired or paid by the district.  The district is not responsible for setting meeting dates or schedules and does not have financial oversight of the activity.  Any payment of fees for participating in the activity are made payable to an individual/organization other than Rockwood School District.  Non-district administered activities must provide insurance for the activity and facility and personnel rates apply.

Any individual or group requesting use of school facilities will be charged fees in accordance with current rates, unless otherwise approved by the Superintendent/designee. User groups are divided into three classifications. Classifications are listed in priority order for use of district facilities and fees are determined based on the type of use and the non-profit status of the group. The classifications are:

I. District administered activities

II. Non-profit, non-district administered activities, including but not limited to:

a.) Club sports

b.) Junior programs

c.)  Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts

d.) Non-profit sports teams and community athletic associations

e.) Public hearings and/or public forums of tax-supported political subdivisions that are at least partially located within the Rockwood School District

f.) Community-based groups, including sectarian and political

III. For-profit, non-district administered activities (both athletic and non-athletic)

No use of equipment shall be granted without prior approval from the district. Equipment usage is subject to availability.

If district personnel are required to be present during use of equipment, personnel rates will also apply.

If an admission or registration/enrollment fee will be collected by the user group requesting the use of district facilities, the user group must also conform to the District’s Guidelines to Conduct Fee-based Activities on Rockwood School District Property. 

District employees requesting use of school facilities for non-district administered activities, whether acting as an individual or part of a group, are subject to the guidelines and associated fees for the type of use being requested.

Upon final approval of application, an invoice will be forwarded to the organization/individual listed as being responsible for payment by the Facility Usage office. Unless otherwise approved by Facility Usage office, invoice must be paid in full two weeks prior to activity start date or usage will be cancelled. No group delinquent in payment for use of a building will be approved for subsequent use of school facilities.

Cancellations by the user group can be made by contacting the Facility Usage office. A full refund will be given if cancellation is made more than two weeks prior to the facility use. A refund minus 20% cancellation fee will be given if cancellation is made less than two weeks prior to the facility use. No refund will be given if cancellation is less than one week prior to facility use.