13.1 Use of School Property for Other Than Classroom Activities

The Board of Education may open any school building and permit the use of any property belonging to the school district for religious, political, literary, cultural scientific, mechanical or agricultural purposes, and any other purposes of general public interest which:

1. Are beneficial to the youth of the community and to the programs of the Broken Arrow Public Schools;
2. Do not result in an increased tax burden on the citizens of the Broken Arrow Public Schools.

The Broken Arrow Public Schools may make a reasonable charge to cover the cost of use of such building or property, in accordance with the provisions of that term is generally used, but are based on the cost of operating expenses that would not otherwise have been incurred, such as utilities, supplies, maintenance of facilities, custodial and Child Nutrition Program personnel as well as clerical services necessary to process each application. Such reimbursement charges are subject to change within the defined limits of the Board of Education and at the discretion of the Director of Ancillary Services. With prior permission of the Board of Education, a fee in excess of operating expenses may be charged to a facilities user if such user is using school property as a part of a profit-making operation. Such fee will be set by the Board of Education after recommendation of the Ancillary Services Director.

Written application for a contract for use of Broken Arrow Public Schools facilities for any purpose other than normal classroom activity or regularly scheduled school activity shall be made to the Director of Ancillary Services, Broken Arrow Public Schools. The Director of Ancillary Services, in consultation with the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, shall coordinate the use of school facilities by non-school organizations. Appropriate administrative guidelines and regulations, as necessary, shall be developed by the Director of Ancillary Services and designated staff members. Recommendations will then be made to the Board of Education.

School facilities will not be used for:

1. Meetings which promote subversive teachings and doctrines contrary to the spirit of American institutions;
2. Activities tending to cause unrest in the community or which reflect upon or promote discrimination against citizens of the United States because of race, color, national origin, disability, creed or sex;
3. Any activity that may violate the patterns of good taste, manners or morals, or be destructive or injurious to the buildings, grounds or equipment; or
4. Any purpose in conflict with school objectives or not approved by the superintendent or his/her designee.

School organizations, such as student organizations, the PTA, school employee groups and educational organizations, such as the BAEA, School Board Organizations, etc., are granted building use without charge, on a regular school day as long as such use does not conflict with regular school sessions. Organizations which qualify for use of meeting space without charge on weekdays will be charged regular rates for meetings held on Saturdays and Sundays, for week day meetings that extend beyond the designated time (or require extra duty labor), for use of recreational facilities such as gymnasiums and for all fund raising activities.

Expenses related to the use of designated school facilities will be waived for one regularly scheduled meeting per month of the following organizations:


1. Cub Scout Organizations (Pack)
(one group per school)
2. Girl Scout Groups
(one group per school)
3. Campfire Groups
(one group per school)

If there should be additional meetings of the above-mentioned school-affiliated and youth-serving organizations, they will be charged for custodial services and/or Child Nutrition Programs employee services as required, according to the regular fee as determined by the Director of Community Education.

Organizations which qualify for use of meeting space without charge on weekdays will be charged regular rates for meetings held on Saturdays and Sundays, for week day meetings that extend beyond the designated time (or require extra duty labor), for use of recreational facilities such as gymnasiums and for all fund raising activities.

The use of school facilities by a religious group for religious services or instruction must be restricted to an occasional, temporary or emergency basis. "Occasional" use is defined as use for a single event or use on an irregular or infrequent basis. "Temporary" use is defined as use for a period of time, during which the group is engaged in an effort to build, expand or locate a permanent church facility. If, at the end of a six-month period, the group has not completed its efforts, the Board of Education may extend the group's use of school facilities for a period of time to give it the opportunity to do so. The fee charged for this use may be raised 25% at the time of this renewal.

Because of the volume of requests received by the Broken Arrow Public Schools for use of School facilities by non-school groups on Wednesday evenings and Sundays, the Board of Education will consider each application submitted for use of school facilities at those times. Principals and other administrators should refer such requests to the Director of Community Education. In addition, to avoid scheduling conflicts between non-school groups and school organizations, requests by school organizations to use school facilities on Wednesday evenings and Sundays should also be referred to the Director of Community Education for Board review.

Use of school facilities for the purpose of dances shall be limited to school-sponsored activities, or PTA sponsored activities, at individual secondary schools, held for students in the district. Requests for use of school facilities by non-school organizations for adult dances, for social or recreational purposes, will be limited to those groups that are locally based within the Broken Arrow school district and not for profit as demonstrated by their 501 (C) 3 tax status. No other requests will be considered.
If the Director of Community Education, Assistant Superintendent or another administrator believes that the proposed use of a school facility may not satisfy the requirements of school policy, they will contact the Superintendent of Schools. The Superintendent will review the application and determine whether to refer the matter to the Board of Education for consideration.

Source: Broken Arrow Board of Education policy adoption, December 5, 1994.