Joint Use Access
Access your school on the weekend!
Schools can provide the much-needed open space to make up for the lack of parks in many neighborhoods. It is possible to gain a permit from LAUSD to open your school on the weekend so that children can play games and sports, take part in programming, and create community.
Guidelines
1) Read the benefits of accessing your school on the weekend HERE to see if your school community would benefit from weekend hours.
2) Meet with your principal, PTA Board, and maintenance staff to gain their support.
3) Once you have received permission from your school, you can apply for a Civic Center Permit through LAUSD's Facilities Services Division. The principal of the school must sign off on the permit before issuance.
4) All Civic Center Permits require liability insurance provided through a 501c3 charitable organization. The LA Neighborhood Land Trust is an example of an organization that will provide this service.
5) The cost to operate a Civic Center Permit comes out to $39/hour (outside of insurance costs) which covers one Beyond the Bell staff member to be present and funds janitorial services. However, it is vital to talk with the principal to see how many BTB staffers the school would like to see on-site while the campus is open to the public. These staffers monitor the site and can run programming.
6) To cover the cost of the Civic Center Permit, money can be raised from your City Council Office, a Neighborhood Purpose Grant up to $5,000 through your Neighborhood Council, and private foundations. City Council District map HERE and Neighborhood Council map HERE.
Example School
Read about how parent Andy Sywak, from the Open Magnet School in Westchester, was able to obtain access to their school on the weekend.
