Community Use Bridge: Guidebook for School Facilities

User Guidebook: School Facilities

This guidebook is a resource outlining what school facilities may be used for, what is expected of community user groups, how to reserve school facilities, and what to expect when using a school facility. Updates are made as frequently as necessary—please stay informed of changes. The most up-to-date copy of this guidebook including the Facility Use License Agreement (FULA) is attached to each reservation or contract document containing reservations processed by CUPF, and is also available on our website at www.MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/CUPF .

Below are topics that you may select or scroll down to read all related articles in the User Guidebook:

General Public Use

County Residents Have a Voice in Policy Decisions

The Montgomery County Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF) is a County Government office that carries out the policies of the Interagency Coordinating Board (ICB) whose primary goal is to facilitate fair and equitable access to public facilities, including schools.

The Chair of the ICB is a community resident, representing community user groups to ensure that their needs and wishes are brought to the table. The Board is also comprised of County stakeholders including a representative from the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Schools, two Principals, two community residents, the County’s Chief Administrative Officer, among others. Our website has a full list of Board members and more details about the ICB, their meeting schedule, etc.

Rest assured that the Interagency Coordinating Board is listening to our community user groups. We encourage user groups to continue sharing ideas, suggestions, experiences both positive and negative, with the ICB and CUPF staff.

Customer Care—We Are Here to Help!

Visit Us Online:

Email Us:

cupf@montgomerycountymd.gov

Call Us

240-777-2725
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except County holidays

Visit Us In-Person

2425 Reedie Drive, 9th Floor, Wheaton, MD 20902
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except County holidays Appointments are encouraged

After Hours Help Line, Call or Text Us

240-490-CUPF (2873)
Groups with reservations may call or text while on-site at a facility.

ActiveMONTGOMERY Reservation Software

All users of public facilities will need to have an account in the ActiveMONTGOMERY reservation database.

If you are a new user of public facilities, please utilize the resource links below to create an account in www.ActiveMONTGOMERY.org . Here are some available resources:

• How to Create an Online Customer Account

• Video: How to Create an Online Customer Account

• www.CUPFMontgomeryCountyMD.blogspot.com

• Staff are available to assist with the use of ActiveMONTGOMERY as needed. This can be done by telephone; it may also be done via a one-on-one appointment to go through the process online via video call—whichever is preferred.

• Computer access is available at CUPF offices during normal business hours.

Facilities Availability

Our public facilities are available to community groups comprised of at least two-thirds Montgomery County, Maryland residents. Specific availability of school facilities is accessible online at www.ActiveMONTGOMERY.org ; however, general availability for community use activities is as follows:

• Year round, weekends and MCPS holidays, 7:30 a.m. to midnight

• School year, instructional days, 6:00 a.m. through the start of the academic day

• School year, instructional days, after academic day ends through 10:00 p.m.

• School year, non-student days and professional days upon conclusion of the staff workday

• Spring break

• Summer break

• Winter break

• New Year’s Eve use may be extended to 12:15 a.m. based upon staff availability and timeliness of request

Availability Limitations

• Weekday use requires a one-hour minimum.

• Weekend and Holiday use requires a three-hour minimum.

• Artificial Turf Athletic Field use requires a two-hour minimum at all times.

• Reservations (indoor and outdoor) must begin and end on either the hour or half-hour.

• Schools may deny use for the first hour after school dismissal, based upon the teacher’s union contract, availability of rooms, and/ or for safety and security purposes.

• No permits are issued for use on Thanksgiving Day.

• Limited reservations are allowed on MCPS Systemwide Closure dates.

• Limited reservations are allowed during week/weekend of Thanksgiving, Spring break, Winter break, and must be scheduled at least 30 days prior to ensure staff coverage is available.

• Except for official MCPS partners and Licensed Childcare providers selected by schools, user groups may only reserve the same facility at the same school location up to three weekdays during a week, and one weekend day during a weekend, unless an exception is granted by the Interagency Coordinating Board for Community Use of Public Facilities or the CUPF Director. This is to allow opportunities for all to reserve facilities and ensure that no user group has sole or primary access over others.

• Sports teams using Gymnasiums and Athletic Fields are currently limited to a maximum of 2 hours per team per week, Monday through Friday. This is due to high demand of sports facilities countywide.

• Summer break: Due to MCPS summer educational programs, maintenance projects, construction projects, and the need for deep cleaning by building services prior to the return of staff and students for the next school year, summer use of schools is limited. Availability for summer use will show online at www.ActiveMONTGOMERY.org no later than May 1, annually.

• At the discretion of the principal, community use on a school campus (indoor and outdoor) may not be allowed when there are MCPS/school student activities scheduled. This is due to safety concerns as well as parking limitations.

• See Facility Use License Agreement (FULA) for details on additional limitations.

New Building Construction, Remodels, Additions

When a school moves in or out of a building temporarily or permanently, there is typically a grace period restricting community use. The standard time for a moratorium on community use after moving to another facility, new construction or not, or for use of an addition to a building, is approximately 6 to 12 months. However, community use may not begin in a newly constructed facility until such time the Board of Education has signed off on all punch-list items and voted to accept the facility at a public Board meeting.

Facility Fee Assistance Program

CUPF administers a Facility Fee Assistance Program (FFAP), a subsidy program that helps groups pay for the use of public schools, libraries or County Office Buildings when they provide community services that directly benefit vulnerable or at-risk youth, or limited income individuals and their families. For more information about the Facility Fee Assistance Program, please visit www.MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/CUPF or contact CUPF at 240-777-2725, or via email to: cupf@montgomerycountymd.gov

Before and After-School Enrichment Activities

Before and after-school enrichment activities in schools (indoor and outdoor) are important.

Each elementary school has unique needs for arrival/dismissal and different procedures for the safety and well-being of students, based upon their unique campus design and percentage of walkers, car riders, and bus riders which creates the need for specific begin/end times for before and after-school enrichment activities.

General guidelines surrounding before and after-school enrichment use:

Use is considered ‘General Public’ (see Priority VIII Use: High Volume herein this guidebook for more details). This ensures competitive opportunities for vendors to offer programs to MCPS students.
Vendors may reserve classrooms as available online with the understanding that the room number may be changed at the discretion of the school for before and after-school enrichment activities.
Vendors are assigned a room by the school, regardless of what the reservation shows.
Likewise, if the school desires a slight start time adjustment, the group may stay for the same amount of time scheduled but starting at the time in which the school advised based upon their dismissal process.
There is no need to notify CUPF of a time change for the before or after-school program. This allows schools and groups reasonable flexibility in order to promote successful before and after-school activities.
Reservations may only begin on the hour and half-hour in the scheduling software; however, elementary schools have a variety of times they need before and after-school enrichment activities to begin and end. CUPF supports the necessity of schools having a great deal of flexibility in this regard as noted above.
If a before or after-school program has reserved 3:30-4:30 (1 hour) but the school needs the group to be flexible in order to accommodate dismissal of students, groups and schools will need to work together on what exact time the group may enter the room. In the example above, if the school wants the group to begin at 3:45, then the program may run 3:45-4:45 since the group paid for an hour of use.
For use of facilities such as Gymnasium, Media Center, All-Purpose Room, or Cafeteria, groups may only use the facility reserved and should not be placed in any other room(s) other than where they are scheduled; however, the beginning and end time guidelines above are applicable.
If a school sees a before or after-school activity on the schedule that the school is simply not able to accommodate at all, the school will notify CUPF to cancel the permit. CUPF will advise the vendor and the vendor will notify the parents of students that the school is not able to accommodate the enrichment program.
This flexibility in room assignment and begin/end times ONLY applies to space for before and after-school enrichment activities for students at their home school during the first 60-90 minutes before or after the official school day for students.

Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC)

There is no additional fee for HVAC; it is included and turned on during hours reserved.
Heat temperature set point per MCPS is 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Air Conditioning/Cooling temperature set point per MCPS is 76 degrees Fahrenheit.
Energy curtailment practices during summer months: In order to conserve energy and ensure the lowest possible energy rates, MCPS turns air-conditioning off between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. during summer break. All groups, including community user groups and MCPS-related groups, who choose to use MCPS indoor facilities during this time should prepare accordingly.
No air conditioning available in gymnasiums. There are some rare exceptions; however, A/C is not guaranteed even if such is installed.

Supplies, Equipment, and Furnishings

Always prohibited: Use of school supplies such as paper, chalk, erasers, pens/pencils, tape, glue, art supplies, basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, tennis rackets, and similar equipment and are strictly prohibited. These items should be supplied by the user group and or its participants.
The Interagency Coordinating Board and the Office of Community Use of Public Facilities continue to strongly support that whenever possible, schools/public facilities should allow community users access to equipment purchased with taxpayer’s monies such as microphones, projectors, projector screens, volleyball standards and nets, tennis court nets, scoreboards, field sports goals, upright pianos, grand/baby-grand pianos, folding chairs, folding tables, etc. as long as prior arrangements have been made.
Use of equipment must be indicated on the reservation request and if approved, shown on the finalized reservation receipt.
Computer labs are available for use with the hiring of a User Support Specialist and there is a per hour cost.
Internet access is not available to community user groups, per MCPS.
Not all schools have the same equipment as others or the same amount of equipment, including the number of folding chairs, folding tables, etc., and user groups are limited to the inventory of each school.
Groups may use chalkboards and whiteboards if space is available, but should supply their own chalk and or dry-erase markers. Note that groups should not erase teacher’s notes on classroom boards for any reason. It’s best to bring a portable flip chart, whiteboard, etc.
Important note: MCPS allows each individual school to determine which equipment may be used by community user groups. Often, schools do not allow use of the equipment listed herein, so always check with the specific school in advance of making a reservation if you need specific equipment.

Safety and Security

Doors to school buildings should remain closed and locked during community use:

Schools may require that user groups use the main front door for entry and exit; follow instructions provided by school staff.
Schools may keep all doors locked after the first fifteen minutes of the start of the reservation time. If a group has persons coming and going during the scheduled reservation hours, the group must post a representative of the group at the front door of the building in order to allow participants to enter for the scheduled event or activity. User groups should plan accordingly.

Crowd Manager Certification: At least one person present at each use should be certified in handling crowd control online training endorsed by the National Association of State Fire Marshals. Click here for Crowd Manager Certification.

CPR Certification: At least one person present at each use should have a current CPR certification by a recognized group such as the American Heart Association, Red Cross, etc. Click here for one of the accepted CPR Certification sources.

Facility walk-through: Walk-through visits and tours of school facilities by CUPF community user groups will not be considered due to concern for the safety and security of MCPS staff and students.

Security staff and or law enforcement may be required for community use activities:

CUPF reserves the right to assign MCPS security staff and or require user groups to hire certified law enforcement officer(s) having jurisdiction in Montgomery County, Maryland, for community use that CUPF and or MCPS determine necessitates such.
The cost of such staff is the responsibility of the user group.
Some basic criteria used include:

nature of the activity,
number of rooms being used,
type of room(s) being used,
number of participants expected,
experience with the user’s past activities,
whether student activities are scheduled during the time a community group is also scheduled on the campus,
traffic concerns in the vicinity of the facility being used.

The following is a general overview of what a group may expect of security staff when working for community use events and activities:

Introduce themselves to the group leaders.
Check rooms before and after the group activity.
Assist building services staff in unlocking rooms and other doors and areas before use and securing them after use has concluded.
At all times, remain with the group in the areas permitted for their use, monitoring activities, parking lot areas, hallways, and corridors being utilized by the group, etc.
Ensure that the terms and conditions of the Facility Use License Agreement (FULA), Conditions of Use, and other guidance or instructions provided to community groups are followed.

Building Services

Building services staff are required to be onsite at all times when community use is occurring in any indoor facility or a locked/secured outdoor facility such as a stadium, fenced artificial turf athletic field, or other.

The following is a general overview of what a group may expect of building services staff when working for community use events and activities:

Introduce themselves to community user group leaders.
Check rooms before and after the group activity.
Unlock rooms and other areas prior to use, securing them when use has concluded.
Check in with the group routinely during hours of use and let the group know where they may be working in other areas of the building should the group need assistance.
Leave a dry mop available in Gymnasiums for use by community groups since reservations are often back-to-back to ensure facilities are available for use as many hours as possible.
Ensure that terms and conditions of the Facility Use License Agreement (FULA), Conditions of Use and other guidance or instructions provided to community groups are followed, calling MCPS Security or CUPF Evening and Weekend Supervisors for assistance.
Clean restrooms and hallways as needed during and after reservations.
Provide general assistance to groups as may be necessary.

For general use without food or drink and only one room is reserved and used, additional building services fees are typically not necessary; however, there are exceptions:

Groups who want chairs, tables, equipment, etc. to be set up before their arrival time, must notify CUPF when the reservation is made.
Large events always require additional staff costs.
Activities with food, drink, and equipment breakdown by school staff will incur additional staff costs.
CUPF will assess cleanup based on the hours of use, number and scope of rooms used, number of participants, whether food and or drink is served, etc.

Media Services

Use of equipment such as stage lighting, the counterweight fly system, sound equipment, video equipment, stage curtains, etc. or whenever access to the auditorium control booth is required, a Media Services Technician (MST) must be present.

When equipment use is extensive, additional MST time may be required and or a second or third MST may be required. Groups must pay for any additional time or staff required for these services.

The following is a general overview of what a group may expect of media services staff when working for community use events and activities:

Ensure that necessary equipment is available for use upon arrival of the group.
Remain with the group in the space(s) where their services are required.
Provide oversight and reasonable assistance to the group related to safe use of all equipment use, props, stage apparatus, etc.
Ensure all equipment is in good condition at conclusion of use.
Maintain and store all equipment and secure applicable areas as may be necessary prior to departure.

Information Technology Services

At times, an Information Technology Support Services worker may be necessary to operate certain media services equipment in auditorium facilities, sound systems in all-purpose rooms, cafeterias, gymnasiums, stadiums, etc. Use of a Computer Lab requires information technology services staff be assigned to monitor the lab while in use.

The following is a general overview of what a group may expect of information technology services staff when working for community use events and activities:

Ensure that necessary equipment is available for use upon arrival of the group.
Remain with the group in the space(s) where their services are required.
Provide oversight and reasonable assistance to the group related to safe use of all equipment use.
Ensure all equipment is in good condition at conclusion of use.
Maintain and store all equipment and secure applicable areas as may be necessary prior to departure.

Kitchen Services

Whenever access to the kitchen or use of kitchen equipment, such as oven, steamer, icemaker or refrigerator is requested, kitchen services staff (Cafeteria Worker) is required. Kitchen facilities are not to be used without appropriate food services staff present. Groups needing such facility access must pay the hourly rate for all required kitchen services staff.

The following is an overview of what is expected of kitchen services staff (Cafeteria Worker) when working for community use events and activities:

Ensure that necessary equipment is available for use upon arrival of the group.
Remain with the group in the space(s) where their services are required.
Provide oversight and limited assistance to the group related to safe use of equipment.
Ensure all equipment is in good condition at conclusion of use.
Ensure kitchen and all equipment used is turned off, cleaned, sanitized, secured, and in good condition for food preparation for the next school day prior to departure. MCPS staff providing kitchen services are not available to cook food, warm food, or otherwise help prepare food for serving or distribution.

Priority of Use

Per directive of the Montgomery County Interagency Coordinating Board (ICB) priority is given to groups requesting space of School facilities in the following order, when submitted by established deadlines:

Primary tenant to include school (K-12) activities or MCPS Central Offices,
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) licensed before and after school Childcare selected by Montgomery County Public Schools,
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA/PTSA) meetings and activities in schools,
Government administrative bodies,
Other public supported programs,
High-volume use meeting applicable criteria,
General public (via customer e-portal).

MCPS Internal Use

Changes for the 2025-2026 School Year!

Quick guide:

The information below applies to MCPS offices and schools, school booster clubs, MCPS labor union offices, George B. Thomas Learning Academy Saturday School, Linkages to Learning, PTA and PTSA, and other official partners of MCPS:

Reservations for space needs must be made with CUPF via the online CUPF Administration Booking Form via ICBWEB to prevent conflicts with community user groups and ensure Energy Management programs HVAC.
CUPF staff will manually enter reservations.
Reservations for MCPS school year dates should be made as soon as possible, preferably by August 15, annually, and must be made no later than September 15, annually, per MCPS KGA-RA.
Reservations for MCPS summer use dates should be made as soon as possible, preferably by April 1, annually, and no later than May 1, annually.
Requests received after the above deadline(s) will be honored based upon availability. Community user groups may not be cancelled or ‘bumped’ to accommodate School/MCPS events due to untimely requests unless exigent circumstances exist.
Setup and cleanup: Reservations should include all time needed from walking in to setup through cleanup and the last person out of the building. This planning will avoid disruption to community user groups scheduled before or after the MCPS internal use activity.
Requests for internal use with less than 10 days’ notice should be followed up by the school with a late energy request form to MCPS Energy Resources via ICBWEB.
Modifications and cancellations must be made via the Reservation Amendment Form .

Schools and MCPS offices must reserve all space needed for internal use:

MCPS is responsible for scheduling appropriate staff and equipment needs for all internal use. CUPF does not charge or collect fees from MCPS for internal use of their facilities.
CUPF will only block the times and spaces indicated on the administrative booking form. If a large attendance is expected that will take up most of the parking or there are security concerns, schools should request to block all indoor and outdoor facilities, not just the rooms being utilized.
On weekends and holidays, schools may not piggyback internal activities onto scheduled community use activities—dedicated staff is required to be scheduled by the school being used for all MCPS internal use and official partnership use.
A dedicated building services worker is required on weekends and holidays, hired by the school.
ICB weekend workers do not cover school or PTA activities on weekends or holidays.
Requests for internal MCPS use of facilities should be submitted to CUPF by staff at the facility being used. Example: If a middle school wants to use a high school facility, the request should come from the high school business administrator.

School-sponsored staff wellness programs:

Schools have priority consideration to request that CUPF administratively schedule a two-hour block of time for an “after-school wellness” activity prior to 6:00 p.m. once per week directly after school—no charge for use—if received by CUPF no later than September 15.
Requests for “evening wellness programs” after 6:00 p.m. or on weekends must be processed as a general public reservation request and fees will be assessed for facility use as these days and hours are not considered as MCPS internal use for this purpose.

NEW Schools must reserve PTA events and activities:

Effective the 2025-2026 school year, schools are to submit all PTA / PTSA requests to CUPF. Click here to read more on this topic.
Note that PTA activities are weekends must be staffed completely separate from any community use that is scheduled in the building.
PTA and school activities may not piggyback on scheduled community user group activities on weekends or holidays.
A dedicated building services worker is required on weekends and holidays, hired by the school.
ICB weekend workers do not cover school or PTA activities on weekends or holidays.
Please see specifics about the NEW process here: New PTA Scheduling Process

Before and after-school enrichment programs:

Check out the details of how before—and after-school enrichment programs will work in your building, including room assignments and begin/end times.
Click this link for all the details: Before and After-School Enrichment Activities
Contracted service providers typically offering after-school enrichment activities are NOT given PTA priority for scheduling.
Schools and the PTA should not submit for any reason on behalf of contracted service providers.
Contracted service providers must adhere to the General Public's online scheduling process.

General reminders:

Availability of media center facilities is at the discretion of each school.
The availability of the gymnasium, all-purpose, cafeteria, kitchen, auditorium, and dance studio facilities for community use is required and is already listed online for community groups to reserve.
Availability of classrooms: Schools are obligated per the MCPS agreement to provide CUPF with a list of classrooms for community use reservations. Schools that do not provide updates will keep the same rooms available as in the prior school year. If the number of rooms submitted for availability is deficient, CUPF will select additional rooms for community reservations. Schools may update the classroom numbers annually prior to August 1 by submitting a Facility Information Form.

Elementary school sites are obligated per the MCPS agreement to provide CUPF with a minimum of 10 classrooms for community use reservations.
Middle school sites are obligated per the MCPS agreement to provide CUPF with a minimum of 10 classrooms for community use reservations.
Per the MCPS agreement, high school sites are obligated to provide CUPF with a minimum of 25 classrooms for community use reservations.
Additional classrooms may be reserved by CUPF for community use; however, for online reservations, the above minimums are required.

We are here to help!

Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns.

Childcare Use

Childcare providers licensed by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) are selected by schools via a competitive process to provide before and after-school Childcare programs. Rooms used are agreed upon between the school and the provider. Upon agreement, CUPF creates a contract document containing reservations for scheduling and billing purposes. Monthly payment plans are available. Childcare in schools may only be provided by vendors selected as a result of the competitive process. Additional space needs outside of the above agreement must be reserved as Priority VII Use, General Public (see details herein for more information on reserving space as ‘general public’.

Safety and security: Safety and security are a top priority. Please read the details provided by CUPF regarding Safety and Security and the Facility Use License Agreement.

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA/ PTSA) Use

Changes for the 2025-2026 School Year!

What you need to know:

In March 2025, CUPF announced that fee structure changes for the use of public facilities, effective for the 2025-2026 school year. Read the announcement here.
The Interagency Coordinating Board (ICB) feels strongly that because PTA organizations advocate for students, parents, and teachers of MCPS and their mission and fundraising activities fully support such, their use of public school facilities should be considered internal school/MCPS use.
Effective for dates of use on or after August 25, 2025, CUPF will no longer charge fees to Montgomery County PTA organizations.
Schools must reserve all PTA use with CUPF to ensure the space is blocked, HVAC is scheduled, and there are no conflicts with community use.
PTA organizations should work closely with their home school to have them submit requests on their behalf.
MCPS leadership participated in this decision process and was in agreement.
Schools and MCCPTA were notified of this change via email on March 17, 2025.

NEW Quick guide for reserving space:

August 15: PTAs should provide schools with dates/rooms/times for their school year events by August 15 annually.
September 15: Schools must submit an Administrative Booking Form to CUPF via ICBWEB by September 15 to receive priority of use.
Requests after September 15: Requests submitted after September 15 will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis if space is available. Community user groups will not be canceled or ‘bumped’ to accommodate untimely PTA or school requests.
Staff: Schools should work with the PTA to determine what type of staff and how many will be necessary. Schools are responsible for hiring building services staff, security staff, technical staff, etc., if and when such staff is needed for PTA activities.
Staff costs: Schools may bill the PTA for staff costs as necessary, the same as the school would pay for their own internal use.
Reservation changes: The school must submit all changes and cancellations of PTA reservations to CUPF via the Reservation Amendment Form in ICBWEB.
Use of schools other than PTA home school: PTA organizations using a school other than their home school should have their home school contact the facility they wish to use, make arrangements, and then have the hosting school submit an Administrative Booking Form to CUPF.
Setup and cleanup: Reservations should include all time needed from walking in to setup through cleanup and the last person out of the building. This planning will avoid disruption to community user groups scheduled before or after the PTA activity.
Important information: Schools should refer to our resource about MCPS internal use and follow the same guidelines for PTA use: MCPS Internal Use

Contracted service providers:

Contracted service providers typically offering after-school enrichment activities are NOT given PTA priority for scheduling.
Schools and the PTA should not submit for any reason on behalf of contracted service providers.
Contracted service providers must adhere to the General Public's online scheduling process.

ActiveMONTGOMERY:

PTA use may not be reserved via ActiveMONTGOMERY or any means other than a direct Administrative Booking Form from the hosting school.
PTA accounts in ActiveMONTGOMERY are no longer necessary.
Current PTA accounts will be closed.
Outstanding balances from years prior must be paid by the PTA no later than August 15, 2025.

We are here to help!

Please feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns.

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