FILE: EB
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS MANAGEMENT
It shall be the policy of the St. Tammany Parish School Board to require that school properties be maintained in good physical and sanitary condition. The School Board, therefore, shall instruct the Superintendent to assure that all normal building and grounds maintenance, repairs and improvement functions are an integral part of the administration of the school system, including the regular evaluation for any safety hazards.
The School Board recognizes that to maintain the buildings, grounds, playgrounds and equipment at acceptable safety-related standards, to adequately repair, alter or improve properties and to effectively plan and construct all commensurate with the requirements of the educational program requires the services and skills of many trained persons. Though its resources are limited, the School Board shall provide safe, clean, and adequately maintained facilities for all enrolled students. Contractual work shall be initiated after approval of the School Board or appropriate Administrative or Supervisory personnel and in accordance with state statutes for items which are not sufficiently repetitive in nature to justify additional employment or specialized staff or equipment.
The Superintendent shall be vested with a broad range of administrative and supervisory authority relative to the School Board’s buildings and grounds program. Regular reports shall be made available to the School Board relative to maintenance needs, sanitary condition, safety, utility and attractiveness of school plants and grounds within the school system.
The School Board shall not be held responsible for any personal items stolen or damaged on school premises. The School Board shall require principals and/or persons in charge of public school property to prohibit the use, sale, or possession of alcoholic beverages on public school property.
LAND AND PROPERTY TITLES
The titles of land and all other property belonging to the St. Tammany Parish School Board shall be duly examined and protected at the time of acquisition for school purposes. All property purchased by school organizations, activity fund accounts, or funds or property contributed by outside organizations or persons shall become the property of the St. Tammany Parish School Board.
The following indicate to the public this School Board’s philosophy concerning respect for public and private property:
School properties and equipment reflect the effectiveness of citizenship training in our schools;
Buildings and grounds shall be clean, safe, and well maintained;
Pupils, staff and other users shall show respect for school properties and equipment;
Use of all facilities shall be as set forth in the Superintendent’s Guidelines on use of school facilities, and can be restricted to educational activities.
VACANT AND/OR UNOCCUPIED BUILDINGS
Vacant and/or unoccupied premises owned by the School Board shall be properly secured and maintained to prevent unauthorized trespass or injury to the general public. It shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent or his/her designee to assure that any vacant and/or unoccupied property of the School Board has limited access for authorized personnel only and the grounds are maintained regularly.
SMOKING/TOBACCO/MARIJUANA USE ON SCHOOL BOARD PROPERTY
The use of any tobacco product, smokeless tobacco, or marijuana product in any form, or any smoking object/device, including but not limited to electronic cigarettes, advanced personal vaporizers, vape pens, vape mods and similar devices, shall be prohibited on and in all School Board property and vehicles, and at all school-sponsored or school-approved functions. However, this prohibition shall not be applicable to any tobacco product approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for sale as a tobacco cessation product and which is marketed and sold solely for such purpose.
School Board property shall include any elementary or secondary school buildings or grounds, buildings, portable buildings, field houses, stadiums, equipment storage areas, vacant land, or any other property owned, operated, or leased by the School Board.
During the loading, unloading or transport of students, no cigarettes, cigars, matches, smoking paraphernalia or other tobacco or marijuana products, whether chewing tobacco, snuff or otherwise, shall be displayed or placed in any position in the vehicle so that those products may be observed by any student during the transportation of students in the vehicle.
Tobacco advertising shall also be prohibited in school buildings, at school functions, and in all school publications.
COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT
Violations of this policy may subject an employee to appropriate disciplinary action as included in the Agreement Between the St. Tammany Federation of Teachers and School Employees and the St. Tammany Parish School Board and the employee may be referred to a tobacco-cessation counseling service.
COMMUNICATION OF POLICY
All individuals, including but not limited to students and visitors, shall be informed of this policy through posted signs at the entrances to the grounds of any School Board property and each school and school buildings.
Employees shall be informed of this policy through written notice, policy manuals, and orientation training.
RESTRICTED USE OF SCHOOL BOARD PROPERTY
Horses shall not be permitted on School Board property or school grounds at any time, whether or not the horse is accompanied by an attendant or rider, except when needed for security reasons or when used by students as qualified service animals. The Superintendent or his or her designee, or the School Principal, in appropriate cases, may grant exceptions to this restriction.
Automobiles, motorcycles, motorbikes, minibikes and trail machines and other motor vehicles shall be prohibited on St. Tammany Parish School Board property at any time, including, but not limited to school campuses, satellite administrative buildings, maintenance buildings and any parking areas of any School Board facility. Violators shall be prosecuted for trespassing. This prohibition shall not apply to said vehicles using the driveways and parking areas during school hours and for regularly scheduled school programs or with permission of the principal of the school.
All types of skating, including, but not limited to, rollerblading, skateboarding, inline skating, and bicycling shall also be prohibited on School Board property. These provisions do not apply to such activities when they are sponsored and supervised by a school or during an authorized summer youth program; students who ride bicycles to school when they are on the property during school hours; and others on official School Board business during business hours.
Adopted: August 10, 2017
Revised: November, 2017
Revised: August 8, 2024
Ref: 20 USC 6083 (Nonsmoking Policy for Children's Services)
La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:91.7, 17:87.6, 17:100.6, 17:151, 17:240, 17:416, 40:4, 40:1291.1, 40:1291.2, 40:1291.3, 40:1291.11, 40:1291.21, 40:1563, 40:1578.6, 40:1583
Louisiana Sanitary Code, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
Board minutes, 9-11-14, 8-10-17, 8-8-24
St. Tammany Parish School Board