6.11.2020 Update on Community Use of Montgomery County Public School Facilities

Due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, all permits for community use of Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) indoor and outdoor facilities have already been cancelled through June 15, 2020.

Additional changes are going into effect. Please continue reading below for specifics as they vary by facility type and date.

Indoor Use of MCPS Facilities:

MCPS has given notice that their indoor facilities will not be available for community use until after September 15, 2020, because of their need to maintain control and use of their facilities so they can close out the school year and develop planning for the Fall educational programming.

All existing permits for community use of MCPS indoor facilities between June 16, 2020 and September 15, 2020 will be cancelled. The cancellation and refund process will begin on June 10, 2020. Permit holders will receive cancellation notices via email. CUPF Finance will issue refunds via check, which may take up to 30 days to process.

Walk-on use of track facilities at MCPS locations:

Track facilities will open to the public for walk-on, recreational use on June 15, 2020. Permits will not be issued for track facilities through September 15, 2020.

Walk-on use of tennis court facilities at MCPS locations:

Currently, tennis courts at schools remain open for walk-on use by community residents for personal fitness and recreational use.

All permits for tennis court use are canceled through June 30, 2020. Reservations requests for tennis courts at schools for dates of use beginning July 1 are addressed in the next section below.

Effective July 1, if a permit holder arrives at a tennis court with an active permit for their use, walk-on users without a permit must relinquish the court(s) per the terms shown on the permit. At no time are all courts at any single school location issued a permit to a single user. The goal remains to allow half of the courts to remain available for walk-on use by community residents for personal fitness and recreational use.

Field and tennis court use at MCPS locations, July 1 through August 15, 2020:

Similar to what M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks has instituted, current Spring/Summer 2020 school athletic field permits and tennis court permits will be cancelled, as organizations will not be able to play games on school athletic fields and tennis courts until the county’s restrictions are further eased. Any monies paid for these permits will be refunded via check.

Leagues and other qualifying users of school fields and tennis courts will be allowed to reserve permits for youth sports practice only, with no more than 10 people present, and subject to the State’s guidelines for Limited Outdoor Youth Sports.

Historical Use will not be considered during the upcoming summer reservation period for the summer season ending August 15.

Finally, youth practice may only consist of skill-building drills and conditioning only. Games, tournaments, or other activities will not be allowed.

Guidelines for All Users of MCPS fields and tennis courts:

The health and safety of our patrons and employees remain our top priority, and we believe the conditions for use mandated by state and federal guidelines are necessary to protect our community.

We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences this causes to you/your group, and we thank you for your continued patience as we work through this challenging time together.

Athletic field and tennis court users must adhere to guidelines established by the Maryland Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for Limited Outdoor Youth Sports and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for Youth Sports. Here is an overview of the conditions of use:

1. School athletic fields and tennis courts are only to be used by the  permit holder and at their own risk
2. Implement a daily screening process for staff and youth athletes, which includes CDC or MDH recommended health questions, and consider temperature testing
3. NO GAME USE, TOURNAMENTS OR LARGE EVENTS
4. No group may exceed 10 individuals at any time
5. Individuals shall remain 6 feet of physical distance apart whenever and as often as possible
6. Limit all activities to avoid contact
7. If face coverings can be worn safely and consistently, youth athletes age 9 and older shall wear face coverings
8. Limit parents/guardians, spectators, and individuals from outside the program
9. Participants and staff appearing sick will be removed from activity until medically cleared
10. Keep each group separate from other groups using social distancing or restricting shared areas during breaks
11. Restrict all team huddles, high fives and handshakes or other close contact activities
12. Frequently clean and disinfect equipment and gear, and all high contact surfaces
13. Facility use times will be staggered to avoid permit holders crossing paths. If you stay on an athletic field or tennis court past your designated timeslot and impact the next facility permit holder, you may forfeit future permitted field or court use.
14. If you are permitting fields or tennis courts for multiple teams on the same field or court, please allow 15-minutes between each team’s practice. One team must leave the field or court area 15 minutes prior to the next team arriving.
15. All athletic permit holders must communicate the new guidelines to all players and coaches prior to athletic field usage (e.g. via virtual web call or email).

Failure to comply with the conditions of use will result in immediate permit revocation and can also result in possible suspension of your leagues/groups’ fall reservation privileges.

When and how to request reservations of MCPS fields and tennis courts:

Online reservation requests for school athletic fields and tennis courts may be submitted via ActiveMontgomery beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2020 for leagues/groups who have read and agree to adhere to all guidelines herein this announcement and shown on the permit when issued. The permit holder will be required to agree to these conditions of use before their permit will be issued.

Working together to keep everyone as safe as possible:

We realize that these past few months have been exceedingly difficult on our partners and all those using public facilities for events and activities. We apologize for the inconvenience. The safety of our customers, the public, and staff are our number one priority.

We are working closely with state and county health officials to coordinate next steps and will share the latest developments as they become available. Please stay informed at www.MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/CUPF.

Questions or concerns?

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office, Montgomery County Government, Office of Community Use of Public Facilities. Our email address is cupf@montgomerycountymd.gov; our telephone number is 240-777-2725Call: 240-777-2725.