Many communities lack safe, adequate places for children and their families to exercise and play. Schools might have a variety of recreational facilities—gymnasiums, playgrounds, fields, courts, tracks—but many districts close their property to the public after school hours because of concerns about costs, vandalism, security, maintenance, and liability in the event of injury.

Most states currently have laws that encourage or even require schools to open their facilities to the community for recreation or other civic uses. Nonetheless, school officials may be reluctant to do so out of concern about the expense in times of increasingly tight budgets.

The good news is that city, county, and town governments can partner with school districts through a joint use agreement (JUA) to address these concerns. A joint use agreement is a formal agreement between two separate government entities—often a school and a city or county—setting forth the terms and conditions for shared use of public property or facilities.

This document provides an overview of NPLAN's joint use agreement resources.

Be sure to check out all of NPLAN's model joint use agreements and resources.