School Parks are free and open to the public outside of the school day during the AISD school district calendar<\/a>\u00a0(7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday). On weekends, holidays, and summer months School Parks are open to the public from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.<\/p>\n In November 2022, Austin voters approved $2.44 billion in bond funds for improvements across the district, creating an opportunity for 25 schools to receive modernizations or renovations (See Joint Letter<\/a> dated December 20, 2023). Six of those schools had a portion of the land that was jointly owned by the city of Austin. Some of these modernizations required schools or infrastructure to be rebuilt on the jointly owned property, which required Austin ISD to temporarily have full ownership. Upon completion of each project, Austin ISD and the city of Austin will amend the previous joint-interest agreement to reflect the revised locations of the reestablished joint-interest areas. For more information regarding AISD Bond Modernization and how it will impact school parks, please visit the District\u2019s FAQ page<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n School Parks OverviewBackground<\/p>\n The first Interlocal Agreement (known then as the Joint Use Agreement) dates back to the 1960s after the separation of AISD from the City of Austin. The first written policies that cover the joint use of school and parkland were adopted by the Austin City Council on December 1, 1960, and the AISD Board of Trustees on January 9, 1961. An amendment was drafted in the early 1980s between COA and AISD due to increasing servicing needs and rapid city growth.\u00a0This amendment was finally signed on July 15, 1981, and approved by the Board of Trustees on August 10, 1981. To advance this 30 year-old agreement, it\u00a0was updated from 2018 to 2022. The current version addresses inefficiencies in the operations and maintenance of the sites, defines clear roles and responsibilities, and creates a streamlined and transparent process for community-activated improvements moving forward.<\/p>\n ImprovementsCAPP and CIPSchool Parks are required to submit a Community Activated Park Project (CAPP) and\u00a0a\u00a0Campus Improvement Project (CIP)Community Activated Park Project (CAPP)<\/a>: CAPP provides an opportunity for neighbors, non-profits, community groups and partners to raise funds and in-kind contributions to implement park improvement projects that align to Austin Park and Recreation (APR) goals and meet community priorities. The goal of the CAPP Program is to create community ownership and stewardship on parkland.Campus Improvement Project (CIP)<\/a>: The purpose of this form is to approve the location of the project, and to ensure the proposer receives relevant information regarding future site developments, underground utility lines, and potential resources to help plan and implement the project. The form should be submitted by the School Principal or someone they designate to submit on their behalf.Volunteering<\/a>During park hours volunteer opportunities are encouraged through APR\u2019s partners<\/a> to build community around the School Park. Volunteer organizations must go through one of APR\u2019s partners to ensure the correct liability insurance to volunteer on parkland is obtained. See the FAQ<\/a> for more information.Adopt-A-Park<\/a>The Adopt-A-Park Program is a collaborative partnership between Austin Parks and Recreation and Austin Parks Foundation (APF)<\/a>, which helps community members connect and collaborate through stewardship. The goal of this program is to build community pride and ownership around every neighborhood park in Austin.Get Involved!Loose Parts Lending Kits<\/a><\/p>\n The Loose Parts Lending Kits are a collection of items that can be used to build, create, and foster nature connections in an unstructured environment. Each kit contains an assortment of natural materials, animal figurines, string, fabric and so much more. Loose parts nature play promotes creativity and imagination, cooperation and communication, and fosters connection to nature and stewardship values. These kits are free and open to the public. To borrow the kits click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Green School Parks<\/p>\n The goal of the Green School Park Program<\/a> is to create a network of school parks that provide schools\u00a0and the surrounding community\u00a0the opportunity to learn from, steward, and play in nature. Green School Parks (GSPs) are School Parks that are inclusive of traditional playground features\u00a0and, more notably, have present\u00a0and abundant\u00a0natural elements woven throughout the greenspace. To learn more about having your campus become a Green School Park, contact Melody Alcazar, Austin Parks and Recreation Program Manager, at melody.alcazar@austintexas.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n Benefits of School ParksAccess to greenspace and recreational opportunities in otherwise park-deficient areas, which has been connected to better physical and mental health<\/a>Connection to Park\/City of Austin-related grant opportunities<\/a> to improve the existing greenspace, such as adding a nature trail through wildflower meadowShared cost and maintenance responsibilities, including playground maintenance and waste disposalChildren that spend time in nature are healthier, happier, and perform better in schoolGrowing ownership of the space through community stewardship opportunitiesExample of School Park Usage<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)\u00a0Who do I contact if the gate is locked?<\/p>\n If the gate is locked on site during park hours, please contact Melody Alcazar (melody.alcazar@austintexas.gov<\/a>).\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Who do I contact if there\u2019s a broken feature?<\/p>\n If there is a broken park feature<\/a> (e.g. broken bench, lighting issues, vandalized signage, etc.) on site, please contact Melody Alcazar (melody.alcazar@austintexas.gov<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n How do I submit an improvement project?<\/p>\n To submit an improvement project for a School Park, you must submit a Community Activated Park Project (CAPP)<\/a> proposal through Austin Parks and Recreation and\u00a0a\u00a0Campus Improvement Project (CIP)<\/a> proposal through AISD.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Are dogs allowed at School Park Sites?<\/p>\n Yes, dogs are allowed at School Parks. It is the owner\u2019s responsibility to keep the dog on a leash at all times and place all animal waste into the mutt mitt stations found on site. To locate a mutt mitt station, visit the Austin Parks and Recreation Interactive map<\/a>. To read more about the importance of correctly disposing of animal waste, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Who maintains the site?<\/p>\n School Parks are co-owned between COA and AISD. To see who maintains the specific feature on site, please visit the Austin Parks and Recreation Interactive map<\/a>.<\/p>\n When are School Parks open to the public?Hours of operationClosed: School Parks are closed to the public 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through\u00a0Friday during the AISD\u00a0school calendar<\/a>Open:\u00a0School Parks are open to the public 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.\u00a0outside of school hours and during weekends and holidaysWhen can I volunteer at a School Park Site?During school hours: If the volunteer event falls during school hours, the principal must be contacted and approve the volunteer event.Outside of school hours: If you plan on having an on campus volunteer day out of school hours PARD requires registration of the volunteer event with Austin Parks Foundation (APF) to ensure safety and liability requirements are followed. Feel free to contact Austin Parks Foundation at apf@austinparks.org<\/a> with any questions.<\/p>\n For any other questions, please contact<\/a> Melody Alcazar (melody.alcazar@austintexas.gov<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About School Parks A School Park, often known as a Joint-Use Site, is an outdoor space at a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":215353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[132,134,133],"class_list":{"0":"post-215352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-austin","9":"tag-austin-headlines","10":"tag-austin-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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