The Committee on Facilities will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, December 3rd, on Councilmember Brooke Pinto's legislation, Expanding Community Access to Safe and Clean Recreational Space Act of 2025.
This bill would require the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to establish a program in partnership with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) to expand safe and sanitary community access to recreational facilities in every ward on evenings and weekends, outside of the hours in which the facilities are in active use by the schools and student activities.
Recreational facilities at DCPS schools should be, and often are, utilized by the public during evening and weekend hours, when not being dedicated to school- and student- related activities. However, safety and sanitation concerns can deter use or, in some cases, lead school administrators to close access outside of school- and student-related activities. School administrators have expressed the need for dedicated security and custodial services and personnel during public, nonschool hours, to ensure safe and sanitary environments and the ability to open recreational spaces to the community.
Community use of recreational facilities at DCPS schools goes beyond the traditional scope of responsibility for principals and school administrators, yet these facilities represent a valuable asset to the surrounding neighborhoods if they can be used by the community. This program would alleviate the unfair burden placed on schools when they are asked to function as a community recreational facility, and indeed want to allow community use, but must absorb the costs of doing so from school funds.
The Expanding Community Access to Safe and Clean Recreational Space Act of 2025 requires DPR to enter into an annual agreement with DCPS to determine the hours of community use at participating DCPS sites, at times that would not interfere with school- and student-related activities. Critically, DPR will also commit to provide security and custodial services as necessary to allow the safe and sanitary use of recreation amenities.
In selecting participating schools, DPR will consider sites that would increase access to recreational space for communities that have experienced historical disinvestment, high levels of traffic incidences, crime and public safety challenges, and high rates of weight-related chronic disease; are located in recreational facility gap areas; could serve as flexible use space during renovations of other nearby recreational facilities; and are nominated by residents or school leadership for participation in the program (however, nomination is not a requirement). Additionally, DPR would be required to establish at least one site in each ward.