Is it still a school?

[Nick Leduc]

I don't want this to turn into a where can I carry thread.

My kids went to an elementary school last year. This year, our town built a new school and the old school building is no longer being used for anything. The property still has ball fields, and playgrounds that we use often. When does this property become no longer "School property"? Is there any formal "de-schooling" that has to be done. Or is it the simple fact that children no longer learn there? The town still own the property.

 

[Len-2A Training]

When the school committee turns the building (and land) ownership back over to your Selectmen. I'm serious about this as this was the case in my town for 2 properties, even though both were vacant, ownership of the property and land was still in the hands of the school committee until that happened.

 

[AHM]

... our town built a new school and the old school building is no longer being used for anything. ... When does this property become no longer "School property"? ... is it the simple fact that children no longer learn there? ...

There's a Common Core joke in there somewhere.

 

[Mike-Mike]

I don't want this to turn into a where can I carry thread.

My kids went to an elementary school last year. This year, our town built a new school and the old school building is no longer being used for anything. The property still has ball fields, and playgrounds that we use often. When does this property become no longer "School property"? Is there any formal "de-schooling" that has to be done. Or is it the simple fact that children no longer learn there? The town still own the property.

I would say it can't be a school if it doesn't have an occupancy permit.

 

[Len-2A Training]

I would say it can't be a school if it doesn't have an occupancy permit.

Unless the building was condemned (big red X on it), they don't usually revoke an occupancy permit even if the building is unoccupied for years on end.

And don't count on a LEO or DA caring about an occupancy permit . . . I wouldn't bet my freedom and bank account on that.

 

[AHM]

Unless the building was condemned (big red X on it), they don't usually revoke an occupancy permit even if the building is unoccupied for years on end. ...

Heck, if the town has a shred of prudence (and inertia), the school remains in contingency plans for use as an emergency shelter. Might not be the first choice, but never say never.

More likely if it's not slated for imminent demolition they'll find some kind of other stuff to put there. My grammar school has been a town annex for decades, and I know of two towns that use former schoolhouses as their senior centers. Heck, my town temporarily took over a school building when the town hall was discovered to be in danger of collapse.

None of that keeps the building as a school, but it means the town would be foolish to revoke an occupancy permit lightly on a habitable structure.

 

[dcmdon]

Unless the building was condemned (big red X on it), they don't usually revoke an occupancy permit even if the building is unoccupied for years on end.

And don't count on a LEO or DA caring about an occupancy permit . . . I wouldn't bet my freedom and bank account on that.

One thing you can check on is the land adjacent to the school. In my town, what appears to be school land is actually owned and controlled by the parks department. I discovered this recently at a school expansion meeting when I commented that we could "just expand and take 20 ft from the field" and several long time residents chuckled and reminded me how unlikely it was that the parks dept would give up space.

Don

p.s. My town was stupid. In 2012 they sold a perfectly good school for 2.6 million to a private school. Chump change for something like that.