Parish Scheduling Policies

Policies Governing Use of Parish Facilities

Immaculate Conception Catholic Parish
(Immaculate Conception Church & Immaculata School)

The parish and school will prepare their calendar by the end of May. Then the calendar opens to non-school and parish staff for scheduling in June (exact date to be announced). You will know that your room reservation has been accepted once you receive a confirmation. Events will be confirmed following the IC Scheduling Prioritization (see addendum 3). Please be patient at the beginning of the new scheduling cycle, there are many reservations, so it may take some time to receive your confirmation.

Any person or group wanting to use a space anywhere in parish facilities or grounds (church or school or EK Center)—including church staff and school faculty and staff—must reserve that space for the appropriate time either by…
1. Using either of our online reservation utilities: Access ACS or Facility Scheduler, or
2. Contacting your Staff Liaison so they may place the reservation request for you (If you do not have the appropriate access to the online reservation utility or are having difficulties).
Normally, our deadlines for reserving a space will be one week in advance of the proposed event or activity, except for funerals. In the event of other truly urgent or last-minute needs, exceptions can be made if the space is available and no other conflicts exist. Please know that we will do our best to honor last minute requests, as long as no door steward is required, or a door steward is already assigned.
When requesting reservations with less than the minimum notice mentioned above, you must also email your request to the Coordinator of Communications, with copy to the Operations Manager.
Every information field or area on the reservation forms is important and should be completed, but in addition to basic items such as date, time, and space needed for the proposed activity, we MUST have a Contact Person (someone who will be present during the event), with phone and/or email, and a designated Staff Liaison person, as well as any requested set-up / tear-down times. We also ask that you detail any other items you may need for your event (coolers, orange vests, projector screens, tables, chairs, etc.) that are not included in the room you are reserving (e.g.: San Damiano Room 2 has a “built-in” projector and screen), while some of them can be selected and reserved from the “resources” drop-down menu (e.g.: projector, chairs, tables, etc.). It helps if you list them, especially if you need items that are not available to reserve from the “resource” list of items. Please add the information under “event description.”
The “Contact Person” should be someone from the committee or group sponsoring the proposed activity, or one of its participants. Normally, s/he should be someone who will be attending the event. This is the person who will be contacted if there are any problems with approving or keeping the reservation. This person is also responsible for ensuring that all parish policies are adhered to by the group using the space.
Each group within a parish is assigned a “Staff Liaison” (addendum 4). The Staff Liaison is the primary contact who will assist you with your reservation and understanding our policies. All groups must be aware of their Staff Liaison. This is the staff person who serves as the group’s primary resource in planning an event and answering any questions regarding room reservation requests or compliance with policies for use of parish space. The Staff Liaison is also responsible for submitting all requests for space on your behalf via ACS.
For large meetings/events (40+ people) with special set-up/clean up needs, reservations must be made a minimum of two weeks in advance. If you have ANY type of special set-up or clean up needs (and the latter is presumed if more than 40 people will be in attendance), you or your Staff Liaison MUST contact the Operations Manager at least two weeks in advance to arrange adequate clean-up staffing.
Please be aware of Campus Closures/Limitations for the year when making your plans. This list will be sent out in June. In addition to these dates, please note, nothing can be scheduled during usual Mass times (Saturday 5-7pm; Sunday 7:30am-3pm, 5-6:30pm or Holy Day of Obligation/Feast Day Mass times -normally 7 pm Vigil, 8:15am, noon, & 7pm). Faith Formation activities and friar-approved events are the only exceptions.
When completing room requests, it is important that you request any time needed for set up and tear-down (clean up). Also, as mentioned above, please note the time under “event description” so that other users can see how long the reservation is when making their own reservations. If there’s a reservation before your desired time, your event cannot start at the same time the other event ends. PLEASE NOTE: BE SURE TO PUT THE ACTUAL STARTING TIME ON THE RESERVATION BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WILL BE PUBLISHED ON THE PARISH CALENDAR.
If a reservation request is approved, groups should plan to use only the rooms which they have reserved, along with the nearest restrooms, and the exterior doors and hallways to reach them. In addition, the rooms reserved should only be used for the purposes indicated at the time of the reservation request. Any change in the group, or purpose or type of event or activity should be submitted as a new reservation and or requested via email to the Communications Coordinator.
No changes in meeting space or time may be made unless first arranged with the Staff Liaison, and then they are still subject to approval. If a meeting is cancelled please contact your Staff Liaison and the Communications Coordinator. If changes are necessary, you (or your Staff Liaison) may either edit the event yourself (if possible) or send an email to the Communications Coordinator. We ask that you let us know of your changes and cancellations as soon as you know, and a week in advance at the latest. Please note: We schedule our paid door stewards based on your reservations, if you are scheduled and you do not show up or cancel with short notice (less than a week), it is possible a door steward was ONLY called in for your group. If you or your group cancel with short notice or do not show up for your meeting or event repeatedly, your group’s reservation privileges may be suspended.
For security purposes and general hospitality, the parish provides a paid “Building Security & Door Steward” during certain hours throughout much of the week (please also see addendum1).
1. Currently, such a person is generally available at the following times:
  1. On Mon. – Fri., 6:00 – 9:00 pm
  2. Saturdays, 8:30 – 12:30 pm – 6:00 - 9:00 pm
  3. Sundays, 12:00 – 7:00 pm
2. Arrangements for coverage of other times must be made at least two weeks in advance. If no such coverage is available for a proposed event (assuming the event is approved), then the group must appoint a person who will be responsible for staying at the exterior door of the building which is being used for an appropriate period of time before and after the start of the activity, greeting people and directing them to the correct room, and ensuring that the door is kept secure at all times.
3. You may only schedule rooms during these hours (with the exception of Mass times). Keep in mind that door stewards are scheduled only as needed and will not be automatically present unless the calendar warrants it.
4. All groups and individuals (including staff) must enter and exit through the Olive Tree Building and check in with the door steward on duty. If you are meeting in another space on campus (trailers, church, etc.), at least one member of the group must still check in with the door steward at the Olive Tree Building. If you are a staff person and can open your reserved meeting space on your own, you must still check in with the door steward by phone, so they know you are present.
5. Door stewards can only admit groups listed on the schedule and cannot negotiate. During the hours listed, door stewards are completely in charge of access and usage of all parish buildings
6. Please note: the allowances made for last minute accommodation of meetings or activities not on the calendar are there to correct scheduling mistakes made by office staff. They are not there to allow such activities if no effort has been made on the part of event leaders or participants to schedule them according to the policies and procedures in this document.
School property (includes the Olive Tree Building, Courtyard, Gym and Playground) is off-limits to everything except ICS activity until 6pm on weekdays. The only exceptions are small FF/Youth Ministry meetings with staff present. If you need to use school property earlier than 6:00 pm contact the Principal or Operations Manager. The schedule of ALL activities offered exclusively to ICS students (tutoring, choir, private music lessons, newspaper, etc.) from 3pm on MUST be entered in ACS under the ICS School Day calendar and submitted to the Assistant Principal. These groups also need to provide a list of students attending to the Assistant Principal to avoid pick-up confusion and scheduling conflicts. ALL uses of space shared with the church (St. Clare, St. Francis and Assisi Trailers and the Youth Room) or parish space (San Damiano trailers) and must be entered into the ACS parish calendar to avoid conflicts with church activities.
The School will designate a staff person to be the primary clearinghouse for the calendar. The school will use ACS to enter their dates on the calendar. The events during the school day will be entered under ICS school day. Those events happening after the school day (6 pm or later) will be entered under School in ACS
Special policies regarding use of school facilities and grounds:
1. Only certain classrooms or spaces within the school are available for use by other groups, and some of these are restricted in terms of the types of activities that can occur. No other spaces than those previously approved and appearing as resource bookings in the Scheduler program can be reserved without prior arrangements being made with either the School Principal or the Pastor. Therefore, you are only allowed to use the rooms you have scheduled.
2. No activities can be scheduled in school spaces -including the Olive Tree building, Fellowship Hall, playground and courtyard- during school and after-school hours (until 6 pm on weekdays).
Special policies regarding access to the church building:
1. On weekdays, including Saturdays (until time to make ready for the 5:30 pm Mass), the main church doors on the left (as you stand on the porch facing the entrance), and in the middle, will remain locked at all times -except during weddings, funerals, school assemblies, or other large gatherings.
2. No school or church staff, or any custodial or maintenance staff, are allowed to leave any of the church doors unlocked and unattended during these times, even for a few moments. Custodial and maintenance staff should not allow anyone into the church other than approved volunteers who are present to complete their assigned duties.
3. The church building is officially closed except during Mass times, the weekday Rosary, and Adoration on Fridays, or other official church or school activities.
Other scheduling restrictions:
1. Campus Closures and “Blocks” are decided during the parish calendar meeting and placed on the master calendar by June. They either limit the types of activities that can be scheduled, or in some cases preclude any and all activities except Mass. Please find the current list of dates and times under addendum 5 of this document, please note that the list is ongoing and will be updated as needed throughout the year. Please contact the church office, or your Staff Liaison for the most up to date list.
2. Nothing other than regular Faith Formation and Youth Ministry activities can be scheduled during weekend Mass times (Saturday from 5:00 – 7:00 pm, Sunday from 7:30 AM – 3:00 pm & 5:00 – 6:00 pm).
3. Nothing can be scheduled during Mass times for major Feasts and Holy Days of Obligation that fall on a weekday (which normally are at 7:00 pm –vigil-, 8:15 AM, 12:00 Noon, and 7:00 pm).
4. If the parish office is closed for a holiday, all activities other than Mass will be cancelled.
5. If the school or parish close or close early because of weather, all activities except for Mass will be cancelled.
Policies of the Diocese of Raleigh, and of our own parish, pertaining to the “Safe Environment for Children and Youth” initiative must be followed at all times on our campus, and for the duration of any church or school-sponsored event or activity, whether on-site or not. Persons or groups not familiar with these should talk to their Staff Liaison about them. Detailed information is also available on the diocesan website, in both English and Spanish [www.dioceseofraleigh.org; click on “Child and Youth Protection”], and by consulting our parish Safe Environment Team’s statement of policies. At the very least, compliance with these policies means:
1. In any event or activity for children or youth, all groups must comply with our diocesan policy ensuring a safe environment for them; this requires a criminal background check and clearance of those adults who are supervising any minors (under 18 years of age) in any activity, as well as education regarding policy expectations.
2. In any event for adults at which children or youth are also present, if childcare is not being provided, then all children and youth must remain with their parents or guardians in the space(s) which have been reserved for the activity. No minor child (including teenagers) is ever to be left unattended anywhere in church or school facilities, nor may they freely roam about the buildings or hallways or playgrounds.
3. No nursery care of infants who are still in diapers is to be provided on campus, although parents (or immediate family) may use an available parish room to change diapers for their own infants. Toddlers (walking) who are still in diapers may be admitted to child-care areas, IF parents are immediately available to change their diapers as needed.
4. Adults who lead or oversee programs or group meetings for children or youth, or who provide childcare during other adult meetings, must be cleared to do so. No child care (paid or volunteer), nor any activity for teens, is to be provided on-site by anyone without prior approval under the guidelines of this policy. (The Staff Liaison is responsible for facilitating this.)
5. Special guidelines also pertain to the ratio of adult supervisors/leaders to underage program participants (the required number of adults per number of children/youth). In every case, a “two-deep” policy should be followed in terms of adult supervision of children and youth in parish and school activities.
6. As a general policy, “lock-in” or “over-night” events are not allowed on campus. Exceptions to this may be granted for parish groups of school-age children or youth for an activity with a specific purpose beyond fun and fellowship. Such exceptions must be approved by either the Pastor or the Operations Manager.
Other general safety issues:
1. No one over 5 years of age should ever be allowed to play on the pre-school playground equipment (in the playground at the end of the Olive Tree Building, between it and the driveways connecting the parking lots).
2. All activities and events (except special Holy Day worship services) anywhere on campus should conclude by 8:55 pm. All persons should plan to leave the building (church or school) by 9:10 pm. Exceptions to this policy must be approved by either the Operations Manager or the Pastor, at the time of the request for use of facilities, as special arrangements will have to be made for our late-night security, inspection and lockdown, and the setting of the alarm system. Please note: the alarm system arms itself automatically at night, so persons who remain in the building too late will activate it.
3. NO ONE, including Church and School Staff, should plan to be on campus or inside buildings before 6:30 AM or after 9:30 pm without prior approval from either the Pastor or the Operations Manager.
4. For the safety of our parishioners, staff, and program participants, and especially our students (and other children), locked exterior doors are NEVER to be left unlocked and unattended, or propped open.
5. Suspicious persons or activities should immediately be reported to church or school staff, if present. If not, or if there is clearly a serious safety issue at stake, those observing the persons or activities must call “911”.
6. Visitors to the school should be directed to the front office (by the main entrance) on Burch Avenue, and asked to check in.
Cleaning, setup, and food policies for groups using parish grounds or facilities:
1. All groups should plan to do at least general straightening up after their meeting or activity. They should either leave the room furnishings arranged according to any posted room “template”, or else in the same arrangement in which they found them, (unless instructed to do otherwise). Special instructions or restrictions pertain to some rooms/spaces, especially in the school; groups will be notified at the time of approval of their reservation request if any of these apply to the space they are planning to use.
2. If a person or group has special setup needs for their event, they should note this at the time of submitting their room reservation request, and then communicate with the Operations manager regarding their specific needs. Such requests require a minimum of two weeks’ advance notice.
3. Groups or activities that are not part of the regular, on-going programs or ministries of the parish, and even some of these (i.e., those which are not related to worship, youth, faith formation, RCIA, small group sessions, or to school educational, enrichment, or recreational activities, etc.), may be asked to be responsible for arranging a more thorough cleaning of the rooms/spaces they intend to use. Specific instructions in this regard will be given at the time of approval of the reservation request. No one should contact our custodial contractor or any of his staff on their own to arrange cleaning or room setup, without direction from the parish office (or designated school staff).
4. Food is only allowed in the kitchen, gym (Fellowship Hall), Learning Center, St. Claire, St. Francis, Assisi and San Damiano Trailers, Parish Center & Youth Room (or for certain activities with advance approval, the Gathering Space). If you are reserving one of these rooms and know that food will be present, please indicate this on your reservation. It is very important that we know in advance of any planned use of food in that we have church and school children with severe food allergies and must arrange for special cleaning after your event. Children are not permitted to use the kitchen for cooking or food preparation under any circumstances, unless they have proper adult supervision AND are doing so as part of an event previously approved by the School Principal, Operations Manager and/or Pastor.
5. If a group finds a room it has reserved to be unclean when it arrives, the contact person should prepare a statement in writing describing the problem and give it either to the Parish Receptionist or the Operations Manager.
Special restrictions pertaining to use of the Parish Center: If a group wishes to use a room in the Parish Center there must be a staff person present for the entire meeting.
Policies pertaining to use of copiers, office, and audio-visual equipment:
Audio-visual equipment of the church and school may not be used unless a staff person is present for the duration of their use. Requests for such use must be indicated and approved at the time of application.
1. Last minute use of this equipment is not authorized except by a staff person. If the equipment is set up in a meeting space already, no one other than staff should break it down or move it to another space.
2. Generally, any person or group that needs to have items duplicated or photocopied should make arrangements well in advance of their meeting or event. If copies must be made on-site at the last minute, whoever is operating the equipment must first receive training from Faith Formation or Office Staff and be given a security code for use of the equipment.
3. If a photocopier or duplicator malfunctions or breaks down while being used, no one who has not been trained should attempt to repair it or force it to continue operation.
4. Computers are for staff use only (including specially cleared and trained volunteers who have been specifically authorized to use them). No one else should ever use one of the church or school computers unless being continuously supervised by a parish staff person. (For security reasons, as well as for the functionality of automated backups and software updates, staff persons should log off the network on their workstations -but NOT power down- before leaving the office each day.)
5. Phones should only be used by non-staff persons in the event of an emergency.
Special policies governing use of alcohol on parish property, according to the Diocese of Raleigh:
1. Hard liquor is not permitted to be sold or served on church property at any time.
2. Beer and wine can be served on church property.
3. Beer and wine can also be sold at parish fundraisers and picnics, but not at wedding receptions or other private parties (which generally we do not allow, anyway). However, in order to sell beer and wine at any time, a civil license must be obtained.
4. Smoking is not permitted within any building on campus at any time.
Our general policy is that parish facilities are not to be used for private parties. We do not rent our space out. (see addendum 2)
It is our general policy that parish facilities are not to be used for any fund-raising or sales activity by any group that is not an official part of the parish. Such activities by “for-profit” businesses or organizations are strictly prohibited.

Please be aware that repeated violations of these rules may result in loss of group reservation privileges