Board questions fee waiver after coach’s paid "Workout Wednesday"; staff to seek withdrawal or refile through approved booster/SSO

Coffee County Board of Education members raised legal and policy concerns about a previously approved facility‑use fee waiver for a staff‑led summer program after meeting participants reported the program charged families and the coach said collected fees would go to him personally. The board asked staff to have the organizer withdraw the permit or resubmit through an approved booster or school support organization, and to rescind the waiver if necessary.

Staff and board members cited Tennessee law and district policies that allow school boards to permit use of school property for community or nonprofit purposes but explicitly prohibit use for private profit. A staff member read the statute aloud during the session: “This right shall not extend to the use of school buildings and property for private profit.” District policy also requires groups seeking to use facilities for profit‑making purposes to obtain initial board approval and to carry liability insurance.

Board members said the work‑out program, commonly called “Workout Wednesday,” had been approved and fees waived; later, attendees and some board members said they learned the program was collecting a nominal fee (the organizer reportedly said $10 per child) that the organizer intended to retain. Several board members said staff should confirm whether prior similar camps had routed funds through school athletic accounts or booster organizations and whether funds had been properly recorded. One board member asked that staff verify where collected funds went for earlier camps before taking further action.

Legal and policy options discussed included rescinding the original facility waiver, requiring the coach to withdraw the current permit and resubmit it under a booster club or school support organization (SSO) that channels receipts into a school account, or requiring any third party that uses facilities for profit to execute a formal lease and provide proof of liability insurance. Several board members noted that if an employee is personally collecting program fees and keeping them, that would conflict with policy and raise ethical and legal issues.

The board directed staff to contact the organizer, request withdrawal or resubmission through an approved SSO or booster structure, and to return to the board with recommended next steps; staff said a rescind motion is possible if the organizer does not comply.