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School board continues review of facility use policy after concealed carry class controversy

by | Aug 16, 2026

The School Board revisited its facilities use regulations on Tuesday, going over suggested edits to the policy from its legal counsel. The board did not make any final decisions on changes to the policy. (Photo/Luke Christopher)

The Rappahannock County School Board revisited its facilities use regulations Tuesday, continuing a conversation that began after a July concealed carry class hosted by the Rappahannock County Republican Committee raised questions about political groups renting school space. The schools’ attorney had been asked to weigh in on possible policy changes.

The proposed changes rewrite the rule on when the school district can cancel a group’s permit to use school property. Instead of a broad, catch-all revocation clause, the new language would spell out specific reasons the district can pull a permit — like lying on the application, failing to disclose required information or a safety concern. 

If the changes are adopted, any group renting school property would have to prove it is a registered nonprofit, show proof of liability insurance before getting final approval, disclose if it’s bringing in an outside company or presenter to run the event and say upfront if it’s charging admission and whether any of that money goes to another organization. 

The revisions also spell out that letting a group use the building does not mean the school district endorses or supports that group or what it’s doing. 

Board member Rachel Bynum asked whether the board would be interested in also narrowing the definition of eligible groups from any “nonprofit organization” to specifically 501 organizations, which would exclude 527s — the IRS designation for political parties and campaign committees.

Other board members raised concerns about how narrow the language should be. Member Chris Ubben noted that some community groups, including police and sheriff associations, are also organized as 527s. “It gets murky fast,” he said.

Superintendent Shannon Grimsley cautioned the board to first decide how open school facilities should be to outside groups before narrowing any specific category, noting any exclusion has to be based on defensible legal reasoning rather than viewpoint. 

“How much do you want to allow for community groups to be able to use a facility?” Grimsley said. “We do have a community that is greatly made up of the demographics that don’t have kids in the school for the most part. So, how much do you want to invite the community in to utilize the facility? That’s the overarching question.”

The board did not vote on any changes Tuesday and agreed to continue reviewing the language next month.

Author

  • Ireland Hayes

    Ireland joined Foothills Forum as a full-time reporter in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in journalism and minor in music. As a student, she gained valuable experience in reporter and editor positions at The Red & Black, an award-winning student newspaper, and contributed to Grady Newsource and the Athens Banner-Herald. She spent three years as an editorial assistant at Georgia Magazine, UGA’s quarterly alumni publication, and interned with The Bitter Southerner.
    Growing up in a small town in Southeast Georgia, Ireland developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and the unique stories they have to tell. She completed undergraduate research on news deserts, ghost papers and the ways rural communities in Georgia are being forced to adapt to a lack of local news. This research further sparked her interest in a career contributing to the preservation of local and rural news.
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By Ireland Hayes

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Ireland joined Foothills Forum as a full-time reporter in 2023 after graduating from the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication with a degree in journalism and minor in music. As a student, she gained valuable experience in reporter and editor positions at The Red & Black, an award-winning student newspaper, and contributed to Grady Newsource and the Athens Banner-Herald. She spent three years as an editorial assistant at Georgia Magazine, UGA’s quarterly alumni publication, and interned with The Bitter Southerner. Growing up in a small town in Southeast Georgia, Ireland developed a deep appreciation for rural communities and the unique stories they have to tell. She completed undergraduate research on news deserts, ghost papers and the ways rural communities in Georgia are being forced to adapt to a lack of local news. This research further sparked her interest in a career contributing to the preservation of local and rural news.