P6789 School District Owned Musical Instruments

The school district will rent district owned musical instruments to parents for use by students. Instruments rented will be those needed to assure a balanced instrumental program. 

Administrative Implemental Procedures: 

1. As supplies permit, violins, flutes, clarinets, trumpets, and trombones will be rented to parents for beginning students for one school year only. In subsequent years, students will be expected to provide their own instruments. 

2. A student, who has used a district owned instrument for one year and wants to make a change to another family of instruments for the second year, will not be allowed to use a district instrument. Students will be allowed to use a district instrument for a second year when changing instruments in the same family; i.e., violin to viola or cello, trombone to baritone. 

3. As supplies permit, violas, cellos, string basses, oboes, bassoons, (secondary level) alto or bass clarinets, tenor or baritone saxophones, (secondary level) French horns, baritones, and tubas will be rented to parents for use by students on a continuing basis. 

4. A committee consisting of the Executive Coordinator of Fine Arts, one elementary principal, one middle school principal, one high school principal, two elementary instrumental music teachers, one middle school instrumental music teacher, and one high school instrumental music teacher will be responsible for establishing the rental fees. The Executive Coordinator of Fine Arts shall then recommend the fee schedule to the Assistant Superintendent of Learning Services for consideration and approval. 

5. Fees for all students will be due upon registration in the instrumental music program and will be collected by the school offices in accordance with established Financial Services procedures. Monies from this fee will be deposited in a revolving school district fund for the purpose of maintaining the instrument inventory. Students will not be permitted to take an instrument home until rental fees have been paid or satisfactory arrangements made. Refunds for students leaving the district will be administered as other school fees. 

6. Percussionists at the secondary level will pay the same rental fee as for all other instruments. This will help take care of accessories, replacement parts, and supplies used with school percussion equipment. 

7. The committee will make adjustments in the rental fees for those students who are children of families eligible for reduced fees under federal income guidelines. Fees for rental of instruments may be waived in cases of extreme hardship. 

8. Students who own their own instruments and who transfer to a district owned instrument at the request of the student’s instrumental music teacher will not be required to pay a rental fee. 

9. Parents and students must sign a rental agreement acknowledging responsibility for and agreeing to provide appropriate care of district owned instruments rented to them. Normal maintenance and repair costs will be provided by the school district. Excessive abuse, damage, negligence, or loss of the instrument will result in an assessment of cost to the parents and/or forfeiture of the privilege of renting a district owned instrument. 

10. The Executive Coordinator of Fine Arts in conjunction with the Support Services (music instrument repair), the principal of each secondary building, and instrumental music teachers will maintain a complete and current inventory of all musical instruments assigned to school attendance centers and/or rented by students. 

11. Parents and/or students must report immediately the loss of a district owned instrument to the instrumental music teacher in that building. The instrumental music teacher is then responsible to notify in writing the building principal, school district security office, and the Executive Coordinator of Fine Arts. 

Administrative Responsibility: Learning Services 

Latest Revision Date: September 2006 

Previous Revision Date: March 1999  P6789  

Updated administratively for alignment purposes: March 2021 

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