Port-A-John Procedures

Inquiry. Are port-o-johns allowed on school property? If they are, what are the procedures for their use?

Response. There is an inherent amount of environmental and health risks associated with the staging and usage of this type facility.  In order to minimize that risk, principals and the district must approve the staging and use of port-a-johns on district property prior to the port-a-john(s) being staged. Port-a-johns are to be staged no earlier than 24 hours before an event and remain on site no longer than 24 hours after the last event of the rental period.   Principals are also to ensure the organizations requesting to stage and use port-a-johns on district sites provide the district a copy of the port-a-john rental agreement.

At a minimum, the agreement is to clearly define functional and operational aspects of the device to ensure that the:            

• Port-a-john is pumped out and cleaned daily
• Port-a-john has a functional exterior door lock.  The exterior lock is needed to ensure that the facility can be locked by the renting organization when the port-a-johns are not in use or are to remain on site over night. Keys for unlocking the port-o-johns are to be maintained by both the principal and the organization renting the area.
• Area around the port-a-john is kept clean and free of debris.

Finally, the approval for the staging and use of port-a-johns on school property is a "provisional approval” contingent upon there being no problems with the staging, use, and cleanliness of the port-a-john(s) and surrounding area.