This study seeks to examine the impact of policies on public access decision making with the potential to provide opportunities for the community-use of schools for recreation and physical activity outside of regular school hours. A national, online survey system will be developed and utilized to ensure the most effective and efficient method of collecting data about wellness policies and joint-use agreements across the United States.  This study will contribute to solutions for increasing physical activity among children and families who live near schools in several ways. First, providing data relevant to the scope and nature of public access can assist advocacy groups in targeting wellness policy promotion efforts. Second, it is important to understand the degree to which wellness policies are driving decisions to allow public access; and the frequency by which adopted policies are implemented. Third, the study may lend support to the use of joint use agreements as a means to encourage public access decisions. Fourth, findings from the study will help build the evidence relevant to perceptions of liability risk among school administrators and public access decision making. Fifth, the study will help us better understand the influence of limited liability legislation on perceptions of liability risk and might lend support to arguments for strengthened liability protections for schools for the purpose of improving physical health outcomes.  Research summaries will be developed that can be distributed to chief state school officers, administrators of local educational agencies, and administrators of individual schools. These summaries are anticipated to include a variety of results and examples of policies/agreements at the state, district, and school levels for use by the respective administrators in planning, implementing, and/or revising wellness policies or joint agreements.

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