Comment by dragonwriter

> You are correct, anyone of any age can sign a contract, but a contract in almost all states with an under-age person means basically nothing, not even the paper it's printed on.

That's not at all correct (though, frankly, it's about the level of wrong if expect from someone who focuses on who can sign a contract rather than who can form one); I would summarize the usual legal rule, but I already did that in the post you responded to.

> plays, sports, etc are all generally open to the public and are sponsored by the school.

Not generally by getting a single faculty advisor for a student-led endeavor, those have a lot more administrative and faculty involvement, with frameworks (if not specific programs) often set up at the school board level.

> Most schools will also happily rent their space(s) after hours for a generally modest to small fee (say compared to going rate for rent from a business)

Sure, if you are covering all the liability, etc.

> since public schools can't make money at it.

Public schools absolutely can make money at it, unless the particular state law or board policy prohibits them from deriving revenue beyond recovering associated costs from rentals, which isn't, AFAIK, the norm.