FILE:  JS

Cf:  JR

STUDENT FEES, FINES AND CHARGES

The Vermilion Parish School Board may impose certain student fees or charges to help offset special costs incurred in the operation of specific classrooms or subjects.  Generally, students should not be denied or delayed admission nor denied access to any instructional activity due to failure or inability of their parent or guardian to pay a fee.  Report cards and other academic records cannot be withheld for failure to pay a fee, pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:112(C).

The School Board shall publish the Student Fees, Fines and Charges policy and procedures on its website.  Each school shall publish the policy on its website and include it in the school's student handbook which shall be provided to each student and his/her parent or legal guardian at the beginning of each school year in the manner determined by the School Board.

The Student Fees, Fines and Charges policy shall be reviewed annually and revised as necessary.

DEFINITIONS

Fees shall mean any monetary payment or supplies required as a condition of a student being enrolled in school or participating in any curricular or co-curricular activity.  Fees shall not include supplies or monetary payment for extracurricular activities.  Fees shall not mean the cost of school meals.

Curricular and co-curricular activities are activities that are relevant, supportive, that are an integral part of the program of studies in which the student is enrolled, and that are under the supervision and/or coordination of the school instructional staff.

Extracurricular activities are those activities which are not directly related to the program of studies, which are under the supervision and/or coordination of the school instructional staff, and which are considered valuable for the overall development of the student.

REGULATIONS

1. A school shall not charge or assess a fee unless the fee has been set and included in the School Board’s approved Schedule of Fees.
   
   

2. Fees charged for the same item or service shall be consistent among all schools under the jurisdiction of the School Board.
   
   

3. Failure by a student, or parent on behalf of their child, to pay any required fee shall not result in the withholding of a student’s educational record.

SCHEDULE OF FEES

A list of authorized fees, including their purpose, use, amount or authorized range, and how each fee is collected, shall be as listed on the Schedule of Fees (Appendix A) attached to this policy.

Economic Hardship Waivers

A student or his/her parent or legal guardian may request and receive a waiver of payment of a fee due to economic hardship.  Waivers of fees shall be granted based on objective criteria which shall include, but not be limited to the following, relative to the student or his/her family:

1. Is receiving unemployment benefits or public assistance including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, supplemental security income, or Medicaid.
   
   

2. Is in foster care or is caring for children in foster care.
   
   

3. Is homeless.
   
   

4. Is serving in, or within the previous year has served in, active military service.
   
   

5. Is eligible for free or reduced priced meals in schools not participating in the Community Eligibility Provision Program.
   
   

6. Is an emancipated minor.

A written request for a waiver of fees shall be submitted to the principal of the school or his/her designee for consideration.  Proof of eligibility shall be included with the fee waiver request.  A written decision on the waiver request shall be rendered within five (5) school days of the date of receipt of the request.  Should the initial request to the principal of the school for a waiver be denied, a written appeal may be made to the Superintendent or his/her designee, who shall respond to the appeal in writing within five (5) school days of the receipt of the appeal.

All requests for economic hardship waivers of student fees and any and all supporting documentation used in considering the validity of any request for a waiver shall be confidential.

All records associated with a fee waiver request due to economic hardship shall not constitute a public record, but may be audited to ensure compliance with the School Board’s policy.  A student's personally identifiable information associated with such a waiver request shall not be made public.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

School supplies requested by classroom teachers of a student's parent or legal guardian shall not exceed a published amount per student per school year as determined by the School Board.  Each school principal shall approve all school supplies requested by classroom teachers.  Prior to assessing a fee for school supplies or developing a school supply list, consideration shall be given to the existing school supply inventory.  A student shall not be denied the opportunity to participate in a classroom activity due to his or her inability to provide requested supplies.

DAMAGE TO TEXTBOOKS/INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The School Board may require parents and/or legal guardians to compensate the school district for lost, destroyed, or unnecessarily damaged books and materials, and for any books which are not returned to the proper schools at the end of each school year or upon withdrawal of their dependent child.  Under no circumstances may a student of school age be held financially responsible for fees associated with textbook replacement.

Compensation by parents or guardians may be in the form of monetary fees or community/school service activities, as determined by the School Board.  In the case of monetary fees, fines shall be limited to no more than the replacement cost of the textbook or material, but may, at the discretion of the School Board, be adjusted according to the physical condition of the lost or destroyed textbook.  A school system may waive or reduce the payment required if the student is from a family of low income and may provide for a method of payment other than lump-sum payment.

In lieu of monetary payments, both school systems and parents/guardians may elect to have students perform school/community service activities, provided that such are arranged so as not to conflict with school instructional time, are properly supervised by school staff, and are suitable to the age of the child.

Under no circumstances may a school or school district refuse the parent/guardian the right to inspect relevant grades or records pertaining to the child nor may the school or school district refuse to promptly transfer the records of any child withdrawing or transferring from the school, per requirements of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Under no circumstances may a school or school district deny a student promotional opportunities, as a result of failure to compensate the school district for lost or damaged textbooks or other unpaid fees or charges.  Students shall not be denied continual enrollment each grading period nor re-entry in succeeding school years as a result of lost or damaged books or other unpaid fees or charges.

Students shall not be denied the use of a textbook during school hours each day.  The school system shall annually inform parents and/or legal guardians of the locally adopted procedures pursuant to state law and regulation, regarding reasonable and proper control of textbooks.

UNPAID FEES

Every student shall be accountable for unpaid fees or debts owed to the school for such things as, but not limited to:  lost textbooks, library books, unpaid lunch money, school pictures, locker fees, student I.D. fees, fundraiser money/products not returned, etc. by denying participation in non-academic activities, including graduation ceremonies.

Principals shall be encouraged to contact parents for cooperation in clearing debts.  Should attempts to clear any debt through parental contact not be successful, the school shall notify the School Board attorney, who shall be authorized to take any further appropriate steps to secure payment, including legal action against an adult student or the parent/legal guardian of a minor student.

Revised:  August, 2017

Revised:  November 21, 2019

Revised:  April 30, 2020

Ref:    20 USC 1232(g-i) (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:112, 17:177, 17:178

Board minutes, 2-19-93, 5-19-04, 9-15-16, 11-21-19, 4-30-20

Vermilion Parish School Board

APPENDIX A