3520 - Student Fees, Fines or Charges

The district will provide an educational program for the students as free of costs as possible. The superintendent or designee may approve the use of supplementary supplies or materials for which a charge is made to the student so long as the charge does not exceed the cost of the supplies or materials, students are free to purchase them elsewhere, or provide reasonable alternatives, and a proper accounting is made of all moneys received by staff for supplies and materials. 

The board delegates authority to the superintendent or designee to establish appropriate fees and procedures governing the collection of fees and to make annual reports to the board regarding fee schedules. Arrangements will be made for the waiver or reduction of fees for students whose families, because of their low income, would have difficulty paying the full fee. For programs governed by the National School Lunch Act, the USDA Child Nutrition Program guidelines will be used to determine qualification for waiver. The superintendent or designee will establish a procedure for notifying parents of the availability of fee waivers and reductions, including eligibility information for free or reduced-price meals. 

A student will be responsible for the cost of replacing materials or property which are lost or damaged due to the student’s negligence. 

If any property of the district, a contractor of the district, an employee, or another student has been lost or willfully cut, defaced, or injured, with the damages exceeding $1,000, the district may withhold the diploma, but not the grades or transcripts, of the student responsible for the damage or loss for the earlier of either 5 years from the date of the student’s graduation or until the amount owed is less than $1,000. If the student and parent/guardian are unable to pay for the damages, the district shall provide a program of community service for the student in lieu of the payment of monetary damages. Community service completed must be credited at the applicable local or state minimum wage, whichever is greater. Upon completing community service that reduces the amount owed to less than $1,000, the student’s diploma must be released. 

The student or their parent/guardian may appeal the imposition of a charge for damages to the superintendent and board of directors. The student and their parents/guardians will be notified regarding the nature of the charge for damages or fines, whether the student’s diploma may be withheld, how restitution may be made, and how an appeal may be instituted. When the damages or fines do not exceed $100, the student or their parents/guardians will have the right to an informal conference with the principal. As is the case for appealing a short-term suspension, the principal's decision may be appealed to the superintendent and to the board of directors. When damages are in excess of $100, the appeal process for long-term suspension will apply. 

Student fee schedules for individual buildings must be approved by the superintendent or designee on an annual basis. Each building will submit an annual report, which includes a report indicating the fees collected by each department. In establishing fees for classes, the following guidelines will be used: 

1. Class registration literature will describe fees for each class or activity and the process for obtaining a waiver or fee reduction; 
2. A fee may be collected for any program in which the resultant product is in excess of minimum requirements and, at the student's option, becomes the personal property of the student. Fees may not exceed the cost of the materials. The district will furnish materials for those introductory units of instruction where a student is acquiring the fundamental skills for the course. A student must be able to obtain the highest grade offered for the course without being required to purchase extra materials; 
3. A fee may be collected for personal physical education and athletic equipment, apparel and towels or towel service. However, any student may provide his/her own if it meets reasonable requirements and standards relating to health and safety; 
4. A reasonable fee, not to exceed the actual annual maintenance cost, for the use of musical instruments and uniforms owned or rented by the district may be collected; 
5. Students may be required to furnish personal or consumable items including pencils, paper, erasers, notebooks; 
6. Security deposits for the return of materials or equipment may be collected. Provisions will be made to return the deposit when the student returns the item at the conclusion of the school term; and 
7. A fee may be collected for a unit of instruction where the activity necessitates the use of facilities not available on the school premises, and participation in the course is optional on the part of the student. A waiver or fee reduction need not be offered for such activities. 

Fees will not be levied for: 

1. Field trips required as part of a basic educational program or course; 
2. Textbooks (non-consumable) that are designated as basic instructional material for a course of study; or 
3. Instructional costs for necessary staff employed in any course or educational program. 

Fee waivers and reductions may be granted to students whose families would have difficulty paying because of their low income. For students and families participating in the national school lunch program, the school breakfast program, or both, the USDA Child Nutrition Program guidelines shall be used to determine qualification for a fee waiver or reduction. 

The district will annually distribute and collect information and an application for all households of children in kindergarten through grade twelve to determine student eligibility for free or reduce-price meals in compliance with chapter 28A.235 RCW, Policy and Procedure 6750. 

If a student has not paid for five or more previous meals, the school shall follow the procedures and requirements contained in Policy and Procedures 6750. 

When the district withholds student’s diplomas for failure to pay a fine or charge for damages, the district will publish and maintain the following information on its website, either with information published under RCW 28A.325.050 or in a different location on its website that facilitates easy access to information; the number of diplomas withheld, by graduating class, during the preceding five school years, with data from the prior reporting year updated annually to reflect the release of diplomas; and the number of student with withheld diplomas who were eligible for free or reduced-price meals during their last two years of enrollment in the district. 

All fees shall be deposited with the business office on a regular basis. The respective departments and schools shall be credited with the amount of their deposit.