Procedure

Procedure 9802.1 - School Fees

The purpose of this regulation is to clarify the fees and deposits that may be charged by schools, the procedures that need to be followed annually, and the processes that need to be in place to ensure that students are not excluded from participation in school activities due to financial hardship.

Proposals and budgets for all fees must be approved by the school principal before they are communicated to parents and students. The principal shall consult with the appropriate teachers and the Parent Advisory Council prior to establishing a fee.

Requests to assess materials fees, extra-curricular activity fees and other school fees must be approved by the appropriate assistant superintendent before these fees are published to students and parents for the next school year.

Communication and full disclosure of school fees is of paramount importance. Schools will advise students and parents in writing of the school’s schedule of fees by May 30th of the preceding school year.

No student shall be unreasonably denied an opportunity to participate in an educational program of the school. Every school must develop a process whereby fees may be waived because of financial hardship. The process must incorporate the principles of fairness, confidentiality, and sensitivity, while maintaining family respect and dignity.

All monies collected by the school personnel are under the direction of the principal and must be administered according to Policy #4900 - Management of Site Based Funds and the related regulations.

Optional Charges - The necessary resource materials that students will require to complete a course will be provided without charge. Students and parents may choose to purchase optional educational resources which become the property of the student.

6.1.	Workbooks - Most modern language courses and a number of other electives have a workbook that complements the textbook. Schools will provide these workbooks to students on loan. They will need to be returned undamaged and unmarked, as with textbooks. Students have the option of purchasing the workbooks if they’d prefer not to complete assignments in their notebooks.
6.2.	Certifications and Optional Examinations - Some courses offer the opportunity for students to acquire certifications, such as First Aid, CPR, SuperHost and Serving It Right. These certifications are not a required part of the curriculum and participation is optional. Students who choose to obtain certification can do so at their cost. Similarly, students participating in International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement courses have the option of choosing to write the examinations or not. Those who choose to write will be required to pay the cost of the examinations.
6.3.	Field Trips - Generally, the curriculum does not require students to participate in field trips. However, there are many field trips which can serve to enhance and add value to the learning experience for students. Participation in such field trips is optional and there may be a charge to cover costs only. However, if the field trip is essential to achieving specified learning outcomes and cannot be addressed in any other way the trip would not be considered optional and there would be no charge for the field trip.
6.4.	Materials Required to Complete Assignments - Schools will provide materials required to complete basic projects in order to meet learning outcomes for a course; for example, lumber for Woodwork or fabric for Textiles. Students have the option to bring their own material from home or purchase material from the school if they wish to do a more intricate project or assignment and use a different or better quality material.
6.5.	Musical Instruments - Students are required to purchase or rent their own musical instrument in order to participate in band programs from grades 7- 12.

Basic School Supplies - Students will need to provide their own basic supplies and equipment for their own personal use at school. This includes supplies such as paper, writing tools, calculators, notebooks, computer file storage tools, gym strip, sewing kits and some other items needed for various electives. Some schools may wish to make these supplies available to students at cost (usually as a PAC initiative).

Specialty Academies - Board approved specialty academies may charge fees subject to board and Parent Advisory Council approval.

Trades and Apprenticeship Programs - Students who are enrolled in trades and apprenticeship programs under the Industry Training Authority Act:

9.1.	May be required to purchase or rent his or her tools, equipment, and materials necessary for participation in the program.
9.2.	May be required to provide his or her own tools, equipment, and materials necessary for participation in the program.

10.

Student Activity and Extra-Curricular Fees - There may be charges for the cost of student planners, materials for personal use, annuals, athletics, extra-curricular field trips and travel, graduation and student activities that are set by the school. Purchase of materials or participation in activities covered by these charges is optional. Charges should reflect the actual cost of the service or equipment in question.
Charges for extra-curricular travel by teams or clubs may be established to defray the costs involved. As per Policy #8901 – Student Field Studies, student field studies may be financially supported in whole or in part by parents and guardians, but must be planned with a due regard for economy in order to be affordable.

11.

Textbooks and Learning Resources – When textbooks or learning resources are lost or damaged, replacements will have to be made at a cost to the school district; therefore, schools may charge for the loss or abnormal depreciation of a book or other instructional material. Recovered costs for such loss or damage are remitted to Learning Resources Services (LRS) for credit to the school’s account. Additional guidance is provided in Regulation #8800.4 – Care of Learning Resources.

12.

Refundable Deposits – A deposit may be required for the loan of certain educational resources materials (i.e. graphing calculators). This deposit must be refunded all or in part on return of the materials.

Revised:	2016-06-03 2007-06-28 2006-04-11 2002-04-23 1998-07-17 1996-01-11
Approved:	1994-05-12