Office of the
(925) 682-8000. x4009
Fax: (925) 689-1649
TO: All Site Administrators
Department Heads
Parent Leaders
FROM: Gary McHenry
Superintendent
RE: Collecting Fees from Parents
I have received a number of inquiries
regarding the assorted fees parents are being asked to contribute to their
child’s school, classroom, and/or extra-curriculuar program. This letter is
written to help clarify the issues related to student fees. Principals, please
send me a list of the fees being charged or requested at your site.
The State Department
of Education has issued an advisory on fees. The ones outlined below are
specifically authorized.
A. Fees for furnishing materials to a pupil
for projects the pupil has fabricated from such materials for his or her own
use. Such fees may not exceed cost. This would include shop fees or fees for
clothing classes.
B. Fees
for transportation to and from school under limited circumstances (Education
Code Section 38907). See Mt. Diablo Unified School District Board Policy and
Rule 3541 for details.
C. Charges
for food served to pupils (Education Code Section 39807.5).
D. Charges
to the parent or guardian of any pupil who loses or defaces a book or other
school property. Liability limits for lost items or damages are adjusted
annually by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction pursuant to statute
(Education Code Section 48904).
E. Charges
for field trips or excursions, principally for transportation. The authority to
charge a fee for field trips or excursions is not directly stated in the
Education Code. Rather, it provides that “No pupil shall be prevented from
making the field trip or excursion because of lack of sufficient funds”
(Education Code section 35330). If you have planned field trips, you can still
take them as long as all district procedures are followed.
F. Deposit
from a borrower of school band instruments, music, uniforms, and other regalia
for use on an excursion to a foreign country.
G. Fees
for school camp programs, provided that payment of such a fee is not mandatory.
No pupil shall be denied the opportunity to participate in a school camp
program because of non-payment of the fee (Education Code Section 35335). Environmental
science camps fall under this section.
Fees
cannot be charged for the following:
A. A
deposit in the nature of a guarantee that the district would be reimbursed for
loss to the district on account of breakage, damage, or loss of school property.
You simply cannot collect a fee to protect against damage to property.
B. An
admission charge to an exhibit, fair, theater, or similar activity for
instruction or extracurricular purposes when a visit to such an activity is
part of the district’s educational program. You cannot charge for an activity
related to the required curriculum.
C. A
tuition fee or charge as a condition of enrollment in any class or course of
instruction, including a fee for attendance in a summer or vacation school, a
registration fee, a fee for a catalog of courses, a fee for an examination in a
subject, a late registration or program change fee, a fee for the issuance of a
diploma or certificate, or a charge for lodging. Students are entitled to a
free and appropriate public education.
D. Membership
fees in a student body or any student organization as a condition for
enrollment or participation in athletic or other curricular or extracurricular
activities sponsored by the school. You can charge for a student body card that
allows students access to certain activities.
E. Charges
for an apprentice or his or her parents or guardian for admission or attendance
in any class (Education Code Section 48053). Again, students are entitled to a
free and appropriate public education.
F. Fees
or charges for enrollment or participation in a career technical organization’s
activities that are part of a career technical class or course of instruction
offered for credit, when those activities are integral to assist the pupil to
achieve the career objective of the class or course (Education Code 52375).
G. Charges
for textbooks and workbooks in grades K-12 (Education Code sections 60070 and
60410). Charging for textbooks and workbooks is illegal.
H. Charges
for any instructional materials the pupils use in schools except in classes for
adults. (Education Code section 60070).
If you have questions about fees being charged or requested
at your site, please call