Proposal aims to bring uniformity to student fees

Books and bus rides to school are free, but parking and lockers could cost you.

So say proposed rules hammered out by the Virginia Department of Education in an attempt to clarify what school systems can charge students as part of a public education.

The goal is to bring uniformity to the patchwork of fees levied on a range of items in school systems across the state.

An education department survey last year showed that of 83 systems, 64 charged fees. Twenty had a policy for families with financial hardship, but only nine of those told parents about it.

Penalties for students who did not pay the fees ranged from being barred from graduation and field trips to being placed on "social probation."

School systems would not be required to charge fees under the proposed changes. But such charges are a way that increasingly cash-strapped school systems deal with shrinking budgets and increasing expectations imposed by federal and state mandates.

Proposed changes to Virginia's regulations will be presented to the Board of Education today. If the board approves them on first review, they will head to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's office, and the public will have a chance to comment. The regulations could go into effect by the 2010-11 school year.

Under the proposed changes to the rules -- they last were amended in 1980 -- local school boards that charge fees would have to give parents copies of the policy and fee schedule and post the information on the system's Web site.

A school system's policy would need a provision to waive or reduce fees for economically disadvantaged students and students whose families are undergoing economic hardships -- including families receiving unemployment benefits or food stamps, foster families and homeless.

The policy and fees would have to be the same systemwide.

As for specific fees:

• Students could not be charged for textbooks or textbook deposits but could face a "reasonable fee" for lost or damaged textbooks.

• Schools could charge for "consumable materials," such as workbooks, but there must be a provision to provide them more cheaply or free to students who can't afford them.

• Students could not be charged for transportation to and from school but could be charged for the proportional cost of providing for voluntary extracurricular activities.

• Schools also could charge students for field trips that are not required instructional activities.

• Summer school could cost students unless the program is a remediation program required by law.

• Class dues also may cost extra, but those dues would not be mandatory.

A student could not be suspended or expelled for nonpayment of fees and charges.

Angela Ciolfi of with JustChildren advocated a more streamlined approach to the regulations and said the draft makes it clear that public school students may not be charged fees for instructional programs and activities.

She suggested the board encourage schools to help students who cannot pay a fee to join a sports team or club, and to require that families receive clear notice of how to request a fee waiver.

She also proposed that schools not be allowed to withhold schedules or exclude students from graduation and field trips.

"With unemployment at its highest level in 26 years, families will find it harder than ever to find extra cash for back-to-school expenses," Ciolfi said.

Contact Olympia Meola at (804) 649-6812 or .