Student Fees Fines Charges Policy

Community Leaders Advocating Student Success, Inc. (C.L.A.S.S.S)
dba Fannie C. Williams Charter School
Student Fees, Fines, and Charges

Community Leaders Advocating Student Success 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. Reports 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 shall publish the Student Fees, Fines and Charges policy and procedures 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 Board of Directors.

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. The school shall not charge or access a fee unless the fee has been set and included in the 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 board of directors.
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 STUDENT FEE REDUCTION/WAIVERS

A student or his/her parent or legal guardian may request and receive a student fee reduction or 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 a receiving unemployment benefit 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.

A written request for a reduction/waiver of fees shall be submitted to the Principal or her designee for consideration. Proof of eligibility shall be included with the fee reduction/waiver request. A written decision on the reduction/waiver request shall be rendered within ten (10) school days of the date of receipt of request. Should the initial request to the Principal of the school for a reduction/waiver be denied, a written appeal may be made to the President of the Board of Directors or his designee, who shall respond to the appeal in writing within ten (10) school days of the receipt of the appeal.

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

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

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

School supplies requested by classroom teachers of a student’s parents or legal guarding shall not exceed a published amount per student per school year as determined by the Board of Directors. The 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 an opportunity to participate in a classroom activity due to his or her inability to provide requested supplies.

DAMAGE TO TEXTBOOKS/INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The board may require parents and/or legal guardians to compensate the school for lost, destroyed, or unnecessarily damaged books and materials, and for any books which are not returned to the school at the end of the school year or upon withdrawal of their dependent child.

Compensation by parents or guardians may be in the form of monetary fees, as determined by the board of directors. Fees and fines shall be limited to no more than the replacement cost of the textbook or material, but may, at the discretion of the Board, be adjusted according to the physical condition of the lost or destroyed textbook.

Students shall not be denied the use of a textbook during school hours each day. The school 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.

 

 

Community Leaders Advocating Student Success, Inc. (C.L.A.S.S.)
Hardship Fee Waiver Request for Act 240

 

Name of School________________________________ Date___________________

 

Student’s Name: _______________________________________ Grade:__________________

 

Address: _____________________________________________________________________

City State Zip

Parent’s Name: ________________________________ Phone Number:_________________

 

I, the parent/guardian of the above listed student hereby request that C.L.A.S.S. waive, reduce, or put on a payment plan the school fee(s). I further state in support of this waiver request that the following is true and accurate as it applies to my household.

 

Instructions: Please check off all that apply. Proof of eligibility must be provided.

I receiving unemployment benefits
I am receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
I am receiving Supplemental Security Income
I am receiving Medicaid
The student is in foster care or parent is caring for foster children
I am homeless
I am serving in or have served with the previous year, active military service

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Please indicate what you are requesting:

__ Waiver of Fee(s) __ Reduction of Fee(s) ___ Payment Plan

Special Circumstances/Economic Hardship: My family has experienced a significant loss of income due to severe illness, injury to a member of the family or other. Please explain circumstance or loss attaching documentation, such as doctor’s notes, accident report, etc.

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

Parents/Guardians are advised that supplying false information to obtain a fee waiver will result in a denial of such request.

Parent/Guardian Signature____________________________ Date______________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

For School Use

Application Completed Date_______________________

Approved
Denied
Reason: _______________________________________________________________________

School Official’s Signature____________________________________ Date_______________