FILE:  JS

Cf:  JR

STUDENT FEES, FINES AND CHARGES

The Washington Parish School Board may impose certain student fees or charges to help offset special costs incurred in the operation of specific classrooms or subjects.  No student shall be deprived of proper instruction should the student not be able to pay any student fees, however.

DAMAGE TO TEXTBOOKS/INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS

The School Board may require parents and/or legal guardians to compensate the school district for lost, destroyed, or unnecessarily damaged books and materials, and for any books which are not returned to the proper schools at the end of each school year or upon withdrawal of their dependent child.  Under no circumstances may a student of school age be held financially responsible for fees associated with textbook replacement.

Compensation by parents or guardians may be in the form of monetary fees or community/school service activities, as determined by the School Board.  In the case of monetary fees, 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.  A school system may waive or reduce the payment required if the student is from a family of low income and may provide for a method of payment other than lump-sum payment.

In lieu of monetary payments, both school systems and parents/ guardians may elect to have students perform school/community service activities, provided that such are arranged so as not to conflict with school instructional time, are properly supervised by school staff, and are suitable to the age of the child.

Under no circumstances may a school or school district refuse the parent/guardian the right to inspect relevant grades or records pertaining to the child nor may the school or school district refuse to promptly transfer the records of any child withdrawing or transferring from the school, per requirements of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Under no circumstances may a school or school district deny a student promotional opportunities, as a result of failure to compensate the school district for lost or damaged textbooks.  Students shall not be denied continual enrollment each grading period nor re-entry in succeeding school years as a result of lost or damaged books.

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

Revised:  October, 2001

Ref:    20 USC 1232 (g-i) (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act)

La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§17:81, 17:112

Washington Parish School Board