3.10 - Fees, Fines & Charges; Waiver of Student Fees

Fines, Fees, and Charges; Waiver of Student Fees

The school establishes fees and charges to fund certain school activities.  Some students may be unable to pay these fees.  Students will not be denied educational services or academic credit due to the inability of their parent or guardian to pay fees or certain charges. Students whose parent or guardian is unable to afford student fees may receive a fee waiver.  A fee waiver does not exempt a student from charges for lost and damaged books, locks, materials, supplies, and/or equipment.

Applications for fee waivers may be submitted by a parent or guardian of a student who has been assessed a fee.  As student is eligible for a fee waiver if at least one of the following prerequisites is met:

1. The student currently lives in a household that meets the free lunch or breakfast eligibility guidelines established by the federal government pursuant to the National School Lunch Act; or
2. The student or the student’s family is currently receiving aid under Article IV of the Illinois Public Aid Code (Aid to Families of Dependent Children).

The Assistant Superintendent of Schools and Operations will give additional consideration where one or more of the following factors are present:

• An illness in the family;
• Unusual expenses such as fire, flood, storm damage, etc.;
• Unemployment;
• Emergency situations; or
• When one or more of the parents/guardians are involved in a work stoppage.

The Assistant Superintendent of Schools and Operations will notify the parent/guardian promptly as to whether the fee waiver request has been granted or denied. Questions regarding the fee waiver application process should be addressed to the building principal.

Pursuant to the Hunger-Free Student’s Bill of Rights Act, the school is required to provide a federally reimbursable meal or snack to a student who requests one, regardless of whether the student has the ability to pay for the meal or snack or owes money for earlier meals or snacks. Students may not be provided with an alternative meal or snack and the school is prohibited from publicly identifying or stigmatizing a student who cannot pay for or owes money for a meal or snack.