Have you been asked to donate or pay a fee for materials and/or supplies for your child’s school, classroom, or extra-curriculuar program? The Mt. Diablo Unified School District follows the State Department of Education's advisory regarding fees, which is outlined below.
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 circumstancepons (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 Alan Young, the District’s complaint manager, at 682-8000, x4013.