L-W District 210 Drops $50 Participation Fee For All Students

Lincoln-Way High School District 210 students won't be charged a $50 participation fee next school year, a fee that would have applied to all students, even if they didn't participate in sports or extracurricular activities. Under a new plan, only students involved in a sport or activity will be charged a $50 fee.

About 80 percent of the district's students participate in at least one sport or activity, Supt. Scott Tingley told the Daily Southtown. An estimated $248,000 is expected to be generated by the new, flat-fee system, the report added.

After the school board approved a participation fee for all students in May, district officials moved away from such a system after hearing concerns from parents and the board's attorney, the report stated. Lawyer John Izzo told the board that such fees have been challenged in Illinois, and they are usually only allowed so long as all the students paying the fee are participating in activities, the report added.

During the 2017-18 school year, the district started a sports and activity fee. Under that system, students were charged $25 per sport, with the maximum fee set at $50. Students participating in clubs were charged $10 per activity, with the maximum fee set at $30.

The sports and activity fee raised $134,000 last year, according to the Southtown. The all-inclusive, $50 participation fee would have brought in an estimated $310,000 for the district, the report added.

Parents with students not participating in sports or extracurricular activities who have already paid the $50 fee have three options:

• receiving a full refund
• applying the $50 to their child's cafeteria account
• applying the $50 as a future credit

More via the Daily Southtown

Image via Lincoln-Way High School District 210