Waiver of Student Fees
TThe Superintendent will recommend to the Board for adoption what fees, if any, will be charged for the use of textbooks, consumable materials, extracurricular activities, and other school fees. Students will pay for loss of schoolbooks or other school-owned materials.
Fees for textbooks and other instructional materials are waived for students who meet the eligibility criteria for fee waiver contained in this policy.  In order that no student is denied educational services or academic credit due to the inability of parent(s)/guardian(s) to pay fees and charges, the Superintendent will recommend to the Board for adoption what additional fees, if any, the District will waive for students who meet the eligibility criteria for fee waiver.  Students receiving a fee waiver are not exempt from charges for lost and damaged books, locks, materials, supplies, and equipment. 

The Superintendent shall ensure that applications for fee waivers are widely available and distributed according to State law and ISBE rule and that provisions for assisting parents/guardians complete the application are available. 
A student shall be eligible for a fee waiver when:

1. The student currently  lives in a household that meets the free lunch or breakfasts eligibility guidelines established by the federal government pursuant to the National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. §1758; 7 C.F.R. Part 245; or
2. The student or student’s family is currently receiving aid under Article IV of The Illinois Public Aid Code (Aid to Families with Dependent Children).

The Superintendent or designee will give additional consideration where one or more of the following factors are present:

• Illness in the family;
• Unusual expenses such as fire, flood, storm damage, etc.;
• Seasonal unemployment;
• Emergency situations;
• When one or more of the parent(s)/guardian(s) are involved in a work stoppage.

Verification
The Superintendent or designee must follow the verification requirements of 7 C.F.R. 245.6a when using the free lunch or breakfast eligibility guidelines pursuant to The National School Lunch Act as the basis for waiver of the student’s fee(s).
When using a District established or other independent verification process, the Superintendent or designee may not require verification more often than every 60 calendar days. The Superintendent or designee shall not use any information from any independent verification process to determine free lunch or breakfast eligibility pursuant to The National School Lunch Act.

Determination and Appeal
The Superintendent or designee will notify the parent(s)/guardian(s) promptly as to whether the fee waiver request has been granted or denied.  The denial of a fee waiver request may be appealed to the Superintendent by submitting the appeal in writing to the Superintendent within 14 days of the denial. The Superintendent or designee shall respond within 14 days of receipt of the appeal.  The Superintendent’s decision may be appealed to the School Board.  The decision of the Superintendent is final and binding.
Questions regarding the fee waiver request process should be addressed to the Building Principal’s office.

LEGAL REF.:        105 ILCS 5/10-20.13 and 5/10-22.25.
23 Ill. Admin. Code §1.245 [unenforceable].

CROSS REF.:         4:130 (Free and Reduced-Price Food Services)

Reviewed: February 28, 2005
Adopted: March 21, 2005
Revisions Adopted: February 01, 2010