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Good afternoon superintendents and charter school leaders,
Every year the issue of fees comes up around the time of graduation. Minnesota Statutes prohibit schools from charging fees for diplomas, graduation caps and gowns, and any specific form of dress necessary for any educational program.
You are all familiar with my view on fees. Simply put, they serve as barriers to our children. This is true even when fees are waived for students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Parents become overwhelmed with having to repeatedly ask for waivers, and in many cases refuse to ask for them. Since becoming commissioner I have argued that schools should do everything they can to eliminate fees for our students and their families, even if some fees may be allowed under the law. To do otherwise contradicts our shared efforts to provide equitable opportunities for all students. High school graduation is a critical moment in a student’s life. While Minnesota Statutes may not prohibit charging a fee for facility rentals or decorations for a graduation ceremony, the reality is those fees can pose just as big of a barrier to a family as a fee for a cap and gown.
For your convenience, the applicable Minnesota Statutes are as follows:
Read the language below, and consider the spirit of the law:
Minn. Stat. § 123B.35 GENERAL POLICY
It is the policy of the state of Minnesota that public school education shall be free and no pupil shall be denied an education because of economic inability to furnish educational books and supplies necessary to complete educational requirements necessary for graduation. Any practice leading to suspension, coercion, exclusion, withholding of grades or diplomas, or discriminatory action based upon nonpayment of fees denies pupils their right to equal protection and entitled privileges. It is recognized that school boards do have the right to accept voluntary contributions, to make certain charges and to establish fees in areas considered extracurricular, noncurricular or supplementary to the requirements for the successful completion of a class or educational program, and to waive those fees under certain circumstances. No public school board may require, except as authorized by sections 123B.36 and 123B.38, the payment of fees.
As the school year comes to a close, please consider the impacts and unintentional barriers that fees have on our students and families becoming actively engaged in our school communities.
Brenda
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