Permissible Student Fees
Overview
Under the California Constitution, the free school guarantee prohibits charging students any fee, charge, or deposit for curricular, extracurricular, credit, or noncredit activities that are part of the District or a school site’s educational program. There are, however, specific statutes in the Education Code and other laws which identify definite circumstances when fees and charges are permissible. Those specific situations are included in this manual.
Nothing in the law prohibits voluntary donations, contributions, and fundraising by students and their families to support District and school site programs, so long as monetary donations, contributions, and fundraising activities are not made mandatory for students and their families and there are no conditions placed upon the donation.
Charges by private businesses to students for services that are not integral parts of the District or a school site’s educational program are permissible, even if facilitated by the District or school site (e.g., school pictures or sports pictures).
To help our families and community understand how they can best support the programs their children are participating in, clear communication is critical. Should you have questions regarding student fees, charges, donations, or fundraisers, contact your site principal or the Escalon Unified School District Business Services department at (209) 838-3591.