By ROBERT LINNEHAN
Looking to play sports or join an activity in the Moorestown School District next year? Be on the ready to pay a student participation fee, as members of the school board of education approved the measure at its last BOE meeting.
The “Pay to Participate” policy will go into effect next year for all three levels of education in the Moorestown School District. The universal fee will allow students to participate in as many extra-curricular activities as they wish throughout the school year, Superintendent John Bach wrote in a letter that was sent out to all families in the school district.
The measure was discussed by the BOE throughout the school year, Bach said.
The rates are staggered for each school level. High school students will be required to pay $175, William Allen Middle School students will pay $100, and Upper Elementary School students will pay $50. The activity fees will be collected prior to the activities, Bach said, and parents will likely have an option to pay the fees online.
The fees, he said, are needed to support the numerous extra-curricular activities that are offered throughout the district during these difficult economical times. The fees will help support the extra-curricular and athletic programs throughout the district, he said.
The “Pay to Participate” policy will also include a maximum family cap of three times the highest annual fee charged for an individual student, regardless of the number of activities or programs the students in such family elect to participate in throughout the school year, according to the policy.
Also, the activity fee may be waived or reduced based on financial hardship using the state eligibility standards.
Details are still being worked out, Bach said, and parents should visit the district’s Web site at www.mtps.com for more information throughout the summer.
