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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Pass / Fail : School districts can't charge parents for basic education; must create complaint process | 89.3 KPCC

Pass / Fail : School districts can't charge parents for basic education; must create complaint process | 89.3 KPCC:


School districts can't charge parents for basic education; must create complaint process

school supplies

Erika Aguilar/KPCC

Out of necessity, cash strapped schools have for years been asking parents to cover some of the most basic classroom needs:  craft supplies, a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird, an Algebra book.
But it turns out that is illegal and California school districts have until Friday to draw up procedures for parents to complain if they feel their school is charging them for educational activities. 
The guidelines should provide parents and students a modified uniform complaint process so concerns can be resolved at the local level, without costly litigation. 
The deadline was established in Assembly bill 1575 signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown last fall.
The passage of the bill lead to the dismissal of a class action lawsuit, Doe v. State of California, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union. The suit alleged that the