Waukesha Schools: Graduating Seniors Need To Have Fees Paid Up

WAUKESHA, WI — It's graduation season, and the Waukesha School District is enacting a new policy that says graduating seniors could be prevented from walking across the stage to receive their diploma if they have outstanding fees.

According to a CBS 58 report, about 1 out of every 4 graduating seniors districtwide have past-due fees and Waukesha North and West students owe $40,000 alone. Parents recently received a letter stating, "Principals are authorized to deny students with outstanding fee balances from participating in graduation ceremonies."

The Waukesha School District's policy states that all outstanding school fees need to be paid prior to a student participating in his or her graduation ceremony. However, no student in the School District of Waukesha has ever been denied the opportunity to graduate due to unpaid fees, district officials say.

"It is our goal to work together with families so that each student can walk across the stage on graduation day," Terry Schuster Director of Public Relations and Communication told Waukesha Patch. "Fees owed are communicated with families early on in the student's life, and parents receive monthly reminders with various payment options. We do work with families encountering financial difficulties, and w encourage them to be proactive about applying for waivers."

Schuster said that it's not unusual for the fees to be mitigated within the last few weeks of the school year. It is the district's experience that these fees either get paid, or parents who qualify for a fee waiver make the effort to do so.

According to the CBS 58 report, mother Mindy Pitchford said it was 100 percent class warfare, and is raising money to help students pay off their outstanding fees.

Patch File Photo