The cost of a free public education is on the rise, as a growing number of districts across the U.S. are charging students for registration, textbooks, the use of libraries and more.
Some students in the Benton-Carroll-Salem Local School District in Ohio this school year pay a $10 student-activity fee, $34 for chemicals and supplies for chemistry and $3 for an alert system with mass calling capabilities. Anatomy and physiology students pay $35 to help cover the cost of cat cadavers and other course materials. High-school students this year also face a new $25 fee for school-provided laptops.
“These are necessary items that are going to help their children succeed and thrive in the classroom,” said Guy Parmigian, the district’s superintendent. Students who don’t pay can have their diploma withheld, he said.