Don’t call it “Pay To Play.”
The new Shelton Board of Education policy approved Tuesday will require students to pay for sports — and activities you don’t technically play, like chorus and robotics.
And as a result, board members were particular about their classification of the new policy, which will take effect in August.
“It’s called Pay to Participate,” board member Win Oppel stressed after a unanimous vote on the policy Tuesday evening.
Whatever you call it, the new policy allows the district to charge students to participate in sports, theater activities and non-academic clubs.
A fee schedule caps the total payments for any one family at $750 a year.
Specific fees include:
- $500 for hockey
- $400 for high school sports that have officials
- $300 for high school sports that don’t have officials, such as tennis and golf.
- $100 for high school activities
- $200 for Intermediate School sports with officials
- $150 for Intermediate School sports without officials
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The board first proposed the idea — reluctantly — at a meeting last month, saying that with budget cuts to the district, the schools needed to charge money for extra activities.
“We felt academics were the first responsibility,” said Timothy Walsh, the Board of Education chairman. “We didn’t have the funds to support the extra curricular activities, so we went to pay to participate.”
Click play on the video above to hear Walsh talk about the policy.
The policy was met with initial resistance from parents, who packed the Board of Education meeting room at the meeting when the policy was first proposed.
Tuesday, no members of the public came to the meeting.
But there is still some disappointment among families about the policy, according to Assistant Superintendent Lorraine Rossner, who said some people will likely not participate as a result.
“I’m sure there’s going to be an impact,” Rossner said. “I’m just not sure how severe it will be.”
Students will be required to pay at Central Office before participating, using a bank check or a money order. No cash or personal checks will be accepted.
See document below for a list of frequent questions about the policy published by the Shelton athletic department.
