Posted: Thursday, September 10, 2009 10:09 am

Certain fees may be a thing of the past for public school students in Rutherford County.

Tennessee’s Department of Education has issued new guidelines for when schools and school systems may ask students to pay fees for activities and supplies.

“No one may be required to pay fees, regardless of income, for activities and supplies required to participate in courses offered for credit or grade,” The new guidelines say.

Rutherford County Board of Education will vote Thursday night on a list of fees submitted by Director of Schools Harry Gill Jr. that may be requested by schools this year.

Proposed fees include, but are not limited to:
• Field trips,
• Supplemental reading materials, paper and supplies,
• Extracurricular uniforms,
• Computer supplies, like flash drives and calculators, and
• Fees for national exams on the high school level.

Fees in Rutherford County came under fire in 2007 after a Central Middle School parent raised a complaint about the school’s $25 per child fee to participate in the Tiger Prowl, an event where students get a break from classes and raise funds for the school. The father claimed the fee was too steep and placed his child and others at a disadvantage.

The Department of Education issued a legal opinion in November 2007 that said the school board is in violation of state law. The state requires school systems to have a policy to waive school fees for students who receive free or reduced lunch.

In response, the system developed new rules for school day activities and overnight trips for disadvantaged students that allows for any fees and/or payments required for field trips or excursions to be waived for students eligible to receive free and/or reduced meals.

Other school board business
• The Rutherford Education Association has approved its union contract with the school system for the 2009-2010 school year with only one change.

The contract has been revised to reflect a change to new insurance premiums for employees enrolled in Option 1.

• The new tennis courts at Old Fort Park are in the final stages of construction.

Various contractors are putting the last touches on the courts, like landscaping, installing lights and putting down the final surface on the courts and installing nets.

Rutherford County Schools is constructing 16 outdoor, lighted tennis courts next to the Ag Center at Old Fort Park for use by the general public and local high school and middle school teams.

Rutherford County is responsible for the $1.2 million price tag and the city of Murfreesboro agreed to be responsible for the long-term maintenance of the courts.