By Joel Ceausu
The Suburban

The English Parents Committee Association of Quebec has put out a clarification regarding school fees.

As the school year begins, parents should anticipate receiving an invoice for items required for the year along with a letter from their child’s school. “It’s critical that you are aware of the responsibilities that fall on you as a parent and the school.” As per sections of the Education Act, EPCA explains what the school is required to provide and what you are responsible for buying:

“Materials that are used for personal use and personal organization,” such as pens, pencils, paper, pencil cases, backpacks, binders, school uniforms (if applicable, specific conditions apply), and clothing for physical education, etc., can be broadly categorized as items that parents are responsible for. Simply put, parents are responsible for items that are not reusable and cannot be brought back to school says EPCA.

Items that can be used by multiple students and must be returned to the school at the end of the school year cannot be charged to parents. For example, if a textbook is needed for a class, the school must provide it in full or in part (printed pages), technology supplies, goggles, safety gear, balls, rackets, and more. (There are some exceptions.)

Although schools may request that parents pay for supplies for personal use, and may suggest duo-tang color, pencil style, or binder with pockets, it is not permitted to force parents to purchase specific brands or from specific suppliers.

This rule also applies to uniforms. “Indeed, alternative options must be provided when school uniforms are supplied/manufactured by a single company. For example, the school could establish uniform style and colour standards (e.g., long sleeved, shorts, blue, skirts, pants etc), and provide crest with the school logo to be affixed to the garment purchased by the parent at a reasonable cost.) In all cases, if parents are required to pay a fee, it must reflect the actual cost of the purchase; schools cannot profit from sales of crests.

Also, any educational materials, such as teaching aids, that are required for the implementation of activity programs and/or the teaching of a curriculum must also be provided free of charge, including:

Protective gear, including helmets, safety glasses, and hairnets; Art supplies such as paint, pastels, modelling clay, etc.; Technological tools like headphones, laptops, and graphing calculators.

“Every financial contribution required for a service for an activity, for material to which the right of free use does not apply or for the supervision of students at lunch time must be the subject of a clear and detailed invoice.” In other words, the school must provide you with a clear invoice detailing what each item is used for and the exact cost to support it. “Where a voluntary contribution or a donation is requested, no amount related to it may be included in the total indicated on the invoice.” It is the governing board of each school that must review and approve the school supplies list, and they must inform the school of the approved itemized list.

View the Education ministry checklist: https://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/education/Aide-memoire-gratuite-EN.pdf

Visit parents.quebec to learn more about Parent’s Financial Contributions under FAQ’s. n