Each school has a designated fee waiver administrator who reviews and makes decisions on fee waiver requests. Your school’s website or front office staff can provide you with contact information for your school’s fee waiver administrator.
The district is committed to ensuring that the process for obtaining a fee waiver is administered fairly, objectively, and without delay. Also, the district makes certain that the process avoids stigma, embarrassment, undue attention, and unreasonable burdens on students and parents. The process will have no visible indicators that could lead anyone to identify fee waiver applicants, and no district students (other than the student whose family/parent is applying) are allowed to help with the application process. Information from families/parents will be kept in the strictest confidence during the entire process. Also, please know that a student receiving a fee waiver will not be treated differently from other students and will not be identified as a student on fee waivers to other students, staff members, or other persons who do not need to know that information.
Fee Waiver Eligibility
A student is eligible for a fee waiver if:
- the student qualifies for free lunch under USDA regulations
- the student receives SSI
- the student’s family receives TANF
- the student is in foster care
- the student is in state custody
- the student is designated as McKinney-Vento
Additionally, if you are having a financial emergency caused by a job loss, major illness, or other substantial loss of income beyond your control, your child might be eligible for a fee waiver even if other eligibility criteria are not met. Even if a student does not qualify under these standards, the school must still provide a fee waiver if charging the fee would deny the student the opportunity to fully participate or complete a requirement because of an inability to pay a fee.
To qualify for a fee waiver, the school must receive DOCUMENTATION to verify the student’s eligibility. You must complete the appropriate Fee Waiver Application and submit it to the school principal for their review and approval. The applications are available in each school’s main office and on the Utah State Board of Education’s school fees web page at:
https://www.schools.utah.gov/schoolfees?mid=4340&tid=3.
As soon as you have sent in the completed forms, the requirement to pay a fee will be suspended until a final decision has been made about your student’s eligibility for a fee waiver. If the application is denied, the school will send you a Decision and Appeal Form. The form will tell you why the application was denied and explain how to appeal the decision. If you appeal a denial of fee waivers, you do not need to pay the fees until the appeal is decided.
