Principal takes stand on fee policy

While the school district continues to try to let parents know about their school lunch policy change (bit.ly/YXUQIJ), the Pocatello High School principal is dealing with that policy change by enforcing a different policy.

She said if student activity fees aren’t paid in full (including past charges) or payment arrangements aren’t made, the student doesn’t get to participate in that activity.

“It’s really difficult to look at a student and say you can’t eat for $11, but you can play,” said Lisa Delonas.

Delonas, stepping into the principal position this year after being the vice principal for three years, said unpaid fees totaled between $20,000 and $40,000, so she said enough is enough.

She said she doesn’t want this to become a burden on parents, but the material requirements for those activities are paid for directly through those fees. She said supply costs, renting out Holt Arena for football games, uniforms, travel and other costs keep going up. She said it’s not right the school keeps going into debt trying to pay the costs the activity fees should be paying for.

She said the school has offered students opportunities to pay toward their fees. Some were paid $8 an hour, using money donated to the school, to help re-organize the library and haul books.

She said not only does this cause problems for the activities, it causes problems once graduation comes.

“They can technically graduate, but they just aren’t going to be issued their transcripts,” Delonas said. “And they can’t enroll in a post-secondary school without a transcript.”