Eye of the Editors: Illegal Club Fees

Clubs continue to charge members despite this practice being against the law in California

At the start of the school year, administrators relayed a clear message to staffers that students aren’t required to pay to participate in a school activity. Despite this, membership fees and mandatory donations continue to leave students pressured to pay a considerable amount to enjoy activities on Diamond Bar High School campus.

Well known as a “pay-to-play” arrangement, having students make monetary contributions to keep school programs and activities running is an illegal practice in California, although this may not be the case in other states. Public schools don’t have to provide extracurricular activities for their students, and can’t impose fees if they do, under the state’s “free school guarantee.” In fact, Assembly Bill 1575, signed by Governor Jerry Brown in 2012, allows students and parents to file complaints if they’ve been charged with illegal fees and to possibly receive full reimbursement.

It’s understandable why clubs are dependent on these illegal fees: food fair fundraisers and boba sales just won’t cut it, especially for competitions and events that lead to hefty club expenses every year. Nonetheless, students can’t be prohibited from taking part in activities because of their inability to pay.

In attempts to comply with the rules, some clubs have allowed students to join without paying a membership fee, but forbade them from participating in certain activities. Although a valiant attempt, this too isn’t allowed, as a student’s participation in a program can’t be compromised in any way.

For example, if members of a club decide to join a local competition and one student would like partake in the event but cannot afford to do so, they must fundraise or find ways to ensure that the student is not unfairly excluded from the activity. On the other hand, clubs can require members to pay for club t-shirts, which don’t necessarily affect a student’s experience in the club, if they would like to purchase one.

Although mandatory fees may persist in organizations, students should know their right to partake in extracurricular activities on campus, even if they cannot financially afford to do so. Likewise, clubs and organizations should acknowledge these rights and provide fair and equal participation to all of their members. As school spending remains stagnant and programs become costly, students will have to consider other ways to raise funds and ensure equity in their school activities.