B.G. school board OKs 'pay to play' for students

Bowling Green High School students will pay $100 to play one sport, $75 for the second sport, and $50 for the third sport, while middle schoolers will pay $50 per sport.

BOWLING GREEN -- Bowling Green City Schools students will pay to participate in certain activities and teams this upcoming school year.

The board of education Tuesday unanimously approved a pay-to-participate policy for some activities.

High school students will pay $100 to play one sport, $75 for the second sport, and $50 for the third sport, while middle schoolers will pay $50 per sport.

High school quiz bowl and drama members and participants in some other activities organized by a paid adviser will pay $25 per season, year, or play. High school students who participate in activities for which they receive a grade or there is no paid adviser, such as marching band, could be required to pay a transportation fee.

The district will waive fees for students who can verify they qualify for free or reduced lunch prices or in other “extenuating circumstances,” the policy states.

Superintendent Ann McVey said she doesn’t know how much the fees will generate for the district because revenue depends on student participation.

“What we do know is that the amounts that [are] being charged will not cover the costs of extra and co-curriculars,” she said.

She said more than half of the district’s high school students participate in some kind of activity, but not all of those activities include a new fee.

Contact Vanessa McCray at: vmccray@theblade.com, or 419-724-6065, or on Twitter @vanmccray.