Parents urge Lamar County School District to cap extracurricular fees after cheer costs balloon
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Summary
A parent told the board that Oak Grove Middle School cheerleading required nearly $2,400 per child this year and called on the district to cap out-of-pocket expenses and increase accountability for extracurricular pricing.
A parent urged the Lamar County School District board to act after rising extracurricular costs left some students unable to participate.
The comment matters because parents said mandatory out-of-pocket expenses are creating socioeconomic barriers to sports and activities across the district.
During public comment, a parent described the cost of one cheer program as "almost $2,400 per kid," saying the Oak Grove Middle School cheer team required more than $41,000 this year. The parent said an initial packet for tryouts listed a commitment of $1,200 to $1,700 but that final costs were substantially higher. "No child should be required to pay a party thousands of dollars for a public school sport," the parent said.
The parent said she met with school officials in March and that the athletic director told parents he would address the cost but that "nothing has been done." She asked the district to remove mandatory participation fees, place caps on out-of-pocket expenses, require fundraising and have district-level approval for final activity costs. The parent framed the issue as districtwide, not limited to cheerleading, and called the current practice "socioeconomic discrimination" for some students.
Board members did not take action during the meeting; the comment occurred during the public-comment portion. No formal motion to change policy or adopt caps was recorded in the meeting minutes provided.