Parents urge removal of special-education fees as board approves 2026–27 fee schedule

The Lafayette Parish School Board voted to adopt a revised schedule of student fees for the 2026–27 school year despite public objections that the list includes fees for students receiving special-education and gifted services.

Parents at the meeting said the fees — listed in the proposed Appendix A as a $15–$25 special-education class fee and a $20 gifted-enrichment fee — conflict with state guidance about a free appropriate public education (FAPE). Mark Burgio, whose son is an autistic student, said the fees expose the district to legal risk and urged the board to remove the entries and reimburse families who already paid. Sarah Bennett, a parent and former district administrator, quoted Louisiana Department of Education materials and called on the board to amend the item immediately.

District staff responded that the line in the fee schedule is a school-based class fee, not a fee for special-education services. Human-resources and student-services staff explained that class fees are charged when students in any course participate in optional experiments or buy materials for an activity, and that a self-contained special-education classroom may appear in the same fee category only because it is listed as a class in the course schedule. Staff also told the board that, where payment causes hardship, the district will waive or resolve payments on a case-by-case basis.

Board members pressed staff for legal clarity and cited bulletin 741 and Act 240 as contexts for exceptions; members asked for backup documentation showing which amounts are budgeted versus expended and how the fee program has been applied historically. The board also asked staff to confirm whether the district posts the current, effective fee schedule on its public website and to bring written guidance on how fees intersect with special-education service provision.

After extended public comment and discussion, the board approved the revised Appendix A schedule as presented at the meeting. Board members recorded their approval on the record during roll call. The board directed staff to follow up with a written explanation of how class fees are implemented, how hardship waivers will be handled, and whether any refunds are required for families who previously paid fees that may be affected.

The board meeting record shows the fee discussion began when the item was pulled from the consent agenda and included several public commenters and a multi-member board exchange; staff and counsel were asked to double-check that fee language falls within statutory and bulletin exceptions and to return with clarifying documentation.