Interscholastic Activities Bill Fails 021710 (audio)

Air Date:02/17/2010

By Eryn Clement

A bill that allows school districts to charge students a fee to participate in interscholastic activities has failed in a house committee Wednesday.

House bill 1259 also referred to as the pay to play bill had mixed reviews in the House Education Committee. Proponents of the measure say tax payers shouldn’t be responsible for all the fees involved with student participation in interscholastic activities. Opponents of the bill had a very different take on this legislation. They argue that you can’t put a price on talent and interscholastic activities help students excel. Melody Schopp is with the Department of Education. She says supporters will say foundations can give grants to help students pay the fees but all that does is create a stigma for children who can’t pay their own way.

“We can say no student will be left out, no student will be disallowed to play and that schools will find a way to pay. We all sound somewhat charitable when we say that but I can promise you the last thing for those kids who can’t afford to play, is that they want is charity,” says Schopp.

The measure was defeated by an eight to six vote.

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