Fairfax County Public Schools recently adopted an extracurricular activity fee as a way to generate funding. The county approved the fee as a part of their 2018 Approved Budget, requiring any student involved in athletics or clubs to make a one time 50 dollar payment.
Junior and varsity field hockey player Alyssa Maynard said the fee will be a factor in many athletes’ decision to not join a sport.
“I think that students having to pay [50 dollars] to play sports is absolutely ridiculous because sports are about community, it’s about coming together,” Maynard said. “A lot of students at Marshall can’t afford that so then they are not going to want to play sports, and that’s just breaking the community apart.”
Senior Darren Miralles agreed, stating that the fee will only deter prospective participants from getting involved.
“Students should feel freedom in pursuing their interests through clubs,” Miralles said. “Adding an additional fee to join any of them will only discourage people from joining.”
Despite negative feedback, the fee remains and is now open for parents to pay on MySchoolBucks.