InspireNOLA Charter Schools seek to balance fairness (i.e., all participating students should pay the same fee) with equity and an acknowledgment of economic hardship facing many families in the communities that we serve. As such, InspireNOLA may offer limited fee reductions and waivers to students and families who complete the following steps:
· Make a good faith effort to pay the full fee, including by requesting additional time and/or a payment plan.
· Request a waiver or fee reduction from the School Leader (or designee) in writing via email or letter
· Provide additional documentation requested by the School Leader (or designee)
· Commit to informing the School Leader (or designee) if the family’s economic circumstances change and the fee is able to be paid later in the academic year
The Louisiana Department of Education provides the following examples of a family status that may be grounds to grant a waiver: families receiving unemployment benefits or public assistance, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid; foster families caring for children in foster care; and families that are homeless. School Leaders may use these indicators and other information to make their determination. Waivers due to economic hardship will be kept confidential by the School Leader to protect student and family privacy. Students who receive a fee waiver will never be discriminated against or overtly identified.
School Leaders (or their designee) will communicate the decision regarding a waiver on a rolling basis directly to families in writing. All waivers will be kept on file at the school. If audited, all personally identifiable student information will be removed from the waiver.
For appeals of economic hardship fee waivers, parents may contact InspireNOLA CFO, Charlie Mackles. He can be reached at [email protected].