Paying some fees is a part of public education, though it is primarily a free education. Students are expected to supply their own basic school supplies such as paper, pencils, and notebooks. Each district has a list of approved expenditures for students. Some typical items on that list include:

• Lunch
• Summer school
• Student parking passes (high school)
• Lost textbooks
• Late or lost library books
• Field trips
• Special class-required fees (e.g., science lab fees)

Tennessee does not allow payment of fees to be a prerequisite for attending public school [TCA 49-2-110(c)]. School fees are authorized by the local board of education, and some fees may be requested, though not required such as collecting fees for activities offered during the school day. Details of the information about student activity funds are located on the following website: http://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/2010/title-49/chapter-2/part-1/49-2-110

Fee waiver forms can be requested from the school if there is a situation that prevents a family from being able to pay for required materials or events.