Section 425.100  Necessary Costs and Fees

This Section provides implementation for the computation of necessary costs and fees as defined in Section 5 of the Invest in Kids Act (the Act) [35 ILCS 40].

a)         For purposes of this Section, "necessary costs and fees" has the meaning ascribed in Section 5 of the Act and is the sum total of the following:

1)         the customary charge for instruction and use of facilities (Section 5 of the Act) (i.e., tuition);

2)         all charges for required textbooks, instructional materials and technology, including costs associated with the administration of State assessments under Section 2-3.64a-5 of the School Code;

3)         charges for field trips made during school hours, or made after school hours if the field trip is a required or customary part of a class or extracurricular activity (e.g., annually scheduled trips to museums, concerts, or places of business and industry or field trips related to instruction in social studies, the fine arts, career/vocational education or the sciences);

4)         charges for supplies required for a particular class (e.g., shop or home economics materials, laboratory or art supplies);

5)         school uniforms; and

6)         any other fee that the qualified school charges as a prerequisite for participation in curricular or extracurricular programs.

b)         Notwithstanding subsection (a), for purposes of this Section, "necessary costs and fees" does not include the following:

1)         fees payable only once (Section 5 of the Act) per a student's enrollment within a qualified school;

2)         contingent deposits that are refundable in whole or in part (Section 5 of the Act) (e.g., locks, towels, laboratory equipment, uniforms or equipment related to intramural sports or to fine arts programs);

3)         library fines and other charges made for the loss, misuse or destruction of school property (e.g., musical instruments);

4)         charges for the purchase of class rings, yearbooks, pictures, diploma covers or similar items;

5)         charges for optional travel undertaken by a school club or group of students outside of school hours (e.g., a trip to Spain by the Spanish club or a senior class trip);

6)         charges for admission to school dances, athletic events or other social events;

7)         optional community service programs for which fees are charged (e.g., preschool, before- and after-school child care, recreation programs);

            8)         graduation fees (e.g., caps, gowns); and

9)         any other optional fee that the qualified school charges for participation in curricular or extracurricular programs.

c)         This Section will automatically be repealed on January 1, 2024.

(Source:  Added at 42 Ill. Reg. 5912, effective March 15, 2018)