Students sometimes have to shell out some money for personal supplies or school activities, but things get fishy when the principal starts demanding random, unexplained fees from them. That said, a public high school in Maryland is forcing its students to pay “senior dues” without elaborating exactly what is being paid for. Frustrated, one of the students took to Reddit to vent their irritation and ask what this confidential fee is all about.
“What is the penalty if you dont pay?” the top commenter asks. “I’m 99% sure they won’t let you graduate,” was OP’s reply. To clarify, the senior due is not actually a lot of money; it’s only $20. While Maryland student says they can afford it, they question whether the school can legally charge them without explaining what the payment is for. “It just frustrates me that they demand it without any reasoning,” they grumble. They go on to explain that they have paid for everything they can think of, including prom, a graduation cap and gown, as well as various class expenses.
“It sounds like the dues are for the graduation ceremony,” mentions a Reddit user. “They’ll actually withhold your diploma if you owe fees, even library fines. It’s pretty common,” remarks another commenter. “Schools in the US have been doing it forever.” They then link to a news story about a California man in his late 70s whose high school diploma was withheld because of a petty fee. One user chimes in with, “It’s really weird for a school to ask for money from students out of the blue.” Another seconds their opinion, saying, “Dues just for the sake of collecting dues is wrong.”
The Maryland student mentioned they asked a guidance counselor about what the fee is for, but they didn’t even know. OP complained that “it’s their job to know” such things, but commenters were quick to downvote and reprove the poster by saying, “Ask the person who announced it.” It shouldn’t be too difficult for OP to get a hold of the assistant principal who told everyone about the senior dues. Whatever the case, it still is bizarre that the school didn’t disclose this extra fee from the start. While $20 is not a large amount, it still is important to know why someone is asking you for money.
