JACKSONVILLE, Fl -- As Fletcher High prepares for a new school year, student fees are a concern for some parents.
"I'm concerned about students who don't have the money,' said Barbara Cox.
Dr. Cox's focus is the student parking fees. She said the fees are outside the lines.
"I was shocked. I thought it was going to be based on the GPA," she said.
Her son is a junior applying for parking privilege. She said the fee has two tiers instead of one.
According to Cox, the fee is $20 if the student does well on test scores, but it is $40 if the student does poorly.
"This is unfair, very unfair," said Cox.
Student parking is not a given. Students must be approved. On Your Side checked the fees for a parking decal at three other Duval High schools.
At Atlantic Coast High School, the fee is $40, at Mandarin High School, it is $35 and at Sandalwood High School the student parking decal fee is $50.
Cox, an educator as well, reached out to the Duval County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Diana Greene. Her email response reads in part:
"Thank you for your email regarding your concerns about the discount for parking passes provided to students that met college readiness criteria at Fletcher High School. It is common for high schools to have a variety of incentives to create a college-going culture. Fletcher initiated this incentive several years ago to encourage students to put forth their best effort on the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT), ACT, and SAT assessments. All students during their Junior Year are provided an opportunity to take the SAT during the school day at no cost and have multiple opportunities to take the PERT to meet the college readiness criteria.
The District follows federal guidelines and district policies concerning discrimination, which is considered on the basis of a person’s actual or perceived identity with regard to race, color, religion, gender, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, political or religious beliefs, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, or any other distinguishing physical or personality characteristics. While your concern does not meet the criteria for discrimination, it is a practice that should be reviewed. Principal Ledford will review this practice with student leaders and stakeholders to understand their perspectives and determine if different incentives should be considered.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention, and I am confident that Principal Ledford will be able to address your concerns directly."
Cox believes, in this case, the incentives are in the wrong place
"If you don't do well on a test you're going to be asked for more money? That is unbelievable to me. I am shocked," she said.
A spokesperson for the district told On Your Side as soon as the parent reached out to the school principal, both school and district leadership began working to address her concerns and confirm their commitment to reviewing the incentive.
We were told the issue is now on the agenda for the upcoming meetings of the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association, School Advisory Committee, and student government.