Prince George's County Schools Initiate Fee to Play High School Sports

If you want to play football, baseball, soccer or run track at your high school next year, it won't just take a tryout to make it onto the team.

Prince George's County Public Schools announced Thursday that students will have to pay to play on any high school sports team.

In a press release, school officials said they created the activity fee in response to large budget cuts to the school system.

Students will have to pay a one-time, non-refundable $50 fee prior to the beginning of each sports season if they are selected to play on the team. The fee will cover the student's participation in athletics for the entire year, even if they transfer to another high school or play different sports throughout the year.

"This is the first time we have implemented an activity fee for high school athletics in our district," said Dr. William R. Hite, Jr., Superintendent of Schools. "It is one of many strategies that will enable us to continue enrichment and extracurricular programs for students during these difficult economic times."

But students and sports faculty throughout the county, and in Laurel, met the news with apprehension.

"Oh, wow. That is ridiculous," said Sarah Allsop, a 2011 two-sport athlete graduate at Laurel High, to Laurel Patch on Thursday when she learned of the new rule. "Why should you pay to do something you are passionate about? Times are hard, economically, already."

Allsop's Laurel softball coach, Julie Provino, said she just learned of the ruling on Thursday.

"Parents are going to question the coaches about where the money is going. To me, $50 is not a lot but I think parents will complain about it. A lot of parents don't want to pay it," she said.

Kennon Broadhurst, the head track and field coach at Laurel High, told Laurel Patch on Thursday afternoon that the $50 fee could have mixed results. 

"To me it is going to be a mixed bag. It will limit some people from coming out. But from a parents' stand point, they will look at is as an investment to do well in a particuliar sport," said Broadhurst, who was an assistant at Laurel from 2002 until he took the head indoor and outdoor position in 2007. 

Parents or guardians will be notified of the fee at the beginning of the school year and prior to each sports season.

Students whose families are having financial difficulties can request a payment plan or a fee waiver through their child's school.

Brian Moore, former varsity coach for Laurel High and county schools' student, said charging students to play came as a surprise.

"You have to pay a fee to play youth sports. It is never something I thought would creep into high school. It is not an extraordinary amount," he said. "The fee will probably not deter people to come out and play but it may slow people down [due to paperwork]. It is a way to generate some funds. This being the middle of June, you have eight weeks to come up with $50. Some parents may complain inititally."