Six months after the Ministerial Order was issued, a number of districts had still not adopted a policy. Some students are excluded from taking elective courses if they cannot pay the fees. Some boards have adopted policies to waive fees for financial hardship for required courses, but not electives. This clearly has the impact of making the financial situation of the family a factor in the educational opportunity of the student. Principles of equity indicate that these are not acceptable policies, nor does it seem that they are consistent with the language of the Ministerial Order.
Full equity is possible only with no fees.
In general, school boards and schools charge fees only because provincial funding is not adequate to cover all the programs and activities that they think should be offered. Despite the best intentions, even the most generous practices in waiving fees means that some students are excluded and that some take part at a cost to their dignity. The only way of ensuring full equity is to have adequate public funding so that fees do not have to be charged. Protection of dignity. In the absence of adequate funding to eliminate fees, action should be taken by boards and by schools to ensure that everyone is aware that it is possible to waive fees, and that all relevant school personnel are sensitive in the way they deal with the issues.