This past school year was the first one in which the Macomb district waived fees for students to participate in any extracurricular program, including athletics, music, and theater.
The district said the change proved beneficial.
“It’s the reason we’re here. Our job is to provide opportunities for our young people and get them involved in many different things,” said Steve Horrell, Director of Athletics and Extracurricular Programs.
“And maybe something that they didn’t think that they could or were interested in. ‘I don’t want to spend the money to be in this and then all of a sudden I don’t like it.’ Now you can dip your toe in the water in many different areas.”
He said those opportunities should not be available only to families that can afford it.
Horrell said there was an uptick in participation this past school year, though he did not have exact numbers.
“It’s increased our participation. We just want to make sure that kids can get back into the swing of things, especially after COVID,” he said.
Horrell also said the district has a large number of students in the free and reduced-price lunch programs, and they don’t want to discourage those students from participating.
He said the district continued to offer all the programs it had in the past, and even added one – girl’s wrestling.
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