Thanks to efficient financial planning by the Lafayette County School District, parents with students in grades K-6 will not need to purchase general school supplies for the upcoming school year.

That means parents will not be getting school supply lists for the upcoming school year.

The district is providing general supplies – paper, pencils, notebooks, crayons and more. Parents are asked to only provide their students with personal items, such as backpacks and lunchboxes.

Parents of older students will also get a break from some school-related costs.

The district will cover the majority of the academic fees for students in grades 7-12, including dual credit course tuition, and half the cost of the AP exams, which are normally about $98.

Students in 7-12 will still need to bring general school supplies.

This does not include specific club/activity fees, device fees, parking, or membership dues.

Lafayette County School District Superintend Jay Foster said providing families with a financial break was something he and the School Board have been looking at being able to provide for the last couple of years.

“About two years ago, we started looking at what fees we were charging and our school supply lists and we started looking at where we can cut some costs for our families,” Foster said. “School supply lists can be a huge burden on parents.”

Foster said he hopes that with the district reducing the amount parents have to pay for AP courses and dual credit courses, more students will take advantage of those opportunities.

While this initiative is only for the upcoming school year, Foster said it is the district’s goal to continue to provide this service for years to come if financially possible.