Manhattan Beach Parents Asked To Pay 'Donation' For Student Absences

MANHATTAN BEACH (CBSLA) — Parents of students planning a mid-school year family vacation will have to save for an extra expense – a "donation" for every day a student misses school.

The Manhattan Beach Unified School District is asking parents for a $47 donation each time a student misses a school day that's not due to illness, according to the Daily Breeze. The fee is to help offset the money the district loses for each student absence.

Public schools are funded based on attendance. The district's daily attendance rate is high at 98 percent, the district's Superintendent Mike Matthews told the Breeze, but it still loses $1 million a year for student absences.

Manhattan Beach Unified officials say the fee is voluntary, and parents are not required to pay.