Middle and high school students in the Brecksville-Broadview Heights schools who are interested in taking part in sports and other activities this year have to pay to participate.

The district has asked families to pay a fee for student participation in recent years. In the 2011-2012 school year, that price went to 100 percent of the costs for each activity, said Pat Stankey. Stankey is a fiscal assistant in the school district, and she is in charge of determining the cost for each activity before the year begins.

The Board of Education approved the fees for the 2012-2013 school year at its last meeting. They are still at 100 percent for each sport, club or other activity.

The fees are similar to last year’s, and costs vary by activity. Stankey said the cost for each activity is determined by adding the coach or adviser’s salary and benefits with transportation costs, and dividing that by the average number of participants in the past five years. Stankey said they also make sure that girls and boys sports are the same cost. There is no cap on the amount families pay.

Stankey said that she has specific breakdowns for each activity, and that she’s happy to answer any questions people have. She can be reached at (440) 740-4007.

The forms for pay-to-participate for the high school and the middle school can be found on the district's website. The forms can be downloaded as PDFs from "Tab 3" of the July 17 school board agenda.