“To me it is unconscionable...that they would...charge parents for something that should be free to them on the outset.”

As Montgomery County schools and state officials continue to investigate allegations of financial mismanagement at a school for disabled students, special-education advocates say parents should also be asking themselves whether their children were denied a “free and appropriate public education” as required by federal law.
It is a question parents will likely confront district officials with Thursday night at a meeting to discuss allegations of financial mismanagement at Rock Terrace School in Rockville.
“Asking parents to contribute to part of what is considered the curriculum violates the ‘F’ part of free,” said Leslie Seid Margolis, a managing attorney for the Maryland Disability Law Center. “To me it is unconscionable in the guise of this program that they would set this up and use the money for community outings and still charge parents for something that should be free to them on the outset.”

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/questions-remain-over-rock-terrace-investigation/2013/07/25/f38870d4-e7fe-11e2-aa9f-c03a72e2d342_story.html