Graduating Seniors at South Tahoe High No Longer Required to Buy Caps & Gowns

Walking down the aisle on the South Tahoe High School football field is a long standing tradition for graduating seniors.

While that tradition is in tact, the way caps and gowns are handled are changing.

Changes in the California Education Code - EC 49010(a) - now classify the graduation ceremonies as a educational activity which mandates students can no longer be charged a fee for the required cap and gown purchase.

The Lake Tahoe Unified School District had three choices in front of them, 1) no longer have cap and gowns at graduation, 2) the school purchases all caps and gowns, or 3) the school rents all caps and gowns.

Some South Tahoe High students had already purchased their required gear for 2014, so the school boarded voted to return those monies and that the school would purchase the rest of the needed caps and gowns for this year. These will be used for future classes of Mt. Tallac High School and Tahoe Learning Academy.

The cost of caps and gowns for the average graduating class size in SLT would be approximately $11,812 - $14,015, depending on if purchased or rented.

The school board will revisit the situation in the fall after they receive bids for caps and gowns for future classes.