Letter Says Charlotte Students Have To Pay Fees To Complete Assignments

Whenever you receive a new document, especially one involving the exchange of money, it's important to look at the fine print. The details could highlight a loophole or even prove that the document is not legitimate. That's exactly the problem that many Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools students have been faced with recently after receiving a letter claiming they will have to pay several fees in order to complete their schools assignments. Now, the district has responded.

CMS has confirmed that the letter going around its schools telling students they would be charged fees while doing schoolwork has no basis and is indeed fake, per WCNC. The letter included fees like $0.10 for each assignment "due to paper costs," $0.50 to borrow a pen from a teacher, $1 to use a pencil sharpener, and even $1 for every minute a student is late to class.

The letter includes hints to its false nature but only if you look closely. The top of the page lists the current date as Sept. 23, 2021, but later in the document it travels back in time to Sept. 23, 2020. Additionally, the list of names for the CMS Board of Education are not correct and in fact are the names of board members for Durham Public Schools.

CMS issued a statement to WCNC when asked about the bogus letter.

"We are aware of the hoax," the district said. "We are not charging fees to students or families."