I am a high school senior about to graduate. At the end of last year, my guidance counselor told me I was required to take five AP classes, that it was “school policy” for students to be in the highest class level they could, and my grades qualified me for the highest class level, AP. I told him that I couldn’t afford ONE AP test, let alone five, and that that was why I had refused to sign up for AP classes for the past two years. He told me that I could take the class but not take the exam, which sounded great so I signed up for all five.

When it came time for the tests I told my teachers that I wasn’t taking the tests because I couldn’t afford them, and they told me that I was required to take the tests, that it was school policy. There was so much back and forth about it that I ended up in the principal’s office arguing with her. She told me that since I have proof of being a low income student (free lunches $$) they could get my fees waived. So they didn’t make me pay upfront, and I took all five tests.

Now that graduation is a week away, the school is trying to get everyone to settle their “accounts” with the school and pay for lost textbooks and whatnot. If you don’t pay, you don’t get to graduate. I thought it was a mistake when I got a bill for almost five hundred dollars, but the school is now telling me that my fees WEREN’T waived and I’m responsible for paying for them. They won’t tell me why my fees weren’t waived, so I’m pretty sure at this point that they fucked up somewhere, that I was told the wrong information and now they’re trying to cover their asses.

I don’t have five hundred dollars. My mom doesn’t have five hundred dollars, which I thought was pretty obvious since I’ve been on free lunch since kindergarten. But now apparently my diploma will be withheld if I don’t pay up. I’m supposed to be going to college in August, so I’m obviously not ok with that. My mom and I have both talked to everyone at the school who’ll listen to us, but they just keep saying it’s my fault and I have to pay up. My only option at this point is going to one of those CASH MONEY NOW CASH CASH CASHCASHCASH loan places, which will really chap my ass but apparently is the only way I can graduate next week. So now I’m wondering if this is even legal. It’s a PUBLIC school, isn’t my education supposed to be free? I know that someone has to pay for the tests, I’m not one of those people trying to get something for nothing. But it doesn’t seem right that they REQUIRED me to take five AP classes and then REQUIRED me to take the tests and REQUIRED me to run up a five hundred dollar bill. I think they should eat the cost of the tests, since I got wrong information from two separate administrators. Can a public school really charge me this much money just for doing what I was told I had to do to get my education?

Tl;dr: School told me I was required to take five AP classes I tested into. Then they told me I was also required to take the AP tests, and that my AP test fees would be waived since I'm poor, but now they're saying I have to pay for them to graduate. Can public schools really have a school policy that force students to pay tons of money?