Jason Kandel

Parents Reimbursed for Uniforms at LAUSD

A nearly two-year battle for reimbursement over drill team uniforms for students at Carson High School has ended, weeks after the NBC4 I-Team's report exposed the problem.

Parents and students of Carson High School's drill team emerged from the school's library with checks worth tens of thousands of dollars — having learned an unfortunate lesson in patience.

"It was getting really frustrating, but I 'm just glad that it's all over with now," said Tina Rubio, a student.

It was fall 2014 when members of the drill team starting complaining of the fees they were being charged by their adviser, a former teacher in the district, for uniforms students and parents say appeared cheap and homemade.

"It was a lot of money that we paid and we didn't even get everything that we paid for," said Ariana DeLeon, a student.

Administrators told NBC4 students should never have been charged for uniforms in the first place.

They admitted there were breakdowns in communicating with parents and students and promised to make it right. LAUSD officials made good on that promise.

Last February the I-Team took the students' complaints to LAUSD.

"We acknowledge there were some issues with the management of the Carson drill team," said South-area Assistant Superintendent Christopher Downing.

Downing said it's district policy that if a student is involved in a sanctioned extracurricular activity, it's the districts responsibiilty to provide for their needs. Downing promised the I-Team that parents and students would be reimbursed.

"We are following up on our promise," he said.

At a library meeting LAUSD issued 32 checks to parents and students of Carson's drill team.

It varies but it's an accurate accounting of every penny that a parent expended out of their own pocket, officials said.

And after nearly two years of confusion and frustration there's a reason to cheer.

Contact Us