Talawanda BOE discusses new penalties for school fees

Study shows drop in students using substances over 20 years

Talawanda High School (THS) students owed more than $85,000 worth of fees at the end of the 2025-26 academic year, part of which the school district may need to cover as many of those students graduated in May, leaving behind their dues, according to Superintendent Edward Theroux.

Theroux told the Talawanda Board of Education during a regular meeting on June 18 the figure was given to him by THS Principal Scott Davie. Treasurer Shaunna Tafelski told the Oxford Free Press in an email she is currently unable to verify any exact dollar amounts, as school offices are closed for the summer, although she said this could include fees that students gathered beginning in preschool and carried with them up to high school. 

Theroux said the school district needs to start implementing penalties for students who don’t pay their fees and ensure they are collected before they reach graduation.

Theroux said fees could include any cost a student accrues debt on over the course of their education, from Chromebook or library book dues to science lab fees, and Tafelski said this could also include lunch debt.

While Theroux said most students pay these off by the time they leave, if a student graduates without paying them off, the school district never collects on those dues. This means Talawanda may need to cover the gap with its general fund, although Theroux said he’s not recommending the board do so.

Theroux said the school district is offering payment plans to families, instead of rushing to have fees paid at the end of a student’s senior year or being unable to collect dues if a student leaves before they graduate.

He said the district is also exploring penalties. For example, if a student’s dues aren’t paid, they may not be able to attend their homecoming dance or participate in other activities, Theroux said.

“It’s always been a problem,” Theroux said of student fees, adding the district doesn’t want to pull from its general fund, which goes toward teacher salaries, books and programs.

“We appreciate when people come in, and there’s been lots of donations, and that has helped us out,” Theroux said.

As of November 2025, Talawanda students had accrued more than $58,132 in unpaid breakfast and lunch fees, which the school has since received several donations to help cover.

Student health study

In other business, Talawanda Health and Wellness Coordinator Amy Macechko gave the board an update on the recent results of an annual student wellness survey.

According to Macechko’s data, nearly 40% of Talawanda students reported drinking alcohol in 2005, which has dropped each year and was about 7% in 2025. Nearly 30% of students in 2005 also reported using tobacco, which has consistently dropped and was just 1.5% in 2025.

In 2005, 20% of students reported using marijuana, which dropped to about 4% in 2025. Although prescription drug use wasn’t recorded until around 2010-2015, reported student use also dropped from under 10% back then, down to 0.5% in 2025.

“We are seeing, obviously, (use) trending in the right direction,” Macechko said. “Still work to do, definitely still work to do, but we’re excited by this.”

Macechko said she feels recording this data and sharing it with students is essential because they may feel that a lot more students use e-cigarettes or drink alcohol than they actually do. Then, she said, it becomes a social norm. Part of recording this data, she said, is to change that perception.

Macechko described efforts her office has recently taken to improve student welfare, which have been funded in part by a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through its Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.

She said the school district now offers a program called “Second Chance,” which is a web-based alternative to student suspension for those caught using tobacco and e-cigarettes. The program educates them on the health risks while keeping them in school.

Macechko said 85% of students reported decreased use after participating in the online program.

She said the district also has teen substance use support groups and practices an approach called SBIRT (screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment) to ensure school nurses are trained in having conversations about substance use with students. Schools also offer peer support services and address gaps families have in covering school-based mental health through the grant.

Additionally, Macechko’s data showed a downward trend in anxiety, depression, alienation, stress and suicidal ideation among students since 2023.

“We do want to celebrate that the data is trending in the right direction, and that our intentional asset-based approach to prevention is working, and there are many opportunities to continue to build student skills and find support for all of our students," Macechko said.

Other business

The board approved awarding a contract to Alpha Construction Indiana, Inc. for the Talawanda Middle School entryway project for $348,000.

Theroux told the Oxford Free Press following a meeting in April the district has always had concerns about the way the school’s entrance was designed. He said the entrance was completed in 1989, and many of the materials are original to the school’s opening.

The updates will include a new vestibule and doors, and Theroux said the district is hoping to have construction completed during the summer.

The board also approved two-year contracts for a new Kramer Elementary School principal, Ashley Tebbe, and an assistant principal for Talawanda Middle School, Mary Schulte.

The complete agenda for the June 18 meeting can be found at talawanda.org under “Board of Education.” The board will meet again at 7 p.m. on July 9 in the Talawanda High School auditorium.