Saguenay mom's class action suit over public school fees settled out of court
Quebec parents could receive $27 to $28 per student for every year suit covers, according to Radio-Canada
A class action lawsuit filed against 68 of Quebec's 72 school boards has been settled out of court, with eligible parents set to receive up to $150 per child, Radio-Canada has learned.
Daisye Marcil, a Saguenay mother of two children, launched the lawsuit in 2016, contending parents who send their children to public schools shouldn't have to pay extra fees for things like photocopying, field trips, and supplies such as calculators and tennis balls.
Sources have told Radio-Canada that the settlement will amount to between $27 and $28 per student, per year for the period covered in the lawsuit.
Marcil launched the suit on behalf of parents of 900,000 Quebec students, arguing that public instruction is intended to be free of charge.
A judge in Chicoutimi authorized the class action in December 2016, and the lawsuit survived an attempt have it dismissed in April 2017.
Some of the fees contested in the suit date back to the 2008-2009 school year, while others are more recent. The 68 boards named include all nine English-language boards in the province.
The settlement agreement still has to be approved by the boards involved. No one from either side was available for an interview.
With files from Radio-Canada's Denis Lapierre