Billed by a Public School for a Lost Textbook

My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Virginia

Public school system in a city in Virginia.

I'm researching on behalf of my parents and sister (she's in the middle of exam/job interviews). My parents received a bill from the city on behalf of the high school my sister and I attended. The bill was for a missing book for a class taken in fall/winter 2010. Sister graduated high school in June 2011. They got the bill on Monday ago, and were given 10 days to pay the bill. I doubt there's a statute of limitation on this, so I'm looking for any advice.

My mom and sister both remember paying for the book, but proof is not easy to track. She says that the missing book has been unpaid since 2010, but couldn't explain why this was not brought to our attention since my sister was in high school.

My sister didn't have her own bank account in high school, so it was paid for by my parents. They found a receipt from the school for a check turned into the school in June 2011, but that wasn't sufficient proof of payment according to the bookkeeper. The problem is, both my parents have changed banks since this time, so they would have to go to their old banks and pay to have statements/copies of old checks (if that's even possible). It's likely to cost $20ish or more for my parents to do this. It's also not easy for my parents to get out to where their old bank office is. Lots of things are uncertain about this bill because it was so long ago, which is making things even more difficult.

My main concerns: are we basically out of money either way? My parents have minimal income, my sister is still in college, and I have a strict budget as well since I live far away/school/undergrad loans/etc. I'm trying to find out as much as I can before calling the school again tomorrow, so any advice about the situation or other resources I should look at would be greatly appreciated. It would be helpful if there is a statute of limitation on this type of thing, but I doubt it.

Thanks for any advice!

This is a contractual issue. Enrolling a child in high school takes some paperwork so there might be a written agreement on file that obligates your parents to pay. If that's the case then the statute of limitations for filing a lawsuit in Virginia is 5 years (VA Code 8.01-228). In the unlikely event that there was no written agreement, then the statute of limitations is 3 years.

5 years from 2010 is 2015 so they can still be sued based on a written agreement.

However, even if the SOL has run out, it doesn't stop the school from dunning for the debt or hiring a collection agency, either of which could result in a black mark on their credit report, if it isn't there already.

As for whether your parents are going to be out any money, if they cannot prove that they paid for the book, they are likely to have to pay again if the don't want to be hassled.

Proper proof would be a receipt that names the book. Anything other than that wouldn't do them any good.

How much money is the school asking for?

The book likely has little or no value now. Google it online and you can probably replace it for a few bucks to "make them whole".

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Quoting Disagreeable

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The book likely has little or no value now. Google it online and you can probably replace it for a few bucks to "make them whole".

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Might not be an option if the book or that edition is no longer used by the school.

Also might not be an option if the "contract" with the school is to "pay" if not returned.

Lot of "ifs" there.

The book itself is $100, plus some more in late fees and administrative charges. I found out we also have the option of replacing the book, but they only have the title, not the author or year.

Contact the teacher for the class and ask them the edition. Most schools have teacher email addresses on their website.

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Quoting maroonVA

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They found a receipt from the school for a check turned into the school in June 2011, but that wasn't sufficient proof of payment according to the bookkeeper.

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Was the receipt for payment of the exact amount billed for the missing textbook? Does the receipt have any indication of what it's for? Can the bookkeeper track down what the receipt was for? They should have some sort of record.

The teacher of that class stopped teaching after 2011. I'll probably try to find out who teaches now. It's very likely they actually don't use the book anymore too, which would make things more difficult.

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Quoting Mr. Knowitall

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Was the receipt for payment of the exact amount billed for the missing textbook? Does the receipt have any indication of what it's for? Can the bookkeeper track down what the receipt was for? They should have some sort of record.

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Yes, it is the exact amount. It does not say what it was for at all, it just acknowledges that a check was written to the school for that amount. The bookkeeper says that whatever that receipt is for was marked as cleared and they cannot see it. The bookkeeper told me that they delete anything outstanding once it is paid. The only reason that they are charging for this book is because there is no record of payment, it was not deleted, and was never marked as cleared.

Sounds like an awful system for tracking payment IMO, but apparently that's how they do things.

Here's a thought. Go to your old bank and pay for a copy of the check that substantiates payment. Submit it to the school district along with a bill to them for records reproduction in the amount of whatever the bank charged you. Attach a note pointing out that you previously submitted a receipt for payment that the district refused to accept, necessitating a further records search and related charge to satisfy the school district's demands.

L-1, would they actually pay for records reproduction? It's $15 for a copy, which doesn't sound like a lot but my parents are on a limited income.

No. The idea of submitting a bill with any realistic chance of being paid is a fantasy.

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Quoting maroonVA

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L-1, would they actually pay for records reproduction? It's $15 for a copy, which doesn't sound like a lot but my parents are on a limited income.

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Mine was a tongue in cheek remark. Odds are they won't pay. The point I was trying to make is you seem to be going to $100 worth of work to avoid paying $100 you say you can't afford for a text book you claim to have returned.

In the long run it just seems easier and simpler to pay the $15 you can't afford and be done with it, than waste $100 worth of time and still risk having to pay $100 you can't afford for the book. I bet in the time you have devoted to trying to resolve this, you could have earned $30, spent $15 for the bank copies and used the other $15 to buy something nice for your parents.

Gotcha. If I was actually at home, I would go to the bank. It's not $100 worth of work to me. My parents are the ones who have to physically deal with this, I'm just doing all the calling and instructing on what they should do. Both of them are older, have medical conditions, don't have the best english, and the bank branch that handles this is in a different city, probably a ~30-45min drive depending on traffic. They normally don't drive anywhere unless they absolutely have to. Maybe that's not $100 worth of work, but it is still not as easy as it could be if I were just there. Anyway, that's why I'm trying to explore all options.

The fact the book is NOT used NOW is IMMATERIAL. That lost book had to be replaced at the time it wasn't available for the next student. They're recovering money they already EXPENDED because of the loss. It's not the case they're going to take the money and buy a copy of that book.