Drivers with certain traffic or parking tickets in Olathe can now trade fresh notebooks and pencils for a break on their fines. The Municipal Court is running a school-supplies-for-fines program through Aug. 4, offering a credit of up to $50 on qualifying violations when people buy at least $15 in new school supplies and bring the receipt.
How the credit works
To get the discount, drivers must purchase at least $15 in brand-new school supplies, keep the receipt and take both the items and proof of purchase to the Olathe Municipal Court. The court has teamed up with the Olathe Public Schools Foundation and will apply a credit of up to $50 toward eligible traffic or parking fines during the campaign. As reported by KCTV, donations should be dropped off during regular court hours, and the court’s address and schedule are listed on the city’s City of Olathe site.
Where the donations go
The Olathe Public Schools Foundation runs a summer backpack and school-supplies program that typically fills roughly 2,500 backpacks to equip students for the school year. On its website, the foundation lists community drop-off locations, wish lists and options for both monetary and in-kind gifts, so donors can target specific items or even deliver already filled backpacks.
What officials say
Judge Katie McElhinney told KSHB the effort is designed to ease financial pressure on families while helping kids walk into class prepared. “Everyone’s feeling the pinch of inflation,” she said, adding that the program helps close supply gaps for students who might otherwise start the school year without the basics.
Not the only city doing it
Olathe is not alone in trying the school-supplies-for-fines approach this summer. The City of Lawrence, for example, is running a similar campaign that accepts $15 in school supplies for up to a $50 credit on certain fines. Municipal courts around the region are increasingly leaning on these drives as a way to lower barriers for families while stocking local school supply programs, according to Lawrence.
More information
Donors who want to double-check which violations qualify, when they can drop off supplies or how the credits are applied can find details on the City of Olathe Municipal Court page or the Olathe Public Schools Foundation school-supplies page. Both the court and the foundation post guidance online about accepted items, drop-off locations and schedules.
