Caps and Gowns Too Costly For Some Graduates

msnbc.msn.com — Across the nation, school staffers privy to teen problems say more students are having a hard time footing the costs of graduation. From Florida and Texas to Indiana and California, education officials are soliciting donations, recycling old gowns and, in some cases, ponying up the money themselves. Certainly, there always have been students who need assistance with graduation expenses, officials say. Many schools have long kept special funds for just such emergencies, small coffers that can make up the price of a prom ticket, a college test fee or other costs in special circumstances. But now, with unemployment rising nationwide and family incomes stretched farther than ever, some schools say the demand for those resources is rising.

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