photo by: Journal-World File

Lawrence Municipal Court's “School Supplies for Fines” program allows participants to bring in $15 worth of approved school supplies to get a $50 credit toward traffic or parking tickets.

If you have traffic fines that need paying in Lawrence Municipal Court, you can get credit toward them by donating school supplies for local students over the next few weeks.

Municipal Court is currently holding its annual School Supplies for Fines drive, in which people who bring $15 worth of new school supplies to the court can get up to $50 of credit toward a fine for a traffic or parking infraction. The drive began in mid-July and runs through Aug. 21.

A news release from the city said the credit is only once per person and only applies to existing court fines, not to potential future fines. It also cannot be used for downtown parking meter citations issued after Jan. 1, 2025.

School Supplies for Fines is now in its fourth year. Last year, the Lawrence Schools Foundation received over $750 worth of school supplies through the program, as the Journal-World reported.

The school supplies must come from the following approved list, and participants must present the receipts:

• Washable markers (eight-pack)

• Kleenex

• Clorox wipes

• Crayola crayons (24-pack)

• #2 pencils

• Pens

• Highlighters

• Dry-erase markers

• Scissors

• Rulers

• Calculators

• Composition notebooks

• Unscented shaving cream foam

• Cotton balls

• Play-Doh

• Gallon- and quart-size Ziploc bags

• Erasers

• Fragrance-free baby wipes

• Glue sticks

• 3×5 index cards

• Pencil boxes

• Wide- or college-ruled spiral notebooks

• Lined notebook paper

• Earbuds or headphones

• Backpacks

• Pencil bags (three-hole-punched)

• Refillable water bottles

• Eight-tab dividers with pockets

• Three-ring binders (preferably zippered)

• Folders (three-hole-punched)

• Protractors

• Non-electric pencil sharpeners

• White, unwaxed paper plates

• Colored pencils

If you have questions about the School Supplies for Fines program, you can call Municipal Court at 785-832-6190.