I don't know about legality, but it certainly is very unusual. Bundling these things into a single fee might be convenient, but it's very strange to have it be mandatory. I can't imagine denying a child the right to go on a field trip, for example, because his family didn't contribute to teacher appreciation or buy a spirit T-shirt. I'd recommend talking to the principal about it, not the PTO. Get his thinking behind the fee and express your concern about it's being mandatory. It seems hard to believe you wouldn't be able to pay for just the field trips, for example, if you requested to do so.

Our PTO initiated a mandatory activity fee for all students a few years ago for our Texas charter school (public school). I am concerned about whether or not this is actually legal or whether it follows guidelines for PTOs. The fee is $75 for each child and includes
2 Field trips ($20),
Spirit Shirt ($10),
3 Class parties ($7),
PTO events ($23),
Teacher appreciation ($10), and
PTO membership fee ($5). I didn't think a PTO could require all parents to be members, and dislike having the teacher appreciation and t-shirt included. Some parents prefer to do their own teacher appreciation, and not everyone wants a new spirit shirt every year. I think the general idea was to have less work for the PTO and teachers with handling money. I do not feel comfortable bringing up the subject with the PTO (also why I am posting anonymously)--could someone with more experience give me some insight to whether this is proper and legal?