BERKELEY — The CEO of the Walt Disney Company has apologized to a Berkeley elementary school that was fined for showing “The Lion King” film during a fundraiser, pledging to donate to the school himself.

“I will personally donate to their fundraising initiative,” Robert Iger, chairman and CEO of Disney, tweeted Thursday morning.

Back on Nov. 15, Emerson Elementary School hosted a fundraiser in which “The Lion King” was screened for kids while adults enjoyed a “parents’ night out,” a story first reported by Berkeleyside and then picked up by CNN and other national news agencies.

But about two months later, the school was informed via email that it owed a $250 fine for screening the movie without a license.

Although Emerson’s PTA said it would cover the expense of showing “The Lion King,” parents and administrators felt frustrated, CNN reported — especially considering the event netted the group just $800 in the first place.

“We are really grateful,” David Rose, president of Emerson’s PTA, told this news organization Thursday about Iger’s donation offer. “When a mistake has been made or something wrong has happened, I think it shows responsibility to take ownership.”

It remains unclear how Movie Licensing USA, which provides licensing rights for Walt Disney Pictures to K-12 schools and public libraries, learned about the screening at the Forest Avenue campus.

Rose said he suspects it may have been the result of the PTA using the website Eventbrite to ask people to RSVP, which helped publicize the fundraiser and so possibly alerted the licensing company. The suggested entrance cost was $15.

Organizers also apparently did not know of the licensing fee requirement, Rose said.

“We are unaware of anything like this ever happening before,” said Trish McDermott, a spokeswoman for the Berkeley Unified School District. “But the school and the district has received a lot of support.”

On Jan. 31, Berkeley City Councilwoman Lori Droste, an Emerson parent, described the request for payment as “unbelievable” on Twitter, especially considering public schools struggle for funding.

After local news website Berkeleyside published an article on the fine, national media outlets picked up the story and it went viral on social media. Some commentators slammed Disney for seeking money from a volunteer parent group, while others noted the company was within the law and so should be compensated for the use of its property.

“The broader issue that people should take away from this is that there is not enough money given to education or to provide enrichment and other programs in schools,” Rose said. “And that’s why PTAs must step in.”

People from around the country have pledged to make donations to Emerson or the Berkeley school district, including agents representing entertainers and at least one Disney employee who asked to remain anonymous, McDermott said. Almost all offered donations of $250 — the fine’s amount.

“Even when I informed people that we had received donations to cover the cost, they still wanted to donate,” McDermott said.

Teachers and administrators at Emerson were not available for comment and directed questions to the district office.

Copyrighted materials like movies can only be used for a public performance if they’re properly licensed, according to the Federal Copyright Act.

“A public performance is an exhibition of a movie that is shown outside of someone’s home,” Movie Licensing USA says on its website. “Fees collected for public performance site licensing compensate the copyright owners and the men and women who work on a film from start to finish.”

Screenings in classrooms for educational purposes, however, typically do not require a license fee, according to the company.