Elementary school WTF

[SocialistLez]

I just got off the phone with my step mother and she told me my little half-sis had a school carnival yesterday.
She was pretty upset and disturbed over how the school went about the carnival.

The carnival was held during school hours and it cost $10-15. $10 to attend and $15 for hot dogs and cheese dip.

The students who didn't have money had to sit in the classrooms while the paying students attended the carnival.

I can't imagine how those other students felt. We all know many kids can be cruel. I am sure some of them were taunted because they couldn't attend the carnival.

In these rough times, asking parents to pay $10-15 so their kid can attend a school carnival is pretty fuc*ed up in my book.

What say you?

[donco6]

1. We might ask kids to pay for a field trip.

But for an event during a school day, field trip or not, we use student activity money to pay for kids who can't afford it.

[Doremus]

2. This was a private school I take it?

[SocialistLez]

4. Nope. Public school. NT

[JBoy]

3. That's totally wrong.

Whether the non-attending were taunted or not, I'm sure they felt like shit.

Principal needs his/her head examined.

[abelenkpe]

5. Wow.

So kids who didn't pony up money were punished with banishment from festivities? Nice. I'm gonna vote for seriously f-ed up.

And really? They have to pay for the field trips now? That is also completely lame.

[seabeyond]

6. there have been too many events i have refused children to participate in

because it cost money and other kids did not get to be a part of it. i told the kids, they would sit with the kids that couldnt afford. that it was horribly cruel to allow people that could afford adn deprived people that couldnt. so they wouldnt do it along with the other kids. kids could understand, but they werent happy.

we had an issue a couple years ago at the school with first my son discussing it with a couple teachers and principal and then me being a part of the discussion

[KansDem]

7. Sounds like they're being prepared for the "real world"

Rich vs. the rest of the country.

[DailyGrind51]

8. I totally agree! Is this an upscale district?

[RayOfHope]

9. This is horrible. Our school won't even let us take field trips that cost money, let alone

have a high priced carnival.

[Beaverhausen]

10. I say I'm not sure I believe your step-mother

I can't imagine a public school doing this.

[SocialistLez]

12. If I had the letter to scan + upload, I'd gladly do it.

Trust me, it's a public school.

They don't have the money to pay for a private school.

[seabeyond]

13. we have had the same with a walk for life charity/party. yearbook book party

where you had to buy a yearbook at least $20. but seems like it was more, or didnt get to go to a party.... during school hours

[sufrommich]

38. I can't either. nt

[SheilaT]

11. Wow. I'm horrified that no parents

objected to that cost before the carnival was held.

Besides, which, why would a carnival, optional, costs money, be held during school hours? They should talk to the school superintendent. And maybe the local media.

[The Wielding Truth]

14. Was it for charity? Did she have a prior notice? It seems very pricey.

[SocialistLez]

15. Not for charity and they sent a note home ahead of the carnival. NT

[The Wielding Truth]

39. Call the school.I think that there is a misunderstanding.

[TK421]

16. They didn't miss much...there's nothing but a bunch of side-show freaks there anyways n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

20. That is not the point...

the ones who couldn't afford to go were isolated and ignored- just like the rest of our country handles the poor. Just ignore them, they don't exist and aren't important. It is sickening. Do you have any idea what it is like when you are treated different from the rest because your family is poor? Do you know how embarrassing it is when the only attention you ever receive is people looking down their nose at you? I have to stop now, or I am gonna start cussing.

[TK421]

24. I know what that is like...all too well, actually

don't start cussing now...that won't be necessary here

I agree with your sentiment, just that carnivals are just that...carnivals

Didn't you ever see the movie The Funhouse? would you want your kids going to a carnival like that?

I'll add an IMDB link here so you can see what I'm talking about

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082427/

[mstinamotorcity]

17. Okay everybody this is nothing new

This has been systematically going on for years. I know because i work in our school system. Field trips,special events,and yes even sports are now being required to pay before you play. And this school district is not the only one I have read that similar issues are popping up in school districts around the country.The school districts will tell everyone it is because of budget cuts. But if its anything like our school board, then there is always a misappropriation of funds somewhere. And yes I have paid for trips for students who parents could not afford it.

[SocialistLez]

19. It's new for me. During my K-12 years

I never had any experience like this.

Maybe I was unaware but for field trips, carnivals, etc. EVERYONE could attend unless you had gotten in trouble too much.

[mstinamotorcity]

33. This was not the norm

when I was growing up either. But for about the last ten years this has been an increasing trend.

[SocialistLez]

40. I graduated high school in '08. I can however believe

in some areas this is the norm.

:-(

[awoke_in_2003]

21. "this is nothing new"

That is the problem. Paying for sports I can kind of understand, but the rest? Nope.

[mstinamotorcity]

34. Understanding is really the key

Whenever repugs say they want small Government,repugs start cutting funding. Where do they cut the funding? They cut the funding from mostly public entities. Who gets affected? Those who rely on public funding to get what they need. Such as an education. They cut the money from public school funding every time. So states get less to work with. And what do we get from this brilliant idea? A guaranteed low wage work force. When children can't express themselves through sports,music,art,and academics, we as a society lose.Couple that with educational administrators stealing a few dollars here and there or making bad management decisions cost our children every time.

[Liberal_in_LA]

18. It was done in an insensitive manner... all kids should have been allowed to attend

[HowHasItComeToThis]

22. ARKANSAS:??????

[SocialistLez]

25. TN actually. NT

[MadHound]

23. Question for you,

Has your school district's tax revenue dropped? What about your state's education budget? Most likely that is why these fees are being tacked on.

The fact of the matter is that schools' budgets simply haven't kept up with their needs for years and decades now. Things that used to be paid for by the district, clubs, athletics, activities, etc. are now having to be paid for by the students and their families.

So what is the answer? You could drop these sorts of activities altogether, thus depriving all kids of a fun day. Or better yet, your fellow citizens could bite the bullet and start voting for those school bonds and taxes that are a perpetual fixture on your local budget. Even better, get active in state politics in order to get more education funding.

The fact of the matter is that you get the education you pay for. For far too many years this country has tried to do public education on the cheap, and now we're paying the price. If you want good education, quality teachers, modern facilities, and all those little extras like carnivals and extra-curricular activities, then you've got to be willing to pay for it. The trouble is, in reality most people in our country do not value education and thus continue refusing to fund it. And the ones who pay for this neglect are all of us, students, and the public at large.

[tinymontgomery]

26. Very high priced is my thought.

If it was only two or three dollars, others can kick in, even the teacher might pay for one or two. I have parents that will help pay for other students to attend some of my expensive trips (I make them pay for their food) which can be as high as 150 dollars. But $10 to $15 for a elementary school is out of this world.

[Fire1]

27. I'm retiring at the end of the school year but I will truly miss

the students. I always paid for those kids who didn't have the money out of my own pocket. But fortunately, we never had events and activities that pricey. Indeed, that is over the top for today's economy. It's odd no teachers complained.

[madfloridian]

28. They are defunding public schools for vouchers and charter schools...

and other means of privatization.

Thus the public schools must try to earn money some other way.

The alternative would be NOT to take money from the schools.

[femrap]

29. This is another of those moments for me.....

Please pinch me so I can awake from this nightmare.

So what did they do to those kids who just paid $10...stamp their hand so they couldn't eat crappy hot dogs and processed cheez turds?

I don't even see why they had the damn carnival...just cruel.

[Incitatus]

30. That's a lot of money for a carnival and hot dogs. where is that money going?

That is BS to single out those kids like that.

[JuniperLea]

31. My kid would have stayed home that day...

What a horrible thing to do to kids that couldn't afford this ridiculousness! Someone should lose their job... disgusting.

[proteus_lives]

32. Schools do stuff like this even good economic times.

It's always been this way. For new team uniforms, field trips, book fairs.

"I am sure some of them were taunted because they couldn't attend the carnival."

Does that mean some were taunted because they attended the carnival?

[revolution breeze]

35. This is totally unacceptable

Especially in light of today's economy. We need to draw attention to this. If you provide me with the name of the school (if you do not feel comfortable, the name of the district will be fine), I will contact the local media and write to the superintendent and principal. This cannot happen again!

[mainstreetonce]

36. This would not have happened

In the community I worked in this could never have happened. Why? The parents would sue the pants off the school system. Any child who couldn't afford a field trip or any activity had to be given the opportunity to go anyway.
This was during the school day? Were the children who didn't participate given their day of instruction? Were all the teachers at the carnival?
This can only happen in places where the school board is not afraid of parental involvement.
There are many legal means that could be invoked if the parents were willing to meet as a group and put an end to this kind of treatment.

[4_TN_TITANS]

37. Down here in the land of "no new taxes"

parents don't seem to realize that they still get hit with the taxes in the form of fund raisers, fees, etc.

Was it fair to the kids who couldn't go? Of course not. Is the school like every other school I know and starved to death for adequate funding? Almost guarenteed!

I'm sorry, but schools are being forced to put "fairness" toward the back of the bus in order to survive. Don't think for a moment the teachers there didn't notice the injustice, but sympathy doesn't pay the bills.

The parents who could afford it just forked out some more tax money in the guise of a carnival.

edit to add: Remember this is TN, where people have been brainwashed into paying only a regressive sales tax and no income (read: new) tax. We all know how well sales tax revenue has gone for the last two years. The public schools here are being crushed. At least Arne picked our desparate state for his RTTT / Charter program! :sarcasm: