Monday, May 18, 2009

Greenville Elementary kids to miss field day due to delinquent fees

The Greenville Board of Education months ago adopted a policy providing that junior high and high school kids could not participate in outside school activities if the parents were delinquent in school fees. This policy has now been administratively expanded to include elementary kids - and the school district has announced via robocall that elementary kids who are behind in fees will not be allowed to participate in field day - which is an activity during the regular school day.

So little elementary kids are going to get held out of the best fun of the year because of their parents' inability to pay school fees. Now some parents are probably neglectful with their finances, but certainly there are a lot of parents (especially in this economy) who just can't pay. But regardless, it isn't the kids' fault, and yet they are bearing the punishment ... and in fact the humiliation of being singled out from the crowd. While it is commendable for the district to collect fees - even aggressively - it is misguided to levy the punishment against the kids. Didn't we just hear a loud chorus that it's all about the kids?

Coincidentally, this same policy is being applied to the high school seniors as a bar to receiving a diploma. Currently, there are 27 seniors whose parents are behind in fees.

For illustration, the annual fee for first graders is about $35. For fifth graders it's $43.50. Some parents are hundreds of dollars - and years - behind in payments.

8 comments:

  1. Yea it is a shame to punish the kids for the actions of the parents. Especially when they are so young. Its embarrassing to the kids and it also scares them to think that their parents have money problems. Any communication about financial issues need to be mailed instead of sent home with children. Some parents may need a payment schedule when there is more than one child.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Terri is right. This is shameful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The superintendent made the decision to do this after months of us hearing it's all about the kids. So, the kids who have a struggle at home get to have it brought to school as well. Brilliant!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Public education isn't really free, is it? The school gets a certain amount of money per student (just under $6,000 I believe), yet they do not stay in this budget and it is accepted that a fee will be charged each student. Also, the call I got said that over $5,000 was outstanding at Woodland Heights school. If one parent pulls their child out of the district because of this, then more is lost than is even owed.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Welcome to America and the real world. What we don't have here is a win, win, and where do we draw the line. I would agree that children should not be punished, none of this is their fault. I have often said that raising some parents in today's society can be a challenge. Have the parents been billed, are they aware of the consequences, at what point are they to be held accountable for this situation, rather than blaming the school system? What incentive is there for those paying, to keep paying if there is no consequences for not paying? We have become a society of no accountability. It is one thing to help those who are victims of unforseen circumstances, it is another to pay for those who are making bad decsions or mismanage their lives. Now I don't know what all of the people involved cirucmstances might be, but am sure if they are talking to the school or working with the school, suitable arrangments could be made. Many Americans today always think it is someone else's problem. Many want to make their own decisions, but not be responsible if it does not work out. What is truly fair, what is not? Think about that. We can't be all things to all people anymore, there just isn't enough to go around. I don't have the solution, but quit biting the hand that feeds you. Our school system is still giving the community a good bang for their buck. I doubt we are the only system around with these challenges.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jarrod from Barnegat, NJ: send an email to conact@darkejournal.com and I will answer your question.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I find it interesting that this blog is being used to further personal agendas against others! We know who the author of this blog is and who is assisting you! Why don't you start focusing on the positive things going on in this community instead of all the negative! You just hide behind this blog and don't ever say anything publicly with your name on it! What a joke! You are a joke! What really makes me laugh is you won't even print this because you have to edit everything! Can't take the heat! If you win, it will be because the informed people who are trying to make a difference decide to walk away and leave Greenville to you! Let's see what you can do to make it better!!!!! Stand up work publicly and quit hiding behind your blog!!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think it's amazing that you would anonymously make such criticisms of me.

    My vision for this website is to have a place where the community can exchange information without having that information tainted by who the author is - or any bias in which stories are reported, or more importantly, not reported. While I don't believe I am the perfect "filter" for daily information, I believe I can do a way better job than the others who are trying.

    I am not going to divulge my name on this website, but my identity is hardly a secret (as you have referenced). I would note that other publications don't take a photograph of a duck without somebody taking credit for it. That won't happen here. No credit. No self-laudatory by-lines. Just information.

    Later, as the website grows, it is my hope that the community will submit most, if not all, of the information here. I would like to be the "organizer" as opposed to the writer. And when that times comes, the comunity can consume all the information for what it is - and not who wrote it (unless of course the author requests it - but that will never be me).

    Finally, I am amazed at your criticism of this website being negative. I believe I am the only one to have ever taken note of the California press secretary and middle east ambassador who come from Darke County. Just today, I promoted a leukemia benefit. I don't know what articles you consider "negative," but if it's the field day thing, then yes - those are my opinions, shared by many others who don't have the means or ability to speak up. I believe that the exchange of opinions and information - rather than the suppression of thses things - will only improve the community. That's what I want.

    If you don't like my opinion - write your rebuttal - and provided you don't slander anybody, I will print it. Even if I don't agree with it, I will respect your opinion.

    ReplyDelete

Featured Posts

/* Track outbound links in Google Analytics */