Some people should really watch what they say...

[Mskanga]

I was talking to someone I know this morning and I was telling her how the school transportation department had placed my two girls in two different buses and getting off in two different locations ( one is going to Kindergarten and the other one to 4th grade ) then she says that her daughter and her nephew live in the same house, have the same lastname and similar name and they did the same thing. Well , as the conversation goes on, I tell her about the problem I had last year with the school not letting people know about the cold lunch bag policy and she goes on to tell me that it's my fault for not keeping track of how much money is in the account, then when I said to her why did the school not send me a note telling me I needed more money on time she tells me that they shouldn't have to do that because it costs money to pay someone to do that and she doesn't feel like paying $20.000 more a year for someone to do that just because I don't want to keep track of my account. EXCUSE-ME??? Then I asked her where her nephew's parents lived and she says in New Jersey...then I ask her why is her nephew going to our school district as this is not allowed in our district and I have to pay for that?? They already send notices home when you owe money but on that ocassion it was admitted by the super-intendent that the notices went out late and the policy was never written on the rules and regulations book and also told me it wasn't enforced, and this woman is going to tell me that I shouldn't make the school spend any money on sending notices?? Then maybe she shouldn't send her nephew to MY school because in the end I pay for that!!! Only residents immediate relatives are supposed to use schools, that means children , not extended relatives!!! Since our school has a program currently working to catch up with all these cases because we have a serious over-crowding crisis in the schools, you bet I am reporting this to them!!

BTW, after I said that , she went out the door real quick, she knew she blew it!!

 

[glo]

I am sorry Kanga...some people really and truely do not think, and then again some do and can't see past their own noses. Last thing you need lately is something like this. Hope everything works out with the busses, and I hope the lunch thing never happens again...hugs my friend!!!

 

[Mskanga]

Thanks Glo, the bus situation will be changed tomorrow morning once I call the transportation department , I have never let my 9 yr old walk home in 4 years and I'm not about to start now, especially now , but this woman today left me dumbfounded, I couldn't believe the nerve she had . She will be sorry, trust me she will!!

 

[Pooh93]

Sounds like she opened her mouth and inserted her foot big time!!!

 

[gemmie214]

Hmmm, she doesn't want her taxes to go up but she doesn't mind stealing from thr system. She really blew that one. I am annoed with her for you

 

[Mskanga]

Yes she blew it...and I already sent the e-mail to the school superintendent, I know it will work because it's illegal for them to do that in this school district. Now tell me I you don't want to pay for a notice home for my lunch account!!

 

[SilverLily]

I feel sorry for the poor nephew. His life will be turned upside down now.

 

[danacara]

I feel bad for the nephew too. I think there must be more to this story. What parents let their young son live with relatives in another state? Troubled ones. This may have opened a giant can of worms.

 

[gepetto]

At our school, they tell the kids in the lunch line if their account is low/empty and it's their responsibility to bring in lunch money. It's up to the parents to keep their accounts current. With all the cutbacks in the schools I can see them not wanting to spend the extra time/money in order to send out notices.

 

[AF Brenda]

So even if the nephew is living in the house with her, he isn't allowed to attend the school? If he lives there, where is he supposed to go school?

 

[jipsy]

Maybe they have guardianship of the nephew for personal reasons.

 

[wvjules]

I agree that is the parent's responsibility to keep track of how much money is in a child's lunch account. The school shouldn't have to send out notices. If a parent is unsure of the amount in the account, it would be pretty simple to call the school to find out the balance.

I also feel sorry for the child. It's almost time for a new year and he might now have to transfer schools and have his life disrupted. I think you might have jumped the gun on this one and the only person being hurt is a child.

 

[Keli]

Actually this wouldn't matter in our school system. Wherever the child lives determines where he attends school. It doesn't matter if the people he lives with are his parents/guardians or whatever. What can get people in trouble here is giving a friend/relative's address as the home address of the child when the child does not live at that residence so that the child can attend a different school than the one that serves his real residence.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

It's the same way in our school Keli.

If the boy is living in his Aunt's house it wouldn't matter that his parents are in a different State. Residence is the only thing that is required, not direct relationship or Guardianship.

 

[A kid at heart]

Olga here is a solution to the lunch money thing. Why not write on your calendar each month when the lunch money is due? This way you won't forget.
As for the nephew thing, I am sure the school district will investigate and if he is found to be going to the school illegally then he should be placed out of it. if he is legitimately attending this school, then he should be allowed to stay.
When a kid is going to a school "illegally" and its keeping the kids in the school district from being able to attend this school,(cause he is taking a space that is rightfully theirs) then yes I can understand the anger at it happening, and something should be done about it.
But if the kid is legally residing with these people then he has a right to go to the school, if he is only staying there during the week to attend this school then he shouldn't be allowed.

 

[Mskanga]

Ok, let me start by saying that we have a MAJOR over-crowding problem in our school district, just to give you an example I will say we built a new high school last year, it's going to be open next week for the first time....since the beginning of the year the high school is already filled to capacity and it's not even open yet!
We have more than 10.850 students enrolled currently, have 6 elementary schools and another one being built, 1 academy , 2 intermediate schools and another one being built, and two high schools. We have a seious overcrowding problem and we can't keep building schools at an expense of anywhere between 25-50 million each.
In this particular case the child lives with grandma during the week because mommy needs to work and needs a babysitter during the week , so he stays with grandma all week and goes home on weekends, summer and holidays. In our school district it is illegal to do this , I don't feel like paying the bill for this and people like me are doing this, our school tax just went up another $350 this year because of the high school , it will go up next year again because of the new elementary and intermediate schools being built as we speak, time to crack down on cases like this!!
There are people who legitimately need to do this, I have a co-worker who has his 3 grandchildren living with him ALL YEAR ROUND since they were little, that I agree with , but just because you need babysitting or you want a better school system to send your kids with relatives??? then people should pay for it!
Kindergarten here is only half a day...why??? because we don't have enough room !!!
My point is that having in mind that there's an administrative program already set in place for notices home ( no additional expense here ) if the point is that money has to be saved , maybe the schools should start by not sending so many memos home with the kids everyday reminding us..."wear blue tomorrow for spirit day" or "your candy sale will start next week" or things like that, let's not save on sending notices home telling us we owe money for lunch, we sometimes get sidetracked with all the holidays and snow days and so on.
I do keep track of it on the calendar usually but a couple of times I have owed money and they sent a notice home along with all the other junk papers they give the kids everyday.
Yes I do feel sorry for the child but I'm sorry, his parents do not have consideration , if they need babysitting services they can pay for it just like I have to, they are not the only ones with that problem, there are many of us in that situation.

 

[Sharon A.]

Our school sends home a little reminder when your lunch money gets low. It's printed out on a cash register receipt. I can't believe it's costing them more than a few cents a year. I'm sorry, but I hope my school doesn't have to pinch pennies so tightly that they can't send home a cheap reminder a couple of times a year.

 

[dizneegirl]

So, you had a hard time because of overdue lunch money, and now you want to give someone else a hard time because they need a full-time babysitter during the week?

Gotcha. Just wanted to be clear. Tit-for-tat.

BTW - In our town, EVERYONE pays school taxes, not just those with children attending school... i.e. - I pay for the brats down the street to attend, although I have no children in school... I would guess Grandma is paying just as much in school taxes as you are. AND - a lot of places have half day Kindergarten.

 

[Mskanga]

No it's not tit for tat....it is called " this person" had the nerve to tell me she doesn't want the school district to pay for notes being sent home to tell me I owe money ( which BTW it doesn't happen too often ) but yet she has the nerve to make everyone else pay for her nephew's schooling, which BTW costs anywhere from 8-10.000 a year for one student alone.
Everyone pays taxes here too but the students must be county permanent residents, not transients.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

Our school's residency requirement have been fought over in court on several occassions.

I'm surprised that your County can get away with placing restrictions on the reasons WHY a student is living in the district. That is considered a family matter and really isn't any business of the school district.