WWYD? School Field Trip

[StephMK]

I would just ask if you needed to pay if he didn't go. If it was pre-paid, that might be why she's asking. Or she may have just made a list of people who hadn't paid and didn't think about the fact he wasn't there.

 

[Tinijocaro]

He didn't go and the trip wasn't paid for from you... Common sense says you owe nothing. I'd call the Principal and talk to him/her and explain that 1. the online system is crap and 2. your child was out with medical issues and wasn't going to be attending the trip anyway so 3. why are you being reached out to, to collect upon a "debt" that you don't owe.

Being a former teacher, I will go to bat for the teacher somewhat and hypothesize that perhaps the trip was paid for out of her department/classroom budget and the kids making their payments is reimbursing her classroom account, so if she's coming up short of breaking even, she's reaching out to those that there is no record of payment. This is just one possibility but there's only one way to find out, just call the school and talk to a member of the administration.

Why jump over the teacher's head and go right to the principal? Speak to the teacher first.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I would just give the teacher a call or talk to her in person after school. She doesn't say in the email that you owe the money. It's quite possible that she wants proof that you paid so she can refund your money.

 

[mousehockey37]

Why jump over the teacher's head and go right to the principal? Speak to the teacher first.

Why not?

 

[Coonhound]

Don't pay. Your child did not go. Decisions involving your children and their activities and their health are up to you as parent. The school should take your word as parent in charge of the child.

 

[wenrob]

Don't pay. Your child did not go. Decisions involving your children and their activities and their health are up to you as parent. The school should take your word as parent in charge of the child.

You are way over dramatizing the situation. This has nothing to do with decisions made for a child. One of two things are most likely happening: the OP signed up and forgot to pay then her child didn't make it but since the ticket had been paid for and reserved for her child she technically owes the money or the tickets weren't prepaid but the teacher sees the student was signed up to go, didn't pay and she doesn't realize he didn't go on the trip. A simple phone call would clear things up.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Well, the email says there could be an error. Simply respond that he didn't attend and you had not paid. No big deal.

I am wondering how they could send an email like that, because I'd want the teacher to pay personal attention to whether or not my child was present and attended the event. Given that you have clear evidence that your child did not attend, I'd agree with the above poster's response.

 

[roseaster]

I think it would depend.

If you indicated that he would be attending, but then didn't pay, I would say that you should just pay the money. If that was the case then they probably bought the ticket or payed your son's fare in advance.

If you never gave any indication that he would attend, then I would say that you don't owe them.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

Why jump over the teacher's head and go right to the principal? Speak to the teacher first.

Some folks love the drama. They are the same folks that go to HR for every little boo-hoo.

 

[diznygirl]

Why not?

Because the principal is going to ask, "what did the teacher say?"

 

[Allison]

Why not?

Because there is no reason to do that.

 

[Allison]

Don't pay. Your child did not go. Decisions involving your children and their activities and their health are up to you as parent. The school should take your word as parent in charge of the child.

Nobody made any decisions for the op and their child other than the op. I'm not sure what you are referencing.

 

[Keli]

If you said yes, your son was going and they are out $15 then yes, in all honesty you do owe the money and should pay. If you said yes but they are out no money and are trying to collect for any other reason then no you don't owe the money. If you said nothing, did not indicate either way if your son would go and then he didn't go then you do not owe the money. This is my opinion only, of course.

 

[Gracie09]

Yes pay the money. You signed your kid up. No one forced you to sign the permission slip. Things change and he didn't go but they still planned on him being there and purchased a ticket in anticipation of that. It's not like schools make money off of field trips and if enough parents don't pay after they commit to it they will stop them altogether.

 

[Gracie09]

Don't pay. Your child did not go. Decisions involving your children and their activities and their health are up to you as parent. The school should take your word as parent in charge of the child.

Right you may want to reread the op, they are not saying she should have sent her son, they are saying she committed to the trip and they dont have her payment. Since she committed by signing the permission slip, which no one forced her to, she obligated herself to pay for the trip.

 

[brockash]

I just got a email a few minutes ago from DS10's teacher:

We are checking on the field trip payments and you listed that you paid online. However, A is not on the list of who paid online. This could be an error, but I would need to see the receipt. It was for $15

So, they just instituted a new online pay store this year for his and DD's middle schools. I went to go pay the first day I got the permission slip and nothing was showing up, so I couldn't. Then DD brought home a field trip thing which I tried to pay and again couldn't - come to find out that particular trip wasn't "payable" online and we needed to send money in. That was about 2 1/2-3 weeks ago.

Add in a weeklong business trip last week leaving DH alone with the kids for the week, a high schooler with multiple issues going on, one of which requires PT a few times a week, DS10 having problems throwing up every day and needing to go to the ER while I was gone, DD needing money for an after school club, and the list goes on and on and on just like it does for every single one of us, and I totally forgot there even WAS a field trip.

FFW to today. I get this email, so I start to research when the trip is because DS10 will be out for 2 days next week for a scope and biopsy procedure at the hospital and might not even be there the day of the trip.

Come to find out, the trip was YESTERDAY - he was absent because he was in the hospital getting an Upper GI series done! He didn't even go on the trip. And I never paid for it.

I get the fact that tickets may have been paid for in advance, etc, etc, but I never paid for the trip in the first place, so why would they have not questioned this before today, AND he obviously didn't attend the trip with his class yesterday, so why would she be emailing me TODAY about the money if it isn't because she is trying to collect it!

WWYD? Respond and pay, or say that he didn't go, why would I have to pay? And I'm not looking for "well, it's ONLY $15...." responses. I know how much it is! I am irritated at the principle of it!

Honestly, I probably wouldn't even respond at this point. If they contacted me again about it, I would simply say, "A didn't go on the field trip." I've never heard of parents having to pay for trips if their student doesn't attend etc. It's also really weird and disorganized that they're asking you about it after the fact.

ETA: I guess I originally missed the part about you signing the permission slip saying your son would go and saying that you had paid online. That does make a difference and while it stinks your ds didn't get to go on the trip, and def. disorganized that the school didn't contact you until after the fact, I'd still pay, as I stated beforehand that he would go and stated that I had already paid. - Had the online system been working, you would have already paid etc.

 

[Nancyg56]

So, you signed you ds up for the field trip, meant to send in a check, didn't write it on the calendar, forgot about the check, he missed the field trip, and now you want the school to eat the price of his ticket? At our schools, teachers and PTO's aren't going to hound parents about payment, so not to piss them off. After the event, they then have to gently remind parents of the payment that is due (my good friend was in charge of a camping trip and skating party, it took several weeks after the event to collect most of the money). And yes, kids that signed up, but didn't attend for whatever reason were still expected to pay, since the money was fronted for them.

I agree, if the OP signed the child up then she is obligated to pay. I bet teh email was a gentle reminder that the money was owed.

Why not?

Because this is the best way to become "that parent", and that seldom ends well.

Don't pay. Your child did not go. Decisions involving your children and their activities and their health are up to you as parent. The school should take your word as parent in charge of the child.

What decision? The decision to sign a permission slip and commit that the child was going on the trip? The decision to indicate that the school should buy a ticket for her child? Yeah, I think the school should take the parents word that the child would be reserving a spot and that the parent was committing to pay for that spot. Unless we want to open the door that no child is reserved until payment so sent and the check clears. No room for overwhelmed parents to forget to send money, for kids to forget to turn the money in, and no trust in either the parents or the children that they signature is good.

 

[gwynne]

Honestly, I probably wouldn't even respond at this point. If they contacted me again about it, I would simply say, "A didn't go on the field trip." I've never heard of parents having to pay for trips if their student doesn't attend etc. It's also really weird and disorganized that they're asking you about it after the fact.

Well, it's not just a simple situation where the kid didn't attend.
I'm not rehashing post #1, but there's more to it.
Me? I'd pay it. I wouldn't want the teacher to be left to pay the money. It's pretty early in the year. There's not a lot of ta-do I'd want to make about $15.00.

 

[Nancyg56]

Honestly, I probably wouldn't even respond at this point. If they contacted me again about it, I would simply say, "A didn't go on the field trip." I've never heard of parents having to pay for trips if their student doesn't attend etc. It's also really weird and disorganized that they're asking you about it after the fact.

Really? Who pays? Most field trips are paid in advance, with the number of seats reserved by whatever venue they are visiting.

I'd love to be sitting in that BOE meeting when funds are now asked to be set aside to pay for all these "Maybe" kids.

I bet the email was a reminder that the parent did not pay the money and was phrased in that manner to avoid embarrassment.

 

[sk!mom]

Don't make it a big deal.

I would respond to the email with, "'A' was unable to attend due to illness" and let it go with that. If the teacher responds and lets you know that they had prepaid the fee, then yes, I think that you should pay the $15.

I also think that some are reading too much into whether or not the teacher knew he didn't attend. I see two possibilities, either they prepaid and this is a nice reminder that you said you paid online and did not or she was sending an email to everyone who signed up and hasn't paid and just didn't think, "Oh yeah, 'A' was out that day."