[21twelve]

My wife just got done telling me about a teacher trying to get the PTA to give $20 to a few of the kids in class that our poor so they could go on a district-mandated field trip. The PTA was saying how it wouldn’t be fair to give these poor kids the money without giving it to the other kids as well. But then it would cost too much, so nobody was going to get any money. (My wife and the teachers persisted and got the money for the poor kids. The ones on food stamps, free lunch program, etc.) I know when I donate to the PTSA it is understood that it is too help out with books, fun things, and “scholarships” (like the $20) for the kids that can’t afford it. I’d be pretty angry if my kids got the $20 too.

[mnehring]

My wife works in a very, very poor school and we don’t even try with the PTA, her and I fund these kids for trips on our own..

[Dianna]

It would be a violation of education law to leave poor kids out of a mandated educational activity. I'm glad the PTA coughed up the cash, but point of fact is that someone was going to have to pay the small amount to avoid a lawsuit.

We had a similar circustance with a teacher who wanted to do a several hundred dollar field trip. The kids who couldn't pay would be given an alternate activity. That teacher was told that if the alternate activity was good enough for the poor kids, it was good enough for everyone, trip cancelled.

[castlebrew]

So what was the problem with the kids working to earn the money needed for the field trip?