"Kindergarten students entering Callahan School should bring the following supplies the first day of school. We will be using these supplies throughout the school year and may ask for additional supplies as the year goes on."
Classroom Supplies Needed:
- 2 Rolls of paper towels
- 2 Containers of Clorox (or similar brand) wipes to clean tables with
- 2 Containers of Wet Ones (or similar brand) to wipe children’s hands
- 2 Bottles of Anti-Bacterial Lotion
- 2 Boxes of Kleenex Tissues
- Ziploc (or similar brand) bags in the sizes of snack bags, sandwich bags, and quart size. (These are used throughout the year for different activities)
- 4 Small Glue sticks
- 4 Black or Blue Dry Erase Markers
Supplies for your child to use in class:
- 2 Plastic 2 Pocket Folder or heavy weight one that will be brought back and forth from/to school with papers in it.
- 1 Plastic Pencil Box that will be kept at school for crayons and pencil
- 1 Backpack to bring things to school
- 1 Lunch bag or you can use paper bags
This is just one example of the many supplies lists mentioned. Looks like the children will need UHAUL trucks on the first day just to bring all the needed supplies!
Once again, I urge LPS to read MGL Ch. 71 Section 48 which states in part, "The principal at each school, subject to the direction of the superintendent, shall, at the expense of the school district, purchase textbooks and other school supplies, and consistent with the district policy, shall loan them to the pupils attending such school free of charge."
I am copying these lists, particularly the classroom lists, and sending them to Dr. Latham. She is the person responsible for providing classroom supplies, not parents! It is shameful that teachers have to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of their own money for classroom supplies, and are forced to ask parents for help in providing them, when they should be provided by the district out of the $119 MILLION DOLLAR budget
Are there any schools in the state that provide all the school supplies to the students? Seems like every other student in every other city is in the same boat, everyone is buying their own school supplies. Or am I wrong?
ReplyDeleteMy guess is most parents buy school supplies for their kids every year and throughout the school year. I know I always have. However, according to the law, public schools should be providing any and all required supplies free of charge to the students. Now, in addition to the list of required school supplies, teachers are giving parents a list of classroom supplies. Classroom supplies most certainly should be provided by the district, especially a large school district such as Lynn with a $119 million budget. I know some teachers sometimes have wish lists of classroom supplies that they post and parents voluntarily donate these supplies. However, this particular list does not appear as if it is voluntary. It specifically states, students should bring these items on the first day of school. There are many parents who cannot even afford the essentials, such as food and clothing, and are struggling just to get by day to day. How are they expected to provide these extra supplies for their children's classrooms? And why should they have to provide them and not the school district?
ReplyDeleteThese are the particular items I have a problem with"
Delete- 2 Rolls of paper towels
- 2 Containers of Clorox (or similar brand) wipes to clean tables with
- 2 Containers of Wet Ones (or similar brand) to wipe children’s hands
- 2 Bottles of Anti-Bacterial Lotion
- 2 Boxes of Kleenex Tissues
It just seems like that's more housekeeping than education.
I have to agree. School supplies I can see parents buying, but the cleaning supplies? Come on now.
DeleteYeah, those are the kind of things you put on a WISH list. Isn't that the kind of things PTO'S have fundraisers for. That's the kind of request HOMELESS SHELTERS put in Christmas baskets. Since 90% of our kids are on FREE or REDUCED LUNCH, this is like a POOR TAX.
Delete"Any and all required supplies free of charge to the students" Lori? Nope...
DeleteMGL Ch. 71 Section 48: "The principal at each school, subject to the direction of the superintendent, shall, at the expense of the school district, purchase textbooks and other school supplies, and consistent with the district policy, shall loan them to the pupils attending such school free of charge."
Pretty sure you added the "any and all" part.
I urge you to read the above post again, because nowhere did I write or add the words "any and all"
DeleteOoops...posted before I finished....I did not write or add the words "any and all" when I quoted the specific law. I used those words because I was told by the DESE that public schools should be providing any and all REQUIRED school supplies. Meaning if a teacher tells the students or gives them a list for their parents that certain supplies are REQUIRED, then the school district should be providing those supplies, not the student or their parents. Not sure what your point was, but I hope this clarifies things for you.
DeleteMost of the time teachers have to pay for these out of their own pocket, and often do. Seems to be the trend of schools not covering the costs....
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is in Swampscott schools and we paid 50.00 for a kit, since I hate to shop for all these supplies and the PTA and some other group offered it up as a fund raiser via a third party... The teacher took all the supplies and dropped them into the community pot, and my child does not have her 50.00 kit!. I am livid! My daughter tells me some kids didn't bring in supplies and here I am funding for those who are too lazy or responsible to buy them! Complete BS for any school to expect any student to pay for cleaning supplies. Pencils and notebooks sure, binders that has always been the responsibility of the parent...but cleaning supplies, paper towels.... Don't they have the free backpack programs for the poor kids? If they need that I agree have a PTA fund raiser...
and Stan a good percent, not all of the people on these free or reduced lunch programs can easily afford smokes and lottery tickets..so a few binders won't kill them....again it goes back to taking personal responsibility
As a parent of a Callahan School student, I was asked to provide these as well a few years ago. While I did not have a problem at the time supplying these items, I quickly learned over the course of the school year that many of the parents at that school could have cared less about supplying to help with the classroom. These are the same parents who cannot be bothered with helping the PTO, or fundraising, or chaperoning field trips, etc. The reason the teachers needs these items is because the parents of these kids don't teach their own children basic hygiene and they are needed to help prevent the spread of germs. It is a shame that the children of these people suffer with sub-standard classrooms while their parents are driving Cadillacs and Mercades and don't have a job! I already pay my fair share to support these kids through welfare, food stamps, and free lunches; meanwhile the parents just keep taking advantage of the system in any way possible...and I'm sure it's worse in other schools. These teachers are good people and want the children they teach to learn morals, responsibilities, and respect as well as get a good education and I am happy to have them. But for the city to have them have to ask the kids to provide basic cleaning supplies is ridiculous- especially considering the fact they know the majority of these parents will never do anything extra to help the kids. Unfortunately too many of them are already so entitled to their free rides that sadly the kids will learn to be the same way. That leaves the burden up to the small group of Parents who DO care, and are willing to take the time out of their busy lives to help out.
ReplyDeleteAnon. 108 - I am not sure I follow you but I think we are kind of in agreement. We agree that cleaning supplies are not the kids' responsibility. That is the POOR TAX, I am referring yo. You are right that choices have to be made and that through sacrifice we learn value. It does become a slippery slope because children our often victims of the parent's improprieties, consequently they don't learn about responsibility. Unfortunately the cycle continues. We need to be teaching character as well as computation.
DeleteAnon - I feel like you are lumping a whole bunch of different groups of people in the same category here. Just because some parents don't supply cleaning supplies doesn't mean they themselves are dirty and/or drive Cadillacs, they just might not be able to afford to give supplies. The poverty rate is quite high in Lynn, it's not just a number, it's reality. And just because some parents can't volunteer for school activities doesn't mean they don't care, some parents (like myself) actually have to work full time in order to make a living so we can't make mid-day PTO meetings and volunteer for activities during the workday. Our children suffer in sub-standard classrooms because of the school administration, what does that have to do with parents? I give A LOT to my children's teachers and classes but I still believe that cleaning supplies should be part of school expenses, plain and simple.
DeleteA lot of people have to work a lot of jours to keep food on the table. Being poor is not as easy as a lot of people think. We need to do better on finding ways to involve parents at whatever level of commitment we can. If we can get people invested in our schoold, you can't put a dollar sign on pride.
DeleteI teach in a high school and would not think of being without a huge bottle of hand sanitizer on my desk...HUGE! I also supply tissues, Clorox wipes, paper towels, etc. It is not a Lynn thing...it is an occupational hazard. All teachers either buy this stuff or ask students to bring them in. Everywhere!
ReplyDeleteSince my girls have been in school I have been asked to provide many of those same items. When I asked the teachers about it, they usually said to provide what I could, when I could. It was not required to do so, but just extremely helpful to the teacher who otherwise, purchased those items herself out of her own pocket (So far all women teachers). The schools provide some of these items, but young children go through a LOT of this stuff as most parents already know. I didn't mind helping when I could afford to do what I could.
ReplyDeleteMost people don't mind. The presentation could have been put with a more posotive spin. I would argue though that ultimately it is the school system's responsibility to provide the basic cleaning stuff. not the parents or the TEACHER'S. Shen I worked at an adult group home changing diapers, I wasn't expected to bring in my own latex gloves.
Delete