Is your public school free?

This is pretty standard in public schools. The kid really has to ensure that the book gets taken care of. He's in middle-school; this is a perfeclty acceptable responsibility for a middle-schooler.

Imagine if every year, the school had to replace all the textbooks. The cost would be exorbanent. Of course, not every textbook would get ruined, blah, blah, but you have to assume the worst.

I suggest a book cover made from a paper bag and he should be fine. If a real emergency comes up (the book is stolen from their car or something), she should go explain that to the Principal and explain that they can't afford to replace it. The Principal would understand that situation- they are just trying to ensure that kids don't damage the books.

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I would bet money that this is the TEACHER'S policy and not the policy of the school. Because it is against FAPE and would be cause for a law suit. FAPE is a free and public education, which is a national law. If your friend wants to persue this, I'd tell her to talk to the principal, and if she gets nowhere, then to call the superintendent's office and speak to the superintendent, mentioning that this is against FAPE. It's amazing how astoundingly bad middle school administrators are to begin with, and how they think they don't have to follow the rules. But any suggestion of knowing and understanding the laws will make the superintendent's office think twice about denying a free education, which means free textbooks, to your friend's child. Income should never become a dividing factor between the child and his ability to learn free of charge. Which is what FAPE is all about.

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I seem to remember the threat of having to pay to replace school books when I went in the late 70s and early 80s.... I don't see why anyone would expect NOT to pay if they lost a school book.

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Ginny, you took the words right out of my mouth.(or fingers, in this case) I remember having to have my parents sign the same papers all the way back to elementary school.

That said, I think the school board would be understanding if a parent really didn't have the funds. The books ARE provided at no charge one time. It would suck to have to fork over that much money, but it's a good way to teach responsibility.
Like Phc stated, the cost to purchase these text books every year would be expensive and the schools wouldn't be able to remain free at that rate. They already have money problems!

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I'm with Ginny. When I was kid in cash strapped NY in the 70's and 80's books were checked out to each student by a number then returned at the end of the year.I knew kids, including my brother who had to pay for lost books. I think it's just a CYA type of deal, the book doesn't need to be returned in tip top shape.

The bigger problems for me of how "free" public schools are 1-the ever increasing cost of registration and 2-the list of required supplies that will be taken into general classroom use, like tissues and paper towels, soaps and the like to equip the classrooms.

Generally tho, public school really isn't "free" at all. My taxes are way too high to think of it that way and my kids don't even go to public school.

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You raise a valid point. I think one of the real issues here is the cost of the book--$65 is just scandalous. I do believe academic publishing houses rip off school communities, from K through college, because they're a captive audience and will pay what it takes. Perhaps our beef really lies with them?

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This seems par for the course. My parents signed that back when I was in elementary school. Should the school just absorb the cost of lost/destroyed books every year? What school programs should they cut in order to fund this? How high should your taxes go to pay for these new books?

The book belongs to the school. It is lent to the family for the year. They have a moral and legal obligation to return it in useable condition at the end of the year - or pay for the cost of a new book.

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well...how about this...

I think our schools are a waste of time and lack in resources, funding and qualified teachers.

if we are going to get to this point...may as well be paying to have children in gifted classes, since that is an accomodation and not a requirement

may as well start taking more out of my taxes at the end of the year

may as well...a lot of things...

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We had to pay for some of our textbooks outright -- any texts for advanced placement courses (not cheap!) were automatically out of pocket, as were our summer reading books for English courses (and this reading was not optional). As for other classes, it was the same as mentioned above -- each book was numbered and we were responsible for the cost of replacing a book that was not returned in good condition at the end of the year. Kids take a lot of things for granted, especially young teenagers. Perhaps this sort of warning will help them to have an understanding and respect for the property that is loaned them.

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Here I though books in college were way overpriced. The entire system needs to be revamped.

Let me first say that I have the utmost respect for single mothers pulling it together. But should someone who decides not to have kids have to pay taxes for public schools?

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How is old is the son? It seems to me that in middle school, if he loses the book, he can mow some lawns to pay for it. Kids often take things for granted, and I support policies that hold kids responsible for destroying public property, which is what a school textbook is. If he's careful with the book and returns it in good condition, he won't have to pay for its use at all.

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My daughter goes to public school in a pretty poor neighborhood. In the beginning of the year the teachers give a list of items for all of the parents that we are supposed to give to the class - wipes, liquid soap, paper towels.

At the end of the year, we can easily rack up expenses of something in the order of $100-$150 per child, and that's without any extracurricular expenses.

The school budget simply can't cover the costs of these items. I'm on the PTA and I see the budget. There really isn't anywhere to cut costs, unless we cut a teacher.

Most parents would rather hustle a little than ask the teachers to pay. And the teachers still pay for a lot of items out of pocket for their classes. A lot of our public school teachers are truly devoted to teaching our children (not all, mind you - this is where unions can be a HUGE hassle).

I suppose $100-$150 per kid/ per year isn't a whole lot to pay to have your children go to school, but I know what a burden it can be for many parents to come up with that money.

The PTA tries hard to raise money to help fill in the gaps in the classrooms, but the larger issue is that to solve this issue, we need to lobby our politicians to give more money to the schools and make educating children a priority in our country.

Separate issue:

Should people who don't have kids have to pay taxes for public schools?
Is that a serious question? I mean, are you REALLY asking this question? Is there a reason WHY as a nation we wouldn't want to ensure that future generations of citizens are educated?

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I don't understand. Does this mother think that because she is poor, she's somehow exempt from paying for something her son loses or damages? Her son is not a little child; if he loses or damages a book or anything else that doesn't belong to him, why shouldn't he pay for it? Being poor doesn't mean a person doesn't have to be accountable. And if he knows his mother can't afford to replace it, shouldn't he be even more careful with it? Textbooks are overpriced to the point of absurdity, but even so, if this boy loses his book, the school will have to replace it and pay for a brand new one.

I've got an idea: The boy takes good care of his books and doesn't vandalize or lose them. Is that such a novelty?

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It seems to be the rule most places. I had to replace one of Elcie's 6th grade books when a neighbor kid took it out of our house and threw it over our fence into the mud. It was a school library copy of the "Holt Handbook" I had checked out along with the rest of her textbooks for the entire year so I'd always have them available and she wouldn't have to try to juggle 3 or 4 books in a backpack on the back of her wheelchair. I paid for it at the very end of the school year ($50), cleaned it as best I could, and we're still using it.

I had to juggle to come up with the $50 and it was in no way Elcie's or even my fault.

The schools here don't charge for normal wear and tear. I've taped a page or two over the years and been told not to worry about little things like that; it was only the lost or unusable books that concerned them.

It's a hardship for many and I think there should be some leeway on a case by case basis. On the other hand, by the time kids are carrying the expensive books back and forth, they are old enough to be responsible.

As for the price gouging, that's another rant entirely.

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This is not unusual at all. The books are school property. If you lose a book from thet public library, you have to replace it, right? I've taught about 700 students and can count on one hand the number of times a student had to replace a book. We were happy to accept a cheaper, used textbook. The point of letting families know they are responsible for the book is not to bully them into buying expensive replacements; it's to try to get the kids to be responsible for the book!

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I'm with the schools on this one. Ruin or lose a book? Replace it.

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My mom had to struggle to scrap together the money for the dues and fees when my sister started school, in fact she had to skimp on her car payment. It is awful. Especially what I am hearing about the notebooks (laptops) that kids are being allowed to use. At this rate I will not be able to afford to send my daughter to public school.

As for the book, that was the rule (just no note) when I was in school (graduated 2003).

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We have high taxes only because the cost of living here is expensive. The per dollar cost is not that bad. It doesn't seem to matter though, our teachers are still underpaid and there isn't enough money for all of the things our classrooms need. The whole thing is infuriating.

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I want to address this question:

"But should someone who decides not to have kids have to pay taxes for public schools?"

Absolutely! First of all, even if you don't have kids, you were a kid once, and if you went to public school someone else paid for your education. Other people's kids will be taking care of you in your old age and paying the taxes that support Social Security. And money invested in education pays off in the long run, because people who are well-educated are more likely to contribute to society and less likely to commit crimes or end up on welfare.

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I would go to a school board meeting adn say that I'd already paid for the book when I paid my taxes. Period.

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