Poor NY students sit in auditorium during school carnival

[redheadbaker]

NY elementary principal shames poor students, keeps them from attending end-of-year school carnival

www.dailykos.com/story/2015/05/26/1387796/-NY-elementary-principal-shames-poor-students-keeps-them-from-attending-end-of-year-school-carnival?detail=facebook_sf

Elementary school students at PS 120 in Queens, New York, who couldn't come up with the $10 for the school carnival were heartlessly forced to sit in an auditorium while the rest of their 900 classmates enjoyed an end-of-the-year carnival:

Close to 900 kids went to the Queens schoolyard affair, with pre-K to fifth-grade classes taking turns, each spending 45 minutes outside. The kids enjoyed inflatable slides, a bouncing room and a twirly teacup ride. They devoured popcorn and flavored ices. DJs blasted party tunes.

But more than 100 disappointed kids were herded into the darkened auditorium to just sit or watch an old Disney movie while aides supervised — the music, shouts and laughter outside still audible.

Teachers and parents alike were upset by school principal Joan Monroe's decision:

Another teacher was sickened by the inequity.
“If you are doing a carnival during school hours, it should be free,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s one kid or 200 sitting in the auditorium. They all should have been out there.”

The NY Post notes the carnival fees not only paid the entire cost, but they pulled in an extra $2,000-3,000 in profit. Just one more example of an ever-growing list of ways to shame the poor.

[elleblue]

JFC I hate people.

[IIOY]

You've got to be kidding me with this shitfuckery.

[iammalcolmx]

Someone tell me this isn't true. PLEASE

[whiskeyandwine]

OMFG.

[josieposy]

[verypunny]

This makes me SO mad. We live in a district with high poverty and field trips are always free AND at things like book fairs, every child gets a book.

[summer]

May 26, 2015 13:48:39 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

The NY Post notes the carnival fees not only paid the entire cost, but they pulled in an extra $2,000-3,000 in profit. Just one more example of an ever-growing list of ways to shame the poor.

It was already bad, but then this?!  Those kids better get a goddamned carnival day now! You have to be some kind of heartless to not figure out a better way to make this work.  

[KateAggie]

I feel like I just got punched in the stomach. That is so, so awful.

[wambam]

Bootstraps, kids.

OMG.

[mominatrix]

fucking fuck. really? REALLY???

I can see a cost to COVER THE COST of the carnival... but if a kid can't afford it or a parent just forgot to send in the money or whatever...

NO.

[twotrue]

And the made money off the thing!? Oh hell no. Fire the Principal.

[Deleted]

I've been all over this story. Not only did they do this, they had a sign up saying which students had paid and which hadn't. Plus your $10 only got you 45 minutes at the carnival. WTF!

According to the NYPOST people have volunteered to host another event for everyone.

[hocus2]

I'm not surprised that the carnival was designed to turn a profit. A lot of events at school do that (e.g. scholastic book fair). However I'd really surprised that kids were required to pay for an event during school hours. All our events are after hours or on weekends.

[iammalcolmx]

May 26, 2015 14:26:35 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

I've been all over this story. Not only did they do this, they had a sign up saying which students had paid and which hadn't. Plus your $10 only got you 45 minutes at the carnival. WTF!

According to the NYPOST people have volunteered to host another event for everyone.

What in the actual fuck.

[mbcdefg]

Oh, ick. How mean. 

[tres3]

We got a new superintendent about 5 years ago and he quickly put a stop to this BS... and some parents in the wealthier area of our county were clutching their pearls because they thought pay to play is fair.

Our school calls it a celebration. It only happens if we reach our fundraising goals but everyone is invited and you can bring a picnic or buy dinner from a food truck.

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

What the everloving fuck? You have a carnival during school it needs to be FREE. Or at least by contribution. Holy shit. That principal is gonna get her ass fired.

[eclaires]

What the hell? We live in a pretty wealthy district but anything that costs money is covered by the school if the student can't afford it or forgets.

[summer]

May 26, 2015 14:26:35 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

I've been all over this story. Not only did they do this, they had a sign up saying which students had paid and which hadn't. Plus your $10 only got you 45 minutes at the carnival. WTF!

According to the NYPOST people have volunteered to host another event for everyone.

Not just another event. Someone better also apologize to those children.  

[Deleted]

Here's the article where the carnival company offers to come back for free but who knows how they'll manage that with end of the year scheduling:

nypost.com/2015/05/26/carnival-company-to-give-free-party-for-kids-who-missed-out/

And here's more about the school's "reasoning" and the list they tacked up:

nypost.com/2015/05/24/no-pay-no-play-kids-who-cant-pay-10-fee-banned-from-school-carnival/

It was seriously so messed up. 

[pixy0stix]

::adds principal to meshaliuknits list::

[bronxgirl]

Fuck. That's awful.

[summer]

"The profit is earmarked for the pre-K, kindergarten and fifth-grade moving-up parties, he said."

The profit was for parties? There are sooo many other ways to fund a party that you don't need to have.

[meshaliuknits]

May 26, 2015 14:46:37 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

::adds principal to meshaliuknits list::

You KNOW he kicks kittens in his spare time.

[midge]

What a dick

[redwino]

I'm not surprised by this. This type of thing happens all the time. In the best case scenarios, no one took the time to think about the kids who won't be able to pay. In the worst scenarios, you get this bullshit.

[Deleted]

May 26, 2015 14:19:25 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

fucking fuck. really? REALLY???

I can see a cost to COVER THE COST of the carnival... but if a kid can't afford it or a parent just forgot to send in the money or whatever...

NO.

Right? All of this over $1k and they made 2-3k on the damned thing anyway?

Fuckery, that's what this is. Straight up fuckery.

[ESF]

It's really sad. What is wrong with people that they can't see how cruel this is?

[jena]

WTF???

How to actually fund a party: Ask for the $10. Do not list who has paid/hasn't paid. Assume you'll only get 80% to pay. Take what you get and throw a party with the money you actually get and everyone gets to go. The end. IS THAT TOO HARD?