School Sends Parents A 'Student Fee Act' Charging $10 For Desk Usage & $1 For Bathroom Breaks
The act was met with strong backlash, with people criticizing the unfairness and questioning the legality of the charges.
TikTok & AnnaStills / Shutterstock A list of some questionable and bizarre classroom rules has gone viral on TikTok, sparking some strong reactions from viewers.
Many people argue that the rules are impractical and unfair, and we couldn’t agree more, considering that students are charged cash fees for engaging in tasks including using the restroom and borrowing classroom textbooks.
According to the ‘student act’ form, students would be charged $1 for using the restroom and for borrowing classroom materials.
In a video posted on TikTok, a photo of the form sent home to parents of students at the unnamed school was shared with viewers. The “Student Fee Act” lists the school resources students will now be charged in cash to utilize moving forward. The intention behind the new policy was to maintain payment for the use of school computers.
Photo: TikTok
“After much discussion and review of our budget, the School Board has decided to initiate a student fee policy to pay for the cost of maintaining the computers in our building,” the letter reads. “In the best interest of our student’s learning, this fee policy will be effective immediately.”
The new Student Fee Act states that students will be charged $1 for each time they need to use the hall pass to leave the classroom, whether it be going to the restroom or the water fountain. If students leave their notebook or school-provided Chromebook at home, they will be charged $1 to borrow one from the classroom.
Additionally, students will also be charged for the use of their desks, pencil sharpeners, and any missing assignments. “Students will be required $10.00 for the use of their desk. This will only be a yearly fee. It will cover the cost of removing gum and other substances from the bottom of the desks and any writing that may be done by students. This fee must be paid immediately,” the form reads. “A fee of $2.00 per year will be charged for the use of the pencil sharpener. This covers the cleaning, maintenance, and sometimes electricity used by these services.”
“If a student loses an assignment it will cost $1.00 to cover the cost of the lost assignment. This amount will compensate the teacher for the additional time spent and the cost of the additional paper. This fee must be paid in advance.”
The form reveals that students will also be charged $1 each time they are late to class and $2.00 each time they borrow a pen or pencil from their teachers to cover “loss of pencils and any other damage incurred by chewing on the pencil.” The bottom of the form requires a signature from the student and a parent or guardian stating that they understand and will abide by the new policy.
TikTok users flocked to the comments, bashing the unfair new rules. “How is this even legal?” one user commented. “Schools be power and money hungry,” another user wrote. “Let me get this straight, legally we have to go to school and they’re going to not only make you pay for lunch but to do basic assignments too?” another user pointed out. Others encouraged parents to pull their children from this particular school.
In most schools, students are not required, nor is it legal, to pay a fee in order to leave the classroom and access facilities including the restroom or nurse’s office. In fact, Denying students access to bathrooms or charging them for using the facilities could potentially infringe upon their basic rights and may also be considered a violation of health and safety regulations.
Additionally, in most countries, public schools are funded by the government and do not require parents to pay tuition fees for their children to attend. Public education is typically financed through taxes and government budgets, making it accessible to all students free of charge.
However, it's worth noting that there may be certain ancillary costs associated with public schooling that parents might be responsible for. These costs can vary depending on the region and specific school district. For example, parents might be expected to provide school supplies, uniforms, and transportation, or contribute to extracurricular activities or field trips. These expenses are typically not considered tuition fees but rather supplementary costs. Desks and other school-provided supplies usually do not require an additional cost.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.