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Schools Requiring Kids To Bring Their Own Toilet Paper

Posted by samzenpus on from the high-cost-of-education dept.

Across the country schools are asking students to bring in supplies to help offset budget cuts. Kids in Moody, Alaska received a must bring list for the start of the school year including: two double rolls of paper towels, three packages of Clorox wipes, three boxes of baby wipes, two boxes of garbage bags, liquid soap, Kleenex and Ziplocs. Pre-kindergartners at McClendon Elementary in Nevada, Tex. must bring: a package of cotton balls, two containers of facial tissue, rolls of paper towels, sheaves of manila and construction paper, and a package of paper sandwich bags. From the article: "'Some of the things that have been historically provided by schools, we’re not able to provide at this point,' said Barbara A. Chester, president of the National Association of Elementary School Principals."

11 comments

  1. Well.. by nj_peeps · · Score: 1

    This brings a whole new meaning to "ShitBreak"!

    --
    "Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security" --Benjamin Franklin
  2. Or what? by pudge · · Score: 1

    Funny thing about mandatory schooling ... you can't require kids to bring things. What are you going to do, kick them out?

    1. Re:Or what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Does mandatory schooling say that a kid has to go to a specific school? The school could kick them out under certain circumstances...

      Although even if they can't kick them out, they could close the bathroom. Nothing in mandatory schooling says that the school is required to provide bathroom facilities. If nobody brings TP, then everyone can go outside - think of the money the school will save when the bathrooms no longer consume any water!

    2. Re:Or what? by pudge · · Score: 1

      Does mandatory schooling say that a kid has to go to a specific school?

      What it says is that the local district must provide schooling. The student may use other schooling options as allowed by law.

      The school could kick them out under certain circumstances...

      Because the district must provide schooling for all children, there are very strict circumstances where public schools are allowed to kick kids out, and it usually won't include being unwilling to supply toilet paper.

      Although even if they can't kick them out, they could close the bathroom.

      If they want a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, sure.

      Nothing in mandatory schooling says that the school is required to provide bathroom facilities.

      Riiiiiiiiight.

    3. Re:Or what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you can't require kids to bring things

      Are you saying you can't require kids to bring pencils, erasers, or paper? Are you saying the school should provide those for kids who cannot or will not bring them?

    4. Re:Or what? by pudge · · Score: 1

      you can't require kids to bring things

      Are you saying you can't require kids to bring pencils, erasers, or paper?

      Of course you can't. What do you propose do if kids don't bring those things? Again, the district is obligated to provide school for everyone, and except for gross misconduct which makes the child impossible to keep IN the school, they can't kick them out. They'd be violating their legal mandate.

      Are you saying the school should provide those for kids who cannot or will not bring them?

      Are you saying it sounds like I did? I never said anything to that point, obviously. You're quite obtuse.

      That said, public schools usually do precisely that for kids who can't, or won't, provide their own supplies.

    5. Re:Or what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you saying the school should provide those for kids who cannot or will not bring them?

      That said, public schools usually do precisely that for kids who can't, or won't, provide their own supplies.

      So what then should the schools do for kids who cannot or will not bring their own supplies? You have said what you think they "usually" do, now tell us what they would do if you were in charge.

    6. Re:Or what? by pudge · · Score: 1

      now tell us

      No. You sure make a lot of demands for a coward.

    7. Re:Or what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      now tell us

      No. You sure make a lot of demands for a coward.

      Then would you tell us, please?

  3. Crying wolf yet again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Every election, there is a cry for more school funding. "Think of the children!!" Every year, we hear how schools are critically unfunded. Our poor kids are doing poorly because they don't have money for [x].

    Dude, if more money was the solution, we'd be cranking out PHD's from kindergarten by now.

    I have teachers in my family- and I can tell you that part of the problem are the union benefits, union seniority rules, and scummy politicians that give the schools money with one hand, and take it back away with the other.

  4. What kind of schools are they supplying? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Okay, I went to a crappy public high school where the biggest room in the building wasn't the gymnasium or the auditorium, but the day care center -- but I was* one of the virgin nerds who read /., so maybe my perspective is off -- but seriously, what the fsck kind of classes do you need "three boxes of baby wipes" for? I mean, I can understand the Ziploc baggies (you need them to hold the drugs for your applied economics class).

    * am