Tennessee Elementary School Discriminates Against Students by Using Fundraiser

Fund-raisers are common school activities. Almost everyone participated in one when they were in school. In general, most fund-raisers are harmless and involve small prizes for the amount of items you sell, whether it be 1 or 20 items. We all remember this, but is it not going to far when this starts to involve social class, self-esteem, and the learning experience of children?

The Pickett County Elementary School in Byrdstown, TN has recently kicked off their first 2007-08 school year fund-raiser to "benefit our students through various activities" as is stated in the fund-raiser flyer. The fund-raiser items to be sold range from $6 mouse-pads to $30 fleece throws. Of course we all know these items can be expensive, but that is usually true with these type of fund-raiser packages.

A flyer was given with each fund-raising package the children brought home. This flyer states that "This Fall, Pickett Co. K-8 will be offering and exciting Reward Party for our students that participate in our fund-raising program. This is a one-of-a-kind Party, with lots of new Inflatable Rides & Games, a DJ, Karaoke, + Money Wheel & Money Machine! Plus, you can earn lots of awards & prizes from our brand new "Mega Prize Package!" This sounds great doesn't it? This Party would be a good idea if it was actually for the students participating as it states above.

Further down the page in the list of items you sell and the prizes you get for it is the catch..."If You Sell 12-19 items You are eligible to attend the "MEGA PARTY!" So you aren't "eligible" to attend the party just if you participate like it states above. You have to sell a certain amount of these somewhat expensive items to be able to go. What happens if the child is unable to sell this amount? This could be for many reasons. Maybe the child does not have relatives with the financial income to afford these types of items, or maybe the family cannot afford the gas to drive door to door to sell them. Or it could be that a grandparent has 5 or 6 grandchildren in school and cannot afford to buy but 1 thing from each child, which would equal up to at least $30 if they did.

Does this mean that this child isn't good enough to go to a Reward Party for their best effort? Is this not making a social discrimination between the income of families? In my opinion, this is a huge moral and ethical flaw in the school system. How can the school expect children to learn when they are made to feel inadequate by the school system that is supposed to give them confidence and encouragement to learn? Below I have underlined statements contradicting the school's conduct in this matter.

In the PICKETT COUNTY K-8 Student/Parent Handbook for the 2007-2008 school year on page 2 under Statement and Beliefs (Pickett County Schools) it states as follows... "The mission of the Pickett County Schools is to provide an ongoing, quality education for all citizens of Pickett County in a safe, comfortable environment, producing literate, self-confident, responsible, well-rounded citizens able to achieve in post secondary education and/or the work force." Further down to the middle of the page it states that... "Furthermore, Pickett County K-8 believes it is essential that all students be exposed to certain basic fundamental values to encourage and foster the development of a well-rounded, positive, and productive member of society."

Now, moving down to the bottom portion of page 2 under the Mission Statement and Beliefs (Pickett County Elementary School) there is a list from #1 to #8 stating...
"This We Believe
1. Students learn in different ways.
2. A safe, comfortable environment enhances learning.
3. A student's self-esteem enhances positive relationships and mutual respect among and between students and staff.
4. All students want to be accepted and loved.
5. Everyone desires to be successful and deserves a chance to be his/her best.
6. The community, parents, and teachers share the responsibility for supporting the school's mission.
8. Learning is a continuous process."

If the school is not going to stand by their beliefs and values 100%, then is it right for them to portray this in their handbook? It's bad enough that they get the children's hopes up by telling them that they will get to ride in a limo when this requires them to sell at least 60 of these expensive items, but by making it mandatory for them to sell 12-19 items to be able to attend the big "Reward Party" that they get all the students excited about, the school is assuring the let down of the students who put forth their best effort but are unable to sell this many items for various uncontrollable reasons. These children will have to watch their friends and other students being rewarded even though they worked just as hard, if not harder, to do their best with this fund-raiser. This will instill a lack of self-confidence by telling the students that even if they do their best, that it's not good enough to be rewarded. What child wants to learn in an environment that makes them feel this way and what kind of message is this sending?

Does the school have the right to tell our children that they're not good enough??