A public school in New York hosted a carnival for students. It included a DJ, bouncy houses, slides, popcorn, and ice pops. It cost $10 a child and almost 900 kids had a blast at the party. However, more than 100 weren’t allowed at the party.
Instead those kids had to sit in an auditorium to watch an old Disney movie. PS 120 teachers said that the students who couldn’t pay are children of Chinese immigrant families who can barely pay for necessities. One teacher said that it was “breaking my heart that there are kids inside.”
Another teacher told the New York Post, “If you are doing a carnival during school hours, it should be free…It doesn’t matter if it’s one kid or 200 sitting in the auditorium. They all should have been out there.”
The blame is being placed on Principal Joan Monroe who was adamant that students who had not paid would not attend. According to Frank Chow, president of the parent association, the profit from the carnival was for pre-K, kindergarten and fifth-grade moving-up parties. Each family also pays dues of $15 a year and that money is spent on air-conditioning units.
Have you seen problems like this in your child’s school? Do you feel like the school is always asking for money? Have your kids missed out on school activities because you couldn’t afford them?
