Families Furious After Seeing What School Was Letting Parents “Buy”

Parents in Lakeland, Florida, were outraged after a portion of a fundraising form given to parents of Lawton Chiles Middle Academy students offered to sell off precedence in the school lunch line, among other things, for a donation of $100.

A lot of the parents feel like this move elevated the rich over the less fortunate on a pretty embarrassing level, and it’s hard not to see where they’re coming from.

“Polk County has a very high rate of food insecurity when it comes to kids. With middle school already being a very contentious age, with hormones and everything else, the last thing you really want to do is add a food hierarchy on top of that,” said local parent Chris Stephenson, according to WFLA.

“It’s like, ‘I have money, I’m in the front of line now. All you poor kids get in the back of the line,'” he continued.

The idea is certainly creative and appeals to a sense of freedom — after all, people can spend their money however they choose. And if a good cause benefits, what’s the harm?

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But it’s also tough to argue with what Stephenson said. Middle school is hardly a time where children’s confidence is booming, and even if it weren’t middle school, the whole idea seems a bit odd.

Lawton Chiles Middle Academy principal Brian Andrews felt similarly. He told WFLA that not only did he not like the idea — he didn’t even know about it.

“I have strived to be as inclusive as possible with all kids and this is not something I support,” he said.

Apparently everyone is trying to distance themselves from the notion. PTSA president Jil Bevis claims that the inclusion of the lunch line idea on the letter was a clerical error.

“The Lawton Chiles Middle academy PTSA is a group of volunteers including Parents, Teachers, Students and Administrators,” Bevis said in a statement, according to WFLA.

“We strive to look for new and innovative fundraising ideas to enhance the school experience for our students. We offer a variety of fundraising options for our students and families to choose from each year. This Family and Business Sponsorship program was explored, but we decided to not implement.

“Due to a clerical error, the form was inadvertently included in the orientation packets. Our families have been notified this program is not being offered. The intent of our PTSA is to always do the best for our students and families,” Bevis concluded.

Bevis may well be earnest in the statement made, but it’s hard for a cynical mind to not suspect that what Bevis said could well be just the retreat from an idea that the PTSA is now trying to back away from.

Either way, I doubt there will be little clamor for the fundraising option to return in the near future.

How would you react if you got a fundraising letter like this? Scroll down to comment below.