Times are tough all over. Practically every street in our neighborhood has at least one empty home in foreclosure. People are scrambling for jobs just to get by which doesn’t leave much left over for a newly driving teenager who just wants to afford a half a tank of gas. Banks are charging fees for every service imaginable short of a courteous greeting as they take our money because they have to recoup their losses for bad home loans somehow. It goes without saying that everyone is hurting at least a bit around here. Of course public schools are as well. Faced with budget cuts they are forced to tighten things up, cancel programs and reduce staff.
Another way to save money is the schools’ quiet decision to no longer accept personal checks for school activiities and supplies. So here I am with a rather large bill for fees related to cheerleading uniforms, gear and cheer camp and the only acceptable way to pay it is either in CASH or a money order.
So I am to just send my daughter off to school with over $400 in her pocket? Sure! No problem! She has had her cell phone stolen while at school and has had money stolen while there as well. Of course I will gladly send her to school with a big wad of cash and trust y’all.
Yes, I could go to my bank and get a money order because I have a lot of time on my hands while juggling home, family of seven, job and assorted extra-curricular activities for those five kids of mine. But then again, my bank charges fees for practically every service that they provide to their customers including money orders. I question why they would charge me because they get the privilege of having my money in their bank and they explain it is policy to charge a fee for this service. So I make the executive decision of withdrawing the cash to pay for cheerleading fees because the bank doesn’t charge me for that…yet. I know, just wait. It will happen.
Still I won’t trust my daughter to take that much money to school. Of course she is mad because, after all, she is not a little kid and she is responsible and she will remember to drop it off at the office immediately and I just don’t trust her. She’s right. I can’t trust her with this because it is a lot of money. Get over it little girl, I mutter.
So this morning, I personally drop off the money to her cheerleading coach at school. I explain that although the school no longer accepts checks, I am not comfortable with sending this much cash to school with my daughter. She totally understands and even comiserates over what a pain in the ass this is for her. We’re having a moment here which is soon interrupted by the butt-insky attendance lady in the office. She just HAS to interject her 2¢. Of course she does. She informs me that this is policy…DISTRICT-WIDE policy. I guess that is to somehow make it more acceptable and therefore make me the unreasonable, bitchy-mom.
District-wide?, I ask her.
Yes, it is all the schools in the district.
Oh, okay. So I’m guessing that my other kids’ elementary school has seceded from the district since I just paid for an activity fee last week with a personal check.
Well, it is policy now.
I’m looking right now at the school district web site and, well, I am just not seeing the notice stating that checks are no longer accepted. Perhaps they need to charge a fee to pay for that notice.
Whatever. Laura’s personal bitch session against the moronic management of my kids’ high school is over. Go on about your lives citizens.
