BlueTaelon Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 dd7 (8 tomorrow:) is forever forgetting to return books. At the beginning of the year they sent home permission slips for students to use the school library and the local library which comes to the school weekly on a bus. I flat out refused and explained to the teacher that no I will not sign because dd is not responsible and I have paid tons of fees over the years and I don't allow my kids to check out any books unless I am right there and I keep the books in my possession and the kids can check them out from me while they read them and hand them back when they put the book down. They let her check books out of the school library anyway :cursing: She keeps them in her back pack which goes to school with her every day but every freaking week forgets to turn the books in on library day. I've told her to just give them to her teacher and stop getting books (her teacher makes her check something out). She brought home a bill yesterday, its not for a lot but its more then we got right now when every penny counts. At the beginning of the year I told the school she is not to check out books and I would not be responsible for fees and they required her to check them out anyway (just regular reading, not in any way used in the classroom so not a true need IMO, I would have sent reading books from home if she needed something for a reading time period) Would you pay the fees? I'm going to call the school on Monday and speak with the librarian and remind them I told them dd was not allowed to use the library because of excessive fees in the past. This is her last year at this school since we have moved out of the district and I'm having to drive her the half hour to school every day and pick her up, school is almost out and I wanted her to finish out the year since it was way to late to transfer. She will likely attend the new local PS next year and I'm guessing they would include the bill in her file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 If the books were lost: Even if it doesn't go in her file (what sort of stuff do they put in kids files anyway??) Being me, I would pay it, but I wouldn't be happy about it. If the books are not lost: I would take the books in and talk to the librarian. I would be more resistant/hesitant to paying the fine, If I could get it waived for returning the books and making a fuss then I would get the fee waived/canceled. If I couldn't have the fee waived/canceled I'd probably pay it anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I'm surprised there wasn't a designated library day when the teacher would tell all students to take their books out of their backpacks. "Everyone, open your backpacks. Take your library books out. Put them in this plastic recycle bin. We will carry this bin to the library and return our books." It makes sense to train first and second graders to bring back books, and it makes sense a school would want to maintain their library. Doesn't it? However, if you cannot afford the fine, I would contact the school and ask about waiving the fine. Our school did wave fines, as they wanted the children to use the library, no matter their situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Did you know she was checking them out without permission? Did you remind them that you told them she wasn't allowed to do so? If you didn't know or did and reminded them, I absolutely wouldn't pay. If you knew and allowed it to continue, I'm more unsure. I'd be very upset, but would consider it some my own fault that I hadn't been more proactive (while the majority of the blame rested with them for going against your instructions in the first place). I would speak to someone at the school either way and express my displeasure though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 You did not give permission. They did not check or went against your wishes. They are at fault and need to eat the cost Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 If you don't pay the fees the school can refuse to provide transcripts. I would write a letter to the librarian, stating that you will not be paying the fines. Explain you never signed permission for you dd to use the library and the fines that accumulate were the reason. If you want go on to explain that you made the decision based on your family's financial issues. if you do this by email copy your dd's teacher and the principal. If you do it in written form make copies for the teacher and principal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 If you don't pay the fees the school can refuse to provide transcripts. I would write a letter to the librarian, stating that you will not be paying the fines. Explain you never signed permission for you dd to use the library and the fines that accumulate were the reason. If you want go on to explain that you made the decision based on your family's financial issues. if you do this by email copy your dd's teacher and the principal. If you do it in written form make copies for the teacher and principal. She is 7 not 17 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 when my son was in public school the same thing happened. I told the school, including his teacher, that he was not to check out any books. They still made him and he would just put the books in the back of his desk until much, much later on. They sent me a bill, I told them I was not paying the fine and they said okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 This is baffling to me. I don't understand school library fines for 2nd graders. When I taught 2nd grade, I feel like a full half of my job was helping the kids learn to keep track of their belongings - and I never actually expected any independence in this endeavor. *I* kept track of library books, made sure notes went home if books went astray, and had lots of procedures in place for library days. The librarians were helpful too, since we all were aware that the *oldest* students were likely newly-ish 8. I mean, I was still chasing down library books left and right when I taught 8th graders, from whom one could reasonably expect a modicum of independence (some days). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 Is the fee for books that were not returned? I would make an appointment with the librarian, bring the books and the bill and square up. The books are returned, its late fees as far as I know. Squaring up means we skip meals, I wasn't joking about counting pennies. I didn't even know she was getting books until recently when she told me the librarian told her I would need to pay late fees. I had to remind them back in Dec when I realized she had a library book in her backpack that she wasn't allowed to get books. I guess it fell on deaf ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathryn Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 The books are returned, its late fees as far as I know. Squaring up means we skip meals, I wasn't joking about counting pennies. I didn't even know she was getting books until recently when she told me the librarian told her I would need to pay late fees. I had to remind them back in Dec when I realized she had a library book in her backpack that she wasn't allowed to get books. I guess it fell on deaf ears. In that case, I would not pay and explain to them why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 The books are returned, its late fees as far as I know. Squaring up means we skip meals, I wasn't joking about counting pennies. I didn't even know she was getting books until recently when she told me the librarian told her I would need to pay late fees. I had to remind them back in Dec when I realized she had a library book in her backpack that she wasn't allowed to get books. I guess it fell on deaf ears. They made the error, they need to accept that you are not going to be responsible for their error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 nt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 Do you have anything in writing to prove that you did not want her to check out books? An old email or something would be very helpful in this case. If not, I would be sure to have it done in a way where you can have proof next time. Definitely would fight this. Not too long back I requested transcripts from my community college. They told me I had a fine. I thought what??? Long story short, with doubt on both ends regarding whether or not it was legit, I got them to drop the fee. Its pretty easy to prove, they don't have a signed permission slip:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butter Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Late fees?!?! Seriously??? While my little guys were in school, I volunteered weekly in the library at their school. Kids were allowed to check out 1-3 books at a time (depending on their grade). If a book was late, even if they weren't at their max, they could not check out additional books, but they weren't charged fees. They were reminded to bring in the book (which was often in their classroom). I'd fight it. Especially because you did not give permission for her to use the library in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Its pretty easy to prove, they don't have a signed permission slip:) This is my thought, make them prove they had permission if they object. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Jeez...why on earth do they bother asking permission if they're only going to ignore it!?! It makes me mad that they contradicted the parent..."oh, you can still check out a book it doesn't matter what your parent said"...grr When I taught for money :) I worked with teachers who really thought that parents are idiots and actively undermined the home. Grr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Library Momma Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Late fees?!?! Seriously??? While my little guys were in school, I volunteered weekly in the library at their school. Kids were allowed to check out 1-3 books at a time (depending on their grade). If a book was late, even if they weren't at their max, they could not check out additional books, but they weren't charged fees. They were reminded to bring in the book (which was often in their classroom). I'd fight it. Especially because you did not give permission for her to use the library in the first place. This is my experience as well. I don't understand why the teacher is forcing your daughter to check out books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 If you did not give permission and made it clear you did not want her to check out books they need to eat it. Period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 This is my experience as well. I don't understand why the teacher is forcing your daughter to check out books? No idea but I don't understand a lot of the weird stuff they do in this state either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I do understand teachers wanting little kids to borrow school library books; they think it will create life-long readers, yes? I hope a call to the school will clear this up! I wouldn't count on them putting anything in your child's file. If they have been kind to your child in the past, they likely will continue to be mindful of your struggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I do understand teachers wanting little kids to borrow school library books; they think it will create life-long readers, yes? I hope a call to the school will clear this up! I wouldn't count on them putting anything in your child's file. If they have been kind to your child in the past, they likely will continue to be mindful of your struggles.I understand that this too. I work in a library. every summer the daycare students come to the library and check out books. and every summer there are students whose parents refuse to sign a permission slip. and the students still want to check out books. so what do we do? check them out to the supervising adult. the books go to the daycare, and the daycare is responsible for them. kids are happy they have a book (they "checked" our out) daycare is happy ( kid has something to read it during it naptime) parent is happy ( child is not responsible for the book and therefore cannot be charged) librarian is happy ( books are being enjoyed).if her teacher really want students to read books she should have a classroom library... And no, I would absolutely not be paying that fine. I didn't agree to the terms, they can't hold me responsible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 Nope, feed your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 She's been doing this all year? It's hard to tell from you post but I get the sense that this is an on-going problem. I can understand being angry because it happened one time. But, really if this has happened throughout the year perhaps you could be more diligent in checking her backpack to see if she is following your instructions. If it happened earlier in the year, I think you should have reminded the teacher that you did not allow daughter to participate when you became aware of the problem. If this is the first offense happening just recently, then you just need to contact the teacher and remind her that you did not give permission. Edit: Oops, just saw that you reminded them back in December. Considering that, I'm going to say that since you were aware that there was a problem, I think you had some culpability in checking/ follow up to make sure your request was being followed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I wouldn't pay late fees to a school library. I've never heard of it. What do the fees they collect go towards? Who gets the money? I did have to pay a fee to our middle school public library because my oldest lost a book, but I have never been charged for them returning a book late. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraidycat Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 She's been doing this all year? It's hard to tell from you post but I get the sense that this is an on-going problem. I can understand being angry because it happened one time. But, really if this has happened throughout the year perhaps you could be more diligent in checking her backpack to see if she is following your instructions. If it happened earlier in the year, I think you should have reminded the teacher that you did not allow daughter to participate when you became aware of the problem. If this is the first offense happening just recently, then you just need to contact the teacher and remind her that you did not give permission. Edit: Oops, just saw that you reminded them back in December. Considering that, I'm going to say that since you were aware that there was a problem, I think you had some culpability in checking/ follow up to make sure your request was being followed. I disagree. These are adults she is talking about. The culpability is theirs. They can pay BT's DD's fines since they refused to follow BT's request. The teacher and the librarian and whoever else was reminded in December. December was the follow-up. The original exchange was in the fall when BT told the teacher her reason for denying permission at the beginning of the school year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I disagree. These are adults she is talking about. The culpability is theirs. They can pay BT's DD's fines since they refused to follow BT's request. The teacher and the librarian and whoever else was reminded in December. December was the follow-up. The original exchange was in the fall when BT told the teacher her reason for denying permission at the beginning of the school year. Nope, sorry. Still going to disagree. This is a 7 year old. Mama should know what is in the backpack. If the books were being left at school and the parent didn't know it was happening that would be a different story. But, she knew back in December that it was a problem. Not looking in a backpack for several months to check makes it her problem too. I believe there is a responsibility to mitigate damages when possible. Not checking the backpack exacerbated a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 "<big smile, pleasant voice> Hi Mrs. Librarian! I wanted to check with you because I think I've gotten a bill from you by mistake. As we discussed at the beginning of the year, I didn't sign the permission slip for dd to check out books, because we have to be careful with our money right now and can't afford to pay any fines. Dd loves books, and I make sure she has plenty of books at home, so we don't need any from the school library. I'm not sure what happened here - whether there was a misunderstanding with you or the teacher about checking out books? Regardless, I just want to make sure that whatever books may have been checked out to dd by accident have been returned, and that our account is in good standing and any fines that were added by accident have been removed. <big smile>" "<smile, pleasant voice> I'm sorry, I cannot pay the fine. That's why I didn't give permission for dd to check out books this year. I realize the books were checked out by accident. Accidents happen, I understand you've got a lot of kids to keep track of. But I can't be responsible for a fine under the circumstances. I'm sure you understand. What needs to be done to remove the fine from my record?""I understand that the system is set up so that once a fine is entered you can't remove it until it is paid. Who do I need to speak to to get it removed? Would that be the principal? I understand that it's not much money, but it's a lot for us right now, which is why I didn't give permission for books to be checked out - I didn't want dd to accrue any fines that we could not afford to pay."I'm guessing that it should go smoothly, as they are in the wrong here, but if not, just pleasantly rinse and repeat up the line until you get someone who can remove the fine. You were being responsible by not making yourself financially vulnerable to fines, and they need to respect that. Continue to emphasize that 1) you didn't give permission, 2) this isn't a trivial amount of money for you (not that it matters, but they need to be reminded that a trivial amount for one family impacts the food budget for another), 3) you are a good mom who provides books for your children - just not through their library, 4) you respect what they're trying to do, they are good people who have made a mistake and you assume they will work with you to solve the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 This is my experience as well. I don't understand why the teacher is forcing your daughter to check out books? They do here. They consider using the library a skill taught and want the kids to learn to choose appropriate books for their reading level. They also learn about the Dewey system and how to research topics in non fiction. The books chosen are usually one fiction at reading level which they are expected to read each night, and one non fiction of their choice. I don't think there is a permission slip process at the public school. All the students just do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 They do here. They consider using the library a skill taught and want the kids to learn to choose appropriate books for their reading level. They also learn about the Dewey system and how to research topics in non fiction. The books chosen are usually one fiction at reading level which they are expected to read each night, and one non fiction of their choice. I don't think there is a permission slip process at the public school. All the students just do it. There are no permission slips here either. It is just considered a part of school, but there are no fees unless a book is lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 What happens if you just don't pay it? This is a second grader, and you won't even be returning to the school next year. What will really happen? I mean, I know people here could speculate wildly, but the OP should find out what would actually happen. Most school librarians that I know,and I know quite a few because my dh and my sister are librarians, will wave fees if asked. Well, if they can. Some library systems don't allow the librarian to erase fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Library late fines are evil. Libraries spend more to recoup them than they usually net from them. All they do is make people afraid to use the library. To do it in school to a 7 yo.... Grr... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Yes. I'm surprised there wasn't a designated library day when the teacher would tell all students to take their books out of their backpacks. "Everyone, open your backpacks. Take your library books out. Put them in this plastic recycle bin. We will carry this bin to the library and return our books." It makes sense to train first and second graders to bring back books, and it makes sense a school would want to maintain their library. Doesn't it? However, if you cannot afford the fine, I would contact the school and ask about waiving the fine. Our school did wave fines, as they wanted the children to use the library, no matter their situations. At our school, in K they go to that detail. But by the end of the first half of 1st grade, they are expecting the kids to take personal responsibility to get books out of their backpack, etc. And have natural consequences if they don't remember. (for example, they can't check another book out of the library until they take the first back. ETc) (There are no late fees here. Only for lost books. Which unfortunately can stilll happen when your K child stays at school at Extended Day after hours and takes a book out to read it...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 No, I would not pay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I see no reason for you to pay. The school asked for your permission. You declined permission based on previous experience. The school chose to ignore the fact that they asked, and you said no. They are liable. Call the librarian and tell her UNApologetically, that you will under no circumstances pay for the fines/lost books. Whomever decided to loan the child the books despite your warnings, can pay the fine or the school can write it off. There is no way I would be guilted into paying something that I did not accept responsibility for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colleen Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 As ever, I'm in the minority, agreeing in this case with Tammi: (I)f this has happened throughout the year perhaps you could be more diligent in checking her backpack to see if she is following your instructions….(S)ince you were aware that there was a problem, I think you had some culpability in checking/ follow up to make sure your request was being followed. If the books were being left at school and the parent didn't know it was happening that would be a different story. But, she knew back in December that it was a problem. Not looking in a backpack for several months to check makes it her problem too. I believe there is a responsibility to mitigate damages when possible. Not checking the backpack exacerbated a problem. Yes. Imo the parent knew there was an ongoing problem and therefore should have been more involved and proactive. Having said that, in all likelihood nothing whatsoever will come of this fine, paid or unpaid. A simple request to have the fee waived would likely be granted. Alternatively, one might just ignore the fine and/or submit a written explanation as to why the fines (and system altogether) are considered unreasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 This is insane. Our public library doesn't charge late fees for kids. A school library? Never even heard of such a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In2why Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 This is insane. Our public library doesn't charge late fees for kids. A school library? Never even heard of such a thing. They charge 5¢ per day up to I think $2 here. I believe it helps teach responsibility. If a child leaves a math book in the rain or forgets to bring it to school there are consequences. Same difference. Even a seven year old can learn to take care of books and return them especially since library day is usually the same day every week. But I am sure if the OP called the fine would be dropped. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I can see the argument for her being more involved and stopping the practice earlier, but if that's the case, the school didn't fully inform her either. She knew that the dd was checking out books, but at the end of the year, they suddenly send her a fine that's relatively large - presumably it's been building up all year and she didn't know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 In some school systems, they won't send your child's records to the next school if you owe the school any money. I would definitely get it taken off of her record, so you don't have issues with record transfers later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Ok, the OP has recently posted that their financial situation is such that they became homeless. There have been many other threads about family struggles by her as well. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the OP has had too much going on to be checking up on library books she specifically told the school not to check out. It's pretty callous for some people to be telling her that this is somehow her fault. She anticipated the problem. She specifically revoked consent for her daughter to check out books from the library. If they can't be bothered to pay attention to parental instructions, why should a family who has been on the brink for the year be bothered to pay the ensuing fines?! Good grief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 Ok, the OP has recently posted that their financial situation is such that they became homeless. There have been many other threads about family struggles by her as well. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the OP has had too much going on to be checking up on library books she specifically told the school not to check out. It's pretty callous for some people to be telling her that this is somehow her fault. She anticipated the problem. She specifically revoked consent for her daughter to check out books from the library. If they can't be bothered to pay attention to parental instructions, why should a family who has been on the brink for the year be bothered to pay the ensuing fines?! Good grief. Absolutely. Thank you for saying this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 It's teaching the parent responsibility really because most kids don't have money. This. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted June 1, 2014 Author Share Posted June 1, 2014 Ok, the OP has recently posted that their financial situation is such that they became homeless. There have been many other threads about family struggles by her as well. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the OP has had too much going on to be checking up on library books she specifically told the school not to check out. It's pretty callous for some people to be telling her that this is somehow her fault. She anticipated the problem. She specifically revoked consent for her daughter to check out books from the library. If they can't be bothered to pay attention to parental instructions, why should a family who has been on the brink for the year be bothered to pay the ensuing fines?! Good grief. Thank you, that is a fair assessment. For those that don't know I'm a single mom who hasn't been able to work since Dec which meant we quickly burned though my tax return which normally fills in gaps through the year for the most part, instead it was gone in weeks. In the past 6 months my car needed an expensive to me repair, my oldest was dx'd with Autism after years of asking psych dr's if thats what was going in, I've had to deal with severe mental health issues (they think she may have schizophrenia) with her which required I stay home with her on both run away and suicide watch for months and with very little sleep. We have lots of therapy appts between both kids, its been one thing after another until we ended up homeless earlier this month after I couldn't pay the rent because I had to pay the electric shut off notice which would have meant no heat when temps were still freezing. Its not a matter of poor spending habits, it was a matter of lack of money because I wasn't working and dd's SSI wasn't enough to keep us afloat with even the basics and thats all we were paying for, absolute NEEDS. Thankfully we got rehoused last week in income based housing (rent we can actually afford!) so were no longer homeless but I have had a very stressful year with everything going on and checking her backpack when she got off the bus at 5:30pm was not something I even remembered to do because homework was done at the after school program and she would hand me notices. We have another rough month or 2 fincinally then things will even out and we can put this behind us but right now were counting pennies, especially since they immediately cut our SNAP by $100 when we got housed here and the amount was already not enough when your gluten/dairy/grain free (celiac/allergies). SN families fall though the safety net cracks when SHTF and we got caught up in it, were digging our way out but even though the fee is not that big at all, right now its a lot to us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 They charge 5¢ per day up to I think $2 here. I believe it helps teach responsibility. If a child leaves a math book in the rain or forgets to bring it to school there are consequences. Same difference. Even a seven year old can learn to take care of books and return them especially since library day is usually the same day every week. But I am sure if the OP called the fine would be dropped. Not the same. If a child forgets a school book, or homework, the consequences are generally theirs and theirs alone - that teaches responsibility (bad grade, flipping a card, etc). If a child is fined, monetarily, for a missing library book, their parent is punished, not them, as I do not know any 7 year olds with their own income; the result is that mommy learns to check their pack for their books - it teaches the child nothing. In this case, the OP specifically requested that her child not be allowed to check out books, she is struggling financially and knows she cannot replace books or pay fines; she refused to sign a permission slip for her dd to check out books. She did the responsible thing, knowing her own limitations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 So what will they do? Keep the kid in elementary until they turn 18? I was referring more when a child switches schools due to a move. Where we used to live, in GA, if you owed money, they would not send your records to the new school system. It didn't matter if it was as little as $5, if you owed any money, the records did not get sent. Usually, money was owed for things like library fees and school lunch accounts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 What an /excellent/ way to encourage a love of the library and books and reading.... Tick off the parents and make them hate the library system to the point where kids aren't allowed to use the library. Sweet plan. I stopped using our public library when the fines when to $.20 per book per day. Forget a couple for a week and you're done. A school is an even worse setting to be ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRG Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I used to be an elementary school librarian. Go and talk to the librarian. If she is reasonable she will(and should) cancel the late fees. I always gave my students the chance to work off fees or to pay them. They kept the library dust free ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted June 1, 2014 Share Posted June 1, 2014 I belong to 4 library systems. One I only use for online digital resources. Their fines are $1/day. It is also in a rather well off county but still... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 If you did not sign the permission slip and you did elucidate your policy on this to the teacher, then I would not pay the fees. They received fair warning and by allowing her to check books out without a signed permission slip, violated their own policy. Not a good precedent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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