Holiday Gift Limits MCPS

[Anonymous]

I always give cash. I personally dislike gift cards because I dislike forced consumerism. Maybe DD's teacher just wants to save they money. Why should I dictate where she spends the money make her buy something at Starbucks or Target if she doesn't want to. And I'm not spending a minute of my time shopping for something. I gave $25 to the teacher $25 to the assistant teacher. I probably would have given more if it was just one teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our class is one third international so I don't think anyone is clued in to this U.S. gift giving thing to teachers. I don't even recall doing it when I was K-8.

I grew up in the US, and I didn't know that Christmas presents for teachers was a thing, either. I only learned about it from DCUM. Also, I've never done it -- so that's at least one person who doesn't do it.

[Anonymous]

We give movie passes. We also make sure to give to the teachers in high school and middle school. And you will see that when your kids are in the older grades they have seven or eight teachers so it can get pricey.

[Anonymous]

I did it for K and a year where the room parent coordinated a class gift but that's it.

I can't imagine exceeding the MCPS gift limit both because that's the policy and because anything would seem inappropriate. If you want to make a larger contribution give to the PTA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did it for K and a year where the room parent coordinated a class gift but that's it.

I can't imagine exceeding the MCPS gift limit both because that's the policy and because anything would seem inappropriate. If you want to make a larger contribution give to the PTA.

Does your school notify you of it? I posted earlier that I had never heard of it except here. My kids are in HS and have attended a number of local and magnet schools.

[Anonymous]

I think one year the school did notify us -- there may even have been a central office push to get the word out one year (it's possible it was just bus stop conversation or DCUM, but I don't think so)

[Anonymous]

I think it was only adopted in 2012 and there was an by at least some schools to notify parents that year.

[Anonymous]

Sorry-- there was an *effort* by at least some schools

[Anonymous]

Here's a link to the ethics policy: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/bbb.pdf

Teachers may accept an unsolicited gift that does not exceed $20 in value, or an unsolicited series of gifts not exceeding $100 in value in a calendar year, or trivial items of informational value.

It looks like the BoE adopted this part of the ethics policy in October 2012, in response to a state law from 2010 requiring local boards of education to have a policy about conflicts of interest, financial disclosure, and lobbying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. $50 a kid is my expectation.

Troll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a link to the ethics policy: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/bbb.pdf

Teachers may accept an unsolicited gift that does not exceed $20 in value, or an unsolicited series of gifts not exceeding $100 in value in a calendar year, or trivial items of informational value.

It looks like the BoE adopted this part of the ethics policy in October 2012, in response to a state law from 2010 requiring local boards of education to have a policy about conflicts of interest, financial disclosure, and lobbying.

It’s like the Residency policy. There is name only and impossible to enforce. Nobody is going to enforce a policy of $20 per gift. Just like nobody from MCPS enforces the policy of making sure that kids live in boundary (as evidenced by the dozens of kids at our ES who live out of boundary and don’t have a COSA).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a link to the ethics policy: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/bbb.pdf

Teachers may accept an unsolicited gift that does not exceed $20 in value, or an unsolicited series of gifts not exceeding $100 in value in a calendar year, or trivial items of informational value.

It looks like the BoE adopted this part of the ethics policy in October 2012, in response to a state law from 2010 requiring local boards of education to have a policy about conflicts of interest, financial disclosure, and lobbying.

It’s like the Residency policy. There is name only and impossible to enforce. Nobody is going to enforce a policy of $20 per gift. Just like nobody from MCPS enforces the policy of making sure that kids live in boundary (as evidenced by the dozens of kids at our ES who live out of boundary and don’t have a COSA).

Are you saying that it's ok for you to violate the policy because you're not going to get caught?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's a link to the ethics policy: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/bbb.pdf

Teachers may accept an unsolicited gift that does not exceed $20 in value, or an unsolicited series of gifts not exceeding $100 in value in a calendar year, or trivial items of informational value.

It looks like the BoE adopted this part of the ethics policy in October 2012, in response to a state law from 2010 requiring local boards of education to have a policy about conflicts of interest, financial disclosure, and lobbying.

Does this apply to PTAs, too?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teacher here. $50 a kid is my expectation.

Really? I expect $100 and just send an invoice at the beginning of the year. If they haven't paid the balance by June, it goes to collections. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here's a link to the ethics policy: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/policy/pdf/bbb.pdf

Teachers may accept an unsolicited gift that does not exceed $20 in value, or an unsolicited series of gifts not exceeding $100 in value in a calendar year, or trivial items of informational value.

It looks like the BoE adopted this part of the ethics policy in October 2012, in response to a state law from 2010 requiring local boards of education to have a policy about conflicts of interest, financial disclosure, and lobbying.

Does this apply to PTAs, too?

No, it applies to the members of the Board of Education and to MCPS employees, including the superintendent.