What do you think? Car line-cutting auction?

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine lives in another state. Her daughter just started in a top private school there. She loves it, but every morning, while waiting in the car line, she or someone else has to yield to several parents cutting in the front of the line. They auctioned off line-cutting privileges in a fundraiser.

I totally understand the need to raise funds, but I find this obnoxious on so many levels. These are the years you teach kids to be patient, to wait their turn, that it's wrong to be a bully and push someone out of the way - and then demonstrate that it is actually OK to cut in line - as long as you have money. I think it sends a bad message to kids, and how must it make the moms who sit in line for up to a half-hour a day, twice daily - to have someone just pull up at the front of the line in an oversized Range Rover to pick up their kids.

Is this done at other schools too? Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I think it's creative.

[Anonymous]

At a private school, they're already paying more in order to get better service, right? I suppose they just see this the same way. You can have what you want as long as you have money.

[Anonymous]

I recall this being on the auction list at the River School as well.

[Anonymous]

My high school always acutioned off the first parking spot in the lot for a student.

[Anonymous]

An over size Range Rover? You obviously have an SUV bias considering Range Rovers are not even that big. It's no Suburban or Escalade. Which makes me think you attribute certain characteristics to people based on the car they drive and this gives you another reason to be judgmental. You said it was a friends school in another state, does she give you a blow by blow on all the different cars that get to cut? Or just the expensive ones? The line cutting raises funds for the school that her child attends. That's not a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

Man oh man, auctions are complicated. To be reminded each and every day that someone shelled out big bucks for that privilege, when not every family in the school is in a position to bid on pricey items, would rankle me to no end. How is the mom handling it? I would be quite peeved! Drop-off rage, anyone?

[Anonymous]

Agree with OP, I think this is a yucky message to share every.single.morning with your young children.

The fact that it IS indeed true in life that she with the most gold, rules, is beside the point. The kids will learn that soon enough, but a *school* has no business reinforcing that for its 7 year olds.

Why not have a school-sponsored beauty pageant and let the winner's parents also cut in line? Or, if it's a K-12, how about a wet T-shirt contest, with the winner getting to cut in line?

There are just some values (big $, perkiest tits) that a school shouldn't overtly endorse.

[Anonymous]

I think this is a situation where its ok for one family to "win" this priviledge - one car cutting or one good parking space isn't going to rankle the entire parent association. However, it sounds like your friend's school auctioned off several of these priviledges, which is more likely to cause a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is a situation where its ok for one family to "win" this priviledge - one car cutting or one good parking space isn't going to rankle the entire parent association. However, it sounds like your friend's school auctioned off several of these priviledges, which is more likely to cause a problem.

I totally agree. I'm the pp that had the parking space auctioned off in high school. Every year it was just one. That was it. It didn't disrupt things at all and it was highly covetted. Frankly, I don't recall it ever going to an outwardly or known to be wealthy student. My school didn't really have that many spoiled kids though. I don't think it sent any bad message at all. Besides, it was a student. The situation might be different if there were many, but I think another difference with the line cutting is that it is parents.

[Anonymous]

Sooo not ok. That is when I would rethink my decision to have my child at that school. Really truly obnoxious.

[Anonymous]

Yuck! And I thought I'd heard the worse of the auction craziness . . .

[Anonymous]

It's a ridiculous prize, just ridiculous, whether it's one or five. I can't believe there hasn't been an uprising to stop the practice. It just sends the wrong message. Maybe for one week. But all year? How much does this go for?

[Anonymous]

Thousands of dollars. I thought my reaction might have been over the top, glad to see I'm not alone!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Man oh man, auctions are complicated. To be reminded each and every day that someone shelled out big bucks for that privilege, when not every family in the school is in a position to bid on pricey items, would rankle me to no end. How is the mom handling it? I would be quite peeved! Drop-off rage, anyone?

She is slightly annoyed, but it's not that big a deal to her. I was the one who found it outrageous, even though I dont have a horse in that race...