GEN: Lost books, no payment

[Jean Townes <townesj@PEAK.ORG>]

This subject doesn't lend itself to short subject descriptions...
I am looking for some collective wisdom for a problem.  I work in a
school with many low-income and very low-income families.  Periodically I
get a student with a lost (or hopelessly damaged) book whose parents
either refuse to consider any form of payment or stonewall the issue.  I
know that income is an issue in most of these cases.  I don't want to
immediately drop it but I also recognize the problem and don't want to keep
the student caught in the middle.  I've tried having the student "work"
it off in the library but the students seem to feel that this is a
privilege.  I don't want to be punitive, and it feels like at some point
the matter just needs to be cleared by dropping it.  Keeping this hanging
over the students head for an extended time period is not going to do
anything to promote positive feelings about the library.  However I do
want students to feel responsible for what they borrow....
 I need some fresh thinking about how to
deal with this.
 
 
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Jean Townes                             townesj@PEAK.ORG
Waverly Elementary School
Greater Albany Public Schools
Albany, Or 97321
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