GEN: kids work to pay for lost book?

[Johanna Halbeisen Rebecca Johnson School]

OK, LM_NET wonder-librarians, you've helped me with much harder
problems, what can you suggest for this one?

My school is an inner-city school, with most of the kids coming from
pretty poor families.  When a kid loses or damages a book, sometimes
there is no way for the kid or the family to come up with the money.
This year I wanted to set up something where the kids could pay the
school in work instead of money.  I asked the custodians if they'd be
willing to take kids and supervise some simple task (cleaning the
kid-made scuff marks off the floors, for example).  They liked the idea.
OK, so I work up a form and send it down to the principal (I'd
mentioned it to the assistant principals last spring, seemed to be ok).
Principal nixed it.  something about child labor laws.

What I am trying to figure is what I could do to get around it.  I can
keep the kids for detention to "pay for the book".  But that's not what
I had in mind.  Does anyone else let kids work off a book debt?  What
is your system?  What work do they do?  Who supervises it?  What else
could I try???

Send ideas to me, I'll post a hit if there is interest.
--
Johanna Halbeisen                               "We are confronted by
Rebecca M. Johnson School(K-8)                   insurmountable opportunties."
Springfield, Mass
jhalbei@k12.oit.umass.edu                               Pogo