As schools welcome students once again, it is normal for teachers to provide a list of school suppliers that parents should buy for students, which they will use for learning. But what if the school asks parents to buy supplies like hand sanitizers for the whole class?
This mom gave her son’s teacher a shoutout on TikTok after that teacher gave her son a zero grade simply because the student was not able to buy and bring supplies like hand sanitizers and cleansing wipes that the entire classroom can use.
“Am I doing too much? #fyp #school,” the mom, who goes by the handle @shanittanicole on TikTok, captioned her clip.
Zero grade
In her video, the mom explained how before her son started school once again, they purchased the school supplies that were on the list that the school provided. Until things got weird.
During the second week, she said her son returned home to her saying the teacher would also need them to provide the classroom with supplies
“And I’m like, That’s weird. We got you everything on the list that you would need for the class and you’re not going to be using any classroom supplies,” the mom said.
During the third week, her son came home telling her that his teacher was planning to give him a zero grade if they would not turn in the requested classroom supplies.
So, to not escalate the issue further, the mom just purchased the supplies the teacher was requesting, which she said included tissues, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizers, Expo markers, pencils, and red pens. But, the mom shared that after doing so, her son still had a zero grade.
What netizens are saying
Obviously, the netizens sided with the mom. One user told the mom, “you are NOT wrong. it’s totally acceptable to [ask for] donations because let’s face it schools are poor, but a GRADE!?!?! NAH. NOPE. NO MAAM.”
Another wrote, “That is so unfair!! [Especially] the kids whose parents CANT afford groceries let alone classroom supplies!!!”
The mom confronted the teacher, telling them she does not think “it’s the parent’s responsibility to supply her classroom.”
“I appreciate the involved parents and I’ll upgrade his grade today,” the teacher responded.
However, the mom was bothered that the teacher did not address her queries if parents should be responsible for providing supplies for the classroom.
