Alabama Students Limited In Teacher Gifting Under New Law

[proud2BlibKansan]

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — An Alabama teacher who accepts a Christmas ham or a $25 gift card from a student is breaking Alabama's ethics law. The possible penalty? Up to a year in jail and a $6,000 fine for the teacher who accepts the gift.

The law, which took effect earlier this year and is considered one of the toughest in the country, limits what public officials and employees can receive as gifts to a "de minimis" value, but it doesn't define that amount. With most schools about to get out for the holidays, the State Ethics Commission has been flooded with calls about what students can give.

"The bottom line for me is, our teachers are being forced to make a decision between breaking the law or breaking a child's heart," said Amy O'Neal, a teacher at Pine Crest Elementary School about 30 miles southeast of Birmingham.

In an advisory opinion Wednesday, the Ethics Commission said "hams, turkeys or gift cards with a specific monetary value are not permissible." Items of nominal value, such as homemade cookies, coffee mugs and fruit baskets, are acceptable. The commission didn't give a dollar amount for student-teacher gifts.

more . . . http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/07/alabama-law-limits-studen_0_n_1135151.html

I'm holding out for a side of beef. Hams are so last century.

[Fearless]

1. I don't know... I've seen some pretty darn expensive fruit baskets...

Seriously though, way to literally pry food out of a caring teacher's mouth especially in a state that pays teachers fairly poorly!

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Note that gifts to bankers are not restricted

Of course teachers are MUCH more corrupt.

[Fearless]

3. Oh clearly!

I mean those darned teachers are clearly robbing students of their milk money at every opportunity but those sweet innocent bankers only want to charge you fee after fee after fee because you were asking for it!



What a crazy mixed up world we live in.

[exboyfil]

4. Put this in perspective

We have a very rigorous ethics standard at my work. I absolutely cannot receive anything of value from a suppllier.

My wife gives gifts to teachers that sometimes have a nominal value in the $25 range (new mothers) and usually at least $10/teacher per year. I would prefer that she only give these gifts once my child has completed the course, but she will not listen to me.

[mbperrin]

5. Does anyone actually believe that a child's grade will be changed for a $10 gift?

I teach economics, and I always tell my students that I will gladly sell them any grade they want.

For $783,458

Here's why, and it's a good eco lesson:
First, I'll get fired and lose my teaching license, so I need to cover my salary for the last 5 years of my career - $330,567 with the expectation of a reasonable $500 step raise each year.

By retiring early, I will also be reducing my monthly retirement, and so we must account for the present value of that retirement. Multiply that by my life expectancy, and voila! $783,458

No takers - they'd rather study.

I DO get the occasional breakfast burrito, however.

Hope that doesn't make me a bad man....

[exboyfil]

6. I am not saying that

Why do you think my company has a strict gift policy? I obviously am not going to favor a supplier because they give me a $10 gift. The problem with gifts and such is that they grow into expectations. I used to be a customer engineer on an account in which the buyer expected us to take him to dinner at a particular restaurant each time. That company is a competitor of my current company, and I never liked it then, and I still remember how unfair it was.

As I said we give frequent gifts to our childrens' teachers. I think the biggest gift we give them though are our children ready to learn and give it their best shot. In classrooms in which fish are poisoned, computers are taken apart, and objects are thrown; my kids are always ready to learn.

I guess it comes down to an appearance of impropriety. When I was in school I always kept an arms length relationship with my teachers. After the grades are in the book, some have become close friends of mine.

[MichiganVote]

7. What absolute and utter nonsense. They waste taxpayer $ for this?

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. Apparently so

But you know - bribing teachers is such a huge problem

[MichiganVote]

9. Bunch of freaks.