Money Goes Straight to the Teacher's Pocket - Parent Was Charged a $116 Fee for Arriving Late to Pick Up Their Kid

Parenting young children is a non-stop hustle, a 24/7 commitment that can leave you short on time and running behind schedule to pick up your kids from school, and the teachers kindly wait with them until you arrive. But this wait comes at a cost in one school that sparked a debate by charging parents $116 for picking up their kids late and paying it to the teacher.

Time is Money

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As with any job, teachers have their working hours, and when the workday is over, they can't wait to leave and enjoy the rest of their day doing what they want. However, teachers working with young children can't always do that due to parents occasionally being late to pick up their kids, making the teacher endure the situation.

Late Pickups, Cash Consequences

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This particular issue seems to become quite a headache for one school, to the extent that it has made a decision to charge parents $2 for every minute they’re late. And in case you were wondering where the money goes, it goes directly into the teacher's pocket for having to work beyond their regular working hours.

Unexpected $116 Reward

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A teacher at this school named Kristin Evans found herself receiving unexpected cash after she waited for an hour for a parent to pick up their kid. As a reward for her patience, Kristin ended up earning a substantial $116 from that particular parent.

Money Goes Directly To Teacher’s Pocket 

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Sharing her experience in a now-viral TikTok video, Kristin says: "The director of my school just walked up to me and handed me $116. She said it was because one of my half-day students was picked up almost an hour late, and we get paid $2 a minute for every minute that they're late. So this parent was charged $2 a minute for being late and it goes directly to my pocket." 

A 'Weird' Surprise

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Kristin mentions in the video captions that this is a completely new situation for her, and it feels "weird" to receive money from the late parent. “During my 10+ years in public education, I regularly waited 20-30 mins after school with students waiting for parent pick up,” she adds. 

Late Pick Up Fee

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“This late pick up policy is in my new school's admission agreement. This also is not the first or second or third time they've been 20+ mins late without notice or communication but this was the first time they were charged the late pick up fee.”

One-Pound-Per-5-Minutes Fine

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Apparently, this issue isn't exclusive to a single school, as even Holy Trinity C of E Primary School in Gravesend, Kent, faced a similar situation in 2020. In response, they threatened to fine parents one pound for every five minutes they were late picking up their kids. They even went as far as threatening to contact social services if children weren't collected by 4 p.m.

Heated Debate over School's Late Pickup Policy

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The video has widely spread on TikTok and garnered over 7.3 million views and 793.7k likes as of August 2, sparking a heated debate about the fairness of this school's policy.

Approval From the Viewers

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In the comment section, several viewers praised the school for implementing a policy that ensures teachers are not working for free. One user expressed their approval, writing, “That’s awesome you actually get it! I feel like some schools would keep it.” Another agreed, “That’s awesome!! All teachers should get paid extra like that”

The Moral Aspect

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Not everyone agreed with the school’s policy, as some felt it wasn't morally right to accept money from late parents because there could be genuine reasons for being late. “I couldn't morally keep that money I'd have to return it to the parents,” one user commented.  

Valid Reasons To Be Late vs Fair Compensation

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A commenter chimed in with their personal story to imply that late parents might have valid reasons. “I can remember crying because I was stuck in traffic, couldn’t get to child’s daycare before it closed or afford the fine & they called police,” they shared. 

However, a single parent expressed agreement with the policy, seeing it as a fair way to compensate teachers. They recalled, “I absolutely remember being a Single Parent making it my business to get to my Son's school on time every single day!”

A $10 First Minute Charge

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Many viewers in the comment section shared different late fees charged by schools. One user wrote, “My sons school charges $20/min.” A second added, ”we have an after school program and after 6 (when we closed) parents were charged $5 the first min. and $1 for every min after.”

A third chimed in, “Ours is 10 dollars the first minute and a dollar a minute thereafter. Even in an emergency, if you call from the ER. I’ve paid it.”

‘Teachers Would Never See That Money’

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Some viewers expressed relief that in this case, the teacher who waited actually received the money directly. One person shared their experience, saying, “The daycare I worked at charged $1 a minute but the teachers would never see that money.”

“At least you got paid,” another commented. “I was a SUB, the director, lead and everyone had left for the day and I stayed an hour past because of a late parent.”

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