School charged parents $116 for picking up their child late and paid it to the teacher, sparking debate

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 4, 2023. It has since been updated.

Teaching is an extremely rewarding profession that basically shapes the future of the world. However, teachers are always expected to do more than what their job description requires them to do and they are often not treated fairly. A teacher was put in such a situation when a parent demanded that she stay back and take care of their child until they can come to pick them up. This had happened many times with several teachers, so this school decided to charge unpunctual parents a $2 fee for every minute they are late, reported Bored Panda. 

Kristin Evans, who started working as a preschool educator, shared this in a TikTok video. She says in the video, "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." She added, "So this parent was charged $2 a minute for being late and it goes directly to my pocket." 

It appears that the school she started working at genuinely cares about their employees since they recognize that if a parent is late picking up their child, the teacher in charge of staying back with the child, despite it being after their working hours, should be compensated for their effort. Some people in the comments section of the video even shared what their schools charge for late pick-ups. TikTok user @mrs._evans shared, "My son's school charges $20/min." Another person @courtneyy_22_ said, "My daycare charges [a dollar] a minute; have yet to have to pay it but I feel like my time [is] coming." 

Several others highlighted how it is extremely important for parents to pick up their children on time. TikTok user @saltpeppernsoul said in response to learning of these charges, "As it should be. I absolutely remember being a Single Parent making it my business to get to my Son's school on time every single day!" Another person @katieblady said, "I worked in a school while I was pregnant with my kiddos and now that I pick them up from school if I’m there 5 minutes before the bell rings I feel." 

Some, however, felt that this might be a little too harsh. User @NMI said, "I can remember crying because I was stuck in traffic. [I] couldn't get to [the] child's daycare before it closed or afford the fine." 

But most seem to agree that if this rule succeeds, it not only benefits the teacher who can get home on time, but it also benefits the child because seeing their parents being habitually late is not the ideal model. Not only that, getting picked up last makes youngsters feel humiliated and anxious and may cause them to lose faith in their parents, according to Training Wheels Needed.

Another article by Home Cleaning Family points out that parents who are consistently late picking up their children convey a strong message to them. A youngster whose parent is constantly really late picking up them or taking them somewhere can grow to feel underappreciated. They will feel ignored, abandoned and defeated. They will feel alone and uneasy and feel that they missed part of the enjoyment due to arriving late. 

It is extremely important to show up for your children whether it is by picking them up for school or attending their school plays. This late fee can make everyone's job easier and might compel parents to not be late.