Textbooks

Of course students should have to pay for textbooks they’ve lost. As soon as they check it out, that book becomes their responsibility, just like any library book. The district is lending it out and shouldn’t have to foot the bill when the student loses it.

The amount of money the Rochester City School District has lost to missing textbooks is evidence enough. Something in the neighborhood of half a million dollars has been spent buying new books, and that money could certainly be put to other uses. If students don’t care enough about their textbooks to keep track of them, they shouldn’t be too bothered when they have to part with 40 bucks.

And what message does it send when the district lets students get away with losing school property? If students aren’t penalized for losing textbooks, or just never returning them, there will be no incentive to give them back. When you look at some of the things that get sold on eBay, it would be hard to deny that a relatively new textbook could make a few bucks. With the policy as it is, what’s keeping a student from going out and selling their books?

I’ve also heard, though I can’t verify it, that people are supposed to learn things at school. And is there a more important lesson to be taught then responsibility? Students need to know there are consequences for their actions, and they need to be able to keep track of their belongings or belongings loaned to them. If you get a job and then lose your employer’s property, you’ll both have to pay for the property and be fired. The City School District wouldn’t be doing their job if they didn’t prepare their pupils for the real world.