The Adventure of the Fee Wavier Bullies

Only recently was our attention drawn to a teacher who was called onto the carpet for mentioning the subject of "free and reduced meals" and "fee waivers" in class. She had done so as a result of viewing bullying by fee wavier students of students who actually paid for their own lunches and field trips. The fee wavier students called the paying students "stupid" and "dumb" for paying when they did not have to. Ultimately, after explaining the irony of such teasing and bullying to her students, the teacher was reprimanded by administrators for telling students, "they were poor," a term she did not use. When the teacher tried to explain the context, she was rebuffed, as well as reminded that her students economic status was not of her concern. So now she says, when kids ask her why they have to pay for things that 80% of the kids don't have to pay for, she just tells them to remember they're lucky, no matter what anyone else says. "There's no stigma attached to fee waivers at all. It's like you're ignorant for not taking advantage of it."