COVINGTON, Wash. – A new money-management curriculum at an elementary school in Washington has left parents concerned.
This curriculum requires its students to 'rent' their desks and 'buy' bathroom passes using classroom currency.
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The program, My Classroom Economy, is an economy in a classroom where students earn "dollars" by completing classroom jobs and for good behavior. They can use those dollars to pay for rent on their desks and if they don't have enough, they get 'evicted' and have to sit on the floor.
A mother of a sixth grader at Cedar Valley Elementary says that her daughter had to go long stretches without using the bathroom when she ran out of her pretend money.
In an interview with KUOW, the mother said, “I was infuriated because it goes against her civil rights to have access to a public restroom,” said the mother, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.
According to the program's website, it explains that its supposed to be "fun, experiential learning," and "a simple classroom economic system based on the idea that students need to earn school 'dollars' so that they can rent their own desks. By bringing real-world scenarios into the classroom, students see the impact of their decisions to save, spend, and budget."
Sharonne Navas, executive director of the Equity in Education Coalition said, "Basically, it teaches our children that there is no safe institution where they can feel like they can be children."
My Classroom Economy curriculum is being used by 900,000 students across the country.
Kent School District spokesperson Melissa Laramie said they are aware of the parent's concerns and are assessing the situation.