Imagine being 7 years old and peering out the window, watching all your friends have fun.
Elementary school students at PS 120 in Queens, New York, who couldn't come up with the $10 for the school carnival were heartlessly forced to sit in an auditorium while the rest of their 900 classmates enjoyed an
end-of-the-year carnival:
Close to 900 kids went to the Queens schoolyard affair, with pre-K to fifth-grade classes taking turns, each spending 45 minutes outside. The kids enjoyed inflatable slides, a bouncing room and a twirly teacup ride. They devoured popcorn and flavored ices. DJs blasted party tunes.
But more than 100 disappointed kids were herded into the darkened auditorium to just sit or watch an old Disney movie while aides supervised — the music, shouts and laughter outside still audible.
Teachers and parents alike were upset by school principal Joan Monroe's decision:
Another teacher was sickened by the inequity.
“If you are doing a carnival during school hours, it should be free,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s one kid or 200 sitting in the auditorium. They all should have been out there.”
The
NY Post notes the carnival fees not only paid the entire cost, but they pulled in an extra $2,000-3,000 in profit. Just one more example of an ever-growing list of ways to shame the poor.
Wed May 27, 2015 at 11:37 AM PT: A fantastic update! The owner of Send In The Clowns Entertainment, which hosted the carnival, says he's going to throw a second carnival for the kids who missed out:
“I’m in the business for over 25 years and always put kids first,” said Gary Pincus, president of Send in the Clowns Entertainment. “Therefore, I would love to do a free carnival for all the kids that weren’t permitted to attend.”
