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School retracts its $100 ‘homework buyout’ fundraiser after parent outrage

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It started as a fun way to raise money for the school’s classrooms.

But after parent complaints, Richard Henry Lee Elementary School in Los Alamitos, California, is retracting its “homework buyout” fundraiser that encouraged parents “buy” their kids out of homework for a week for $100.

The parent of a fourth grader at the school was outraged when her son came home with a flier about the program, run by Parent Teacher Association group Project Leap, which aimed to put the donated money back into the classroom.

"I’m furious because I don’t have $100, first of all, to give to the school," the mother, who wanted to remain anonymous, told ABC7 News.

"I feel bad for my son because he was like, ‘Mom, can we do it?’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not going to let a teacher or a school bribe my kid and teach him the wrong thing. It’s not morally correct to say, hey give $100 and you don’t have to do your work," she said.

When Eyewitness News started to investigate the program, the district claimed to be unaware of the fundraiser — and quickly put an end to it.

"We love our fundraising groups and have amazingly supportive parents but we absolutely cannot raise money by having parents pay for having no homework for their specific student," said Sherry Kropp, the superintendent of the Los Alamitos Unified School District, in a statement.

Parents who already participated will be receiving a full refund.

What do you think? Would you have paid to get your kids out of homework for a week? Or do you agree that handing over cash to get out of work sends the wrong message?