While the world is focused on the prospect that a student or a parent might bribe a teacher with a gift, the presence of a statute, if not well known by both parents and teachers, places the teacher in perpetual risk. A simple act of kindness can be turned into a weapon. A parent or child with a grudge can set up a teacher to take a gift then report that teacher to the authorities for fun or profit.

If the kid is giving a gift, they probably like the teacher (and maybe even have a crush).

If the parent is cynical or calculating enough to pass out bribes to their kids’ teachers, the teachers are probably smart enough to see through it.

Any gift bigger than a card or some candy or fruits, I suppose I don’t mind their making a law – because there is a very real potential for abuse with teachers who have less than stellar ethics.

A War on Knee-Jerk Overreactions by Legislators would be nice though.

I’m more interested in the hams & turkeys bit — that had to come from something specific. There’s a story there, I imagine.

Wow… how do I get the last five minutes back.

This is not overreach or a problem Tina. This is a sensible rule that lots of places have. I have a friend who holds a rather high position in the state government and I can’t take him out for lunch. He is meticulous about obeying the rules. My first job at Burger King had the same rule about staff accepting gifts and tips. If kids and parents want to thank a teacher they can write to the school and say what a great job that teacher is doing and give to the school… they accept gifts but not individual teachers. It’s pretty easy to work with and being against the rules is NOT criminalization.

lexhamfox on December 14, 2011 at 2:21 PM

Check the title: “Alabama teachers could receive jail time for accepting Christmas gifts from students.” There are lots of businesses with restrictions on gifts from customers or associates, and I think reasonable restrictions on teachers is a very good idea, but jail time for accepting a gift is … a bit much.

The act of giving a gift isn’t just a potential form of bribery. It’s also one of the few ways a kid can express his/her feelings without feeling embarrassed, and I wouldn’t want to deprive them of the opportunity. If a gift will make a teacher feel indebted to the kid, they need to take a step back and remember that being disciplined and fair is ultimately what the child wants, not a relationship that is based on buying attention.

Strictly on topic of the law, however, a cap on the amount for a gift is not a bad idea. It gives the student an easy to reference amount for what would be appropriate, which some of them might not know to follow. That said, the commenter who mentioned the handwritten card being what the teacher kept the longest is quite correct. Candies and such get eaten, (sometimes with trepidation if you had a rocky relationship with the student), but the handwritten letters and cards stay posted on my wall forever, slowly accumulating over the years. In a way, those letters are our own personal “Changing of the Guard” episode.

Because a few parents have sent their kids to school bearing over-the-top presents for Teacher, the State of Alabama Ethics Commission has decided that some Christmas gifts equate to bribes.

The was a time in America when the entire class prayed together. Now people want nothing to do with God and everything to do with their own ideas on sexuality, politics, and lifestyles. Man, things are getting out there, eh? I recommend we be like the 5 wise virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). Thanks.

I think the last switch thrower was Lyndon Johnson.

Sorry, it only applies to public employees, which she is decidedly NOT. So pay up, sucka!

(And I’ll bet she’ll give you an A+)

Agnbama on December 14, 2011 at 3:38 PM

LOL Agnbama,

I was just worried about the jail sentence. She’s getting that gift even if I have to go to jail for her.

But seriously, it is a ludicrous situation, and yet another argument (if a minor one) for scrapping what passes for public education in America and replacing it with any of the proven, market-driven approaches.

Merry Christmas!

I live by a simple rule: Government always knows best.

I live by a simple observation: Government always knows best how to act stupidly and its bureaucrats continually reinforce my observation daily.

That creates an interesting dilemma for parents who home-school their children in Alabama. So much for the tennis bracelet I was going to give my wife for Christmas…

Sorry, it only applies to public employees, which she is decidedly NOT. So pay up, sucka!

(And I’ll bet she’ll give you an A+)

I live by a simple rule: Government always knows best.

Bishop on December 14, 2011 at 1:54 PM

Is your bunker government approved?

BTW, “Bishop’s Bunker” would be a great name for a reality show….

;-)