Did you know that the NYC Department of Education prohibits gifts from individuals of more than a modest nature to teachers in public schools?
While class gifts are permitted — although only modest amount should be asked from each family. — all names of families and children must be on the card whether or not that family contributed.
According to a note from the administration of PS 321, It is very important that you follow this regulation or else you put teachers in danger of violating conflict of interest regulations.
Below is the Chancellor’s Regulation C-110 with more information about gifts for teachers:
E. Gifts, Fundraising, and Celebrations for
New or Newly-Promoted Staff Member
1. Gifts and Fundraising
No student, parent, guardian, school class, official or employee is required or expected to contribute toward any gift or testimonial to an official or employee of
the Department of Education. No class, student, parent, official or employee shall be expected or required to
participate in any fundraising activity.
a. Gifts from individual students, parents
and/or guardians
Individual students, parents and/or guardians
may wish to make gifts to officials and employees at the end of the year and at similar occasions, such as holidays,
weddings, and the birth of an official’s or employee’s child. However, discretion must be used to ensure that
officials and employees do not accept gifts of value from individual children, parents or guardians. Only those gifts
that are principally sentimental in nature and of small financial value may be accepted.
b. Gifts from School Classes
In addition to individual gifts, sometimes an
entire school class may wish to make a gift to officials and employees at the end of the year and at similar occasions,
such as holidays, weddings and the birth of an official’s or employee’s child. Officials and employees may
accept gifts from whole classes of students, their parents and/or guardians, provided that each student, parent or
guardian in the class has the opportunity to sign the card or note that comes with the gift, whether or not the
student, parent or guardian contributed to the cost of the gift.