US School Offers Gift Certificates as Promotional Incentive |
03 Jul 2006 |
| A charter school is offering gift cards in a bid to attract students with good grades, but the move is drawing criticism from officials and parents who call the strategy unethical.
The Wisconsin Career Academy is offering $100 gift cards to students who arrive with grade-point averages of at least 3.5, $50 to students with at least a 3.25 GPA and school apparel to those with a 2.5 GPA or better. The money is donated by the school's board of directors and doesn't come from school funds, which makes the move compliant with charter school law, said Tarik Celik, the school's principal. But Milwaukee Public Schools considers the incentives an "unapproved practice," said Phil Harris, spokesman for district, which oversees the school's charter contract. The district mailed the school a warning letter last year and will send another letter this year, Harris said. The strategy, which the academy began last year, brought in 20 to 30 new students, Celik said. Offering cash incentives is a form of "bounty hunting," said John Glaspey, whose ninth-grade daughter, Madeline, received two promotional brochures from the academy. |
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