Dear Whoever It Concerns:

                Paying kids to tattle-tale, what a wonderful concept. Or so you thought. I believe that this idea will cause trouble faster than it will reduce it. There are three reasons that I find this concept horrific: 1) We may be saving lives but we are wasting money; 2) Many of the children who are caught will want to retaliate against those that provided evidence against them; and 3) Some students, I believe, will turn in another student so that they themselves can get their next high.

                First, we most definitely are wasting money. You’ll be handing out money to children and teens that may very well be lying to you. How are you going to know that the child speaking to you hasn’t planted evidence or is even telling all of the facts? If you give them the money right when you get the information, but take it back later when you realize that the accuser was wrong, the parents might sue you! This whole idea is like throwing money in the air, just to be caught up in the hands of those who don’t deserve it.

                Additionally, many students, I fear, will want to retaliate. Yes, they may have been guilty, but that does not register in the person’s brain when they get into heaps of trouble and their accuser gets money for it. If someone told private information about me (whether it was truth or not) for money, I would be very angry and would also like to see them go down too. The children/teens don’t understand that revenge is not the best answer.

                Lastly, I’m very sure that some of the students out there would be willing to turn in friends or lie so that they can get money for their next high. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Why would students do that? I’m sure that they wouldn’t really do it!’ I’m telling you now, they will. If they are addicted to drugs, in a gang, or homeless and desperate for money they will lie for that money. Even the nicest kids can be driven to this if there is a strong enough reason. If you do this, I’m guessing the information you get will be fake.

                However, some may say this is one of the best ideas you have come up with in a while because they think the drug-usage and school violence will go down. They are wrong. If you start paying money to kids for information, it will go up. They start other kids on drugs and get them guns just so they can turn them in. Teens will create violence so they can turn it in to you for cash. This idea helps no one.

                I hope you see that this is the worst possible idea ever. More violence will appear and more kids will become druggies. We’ll be throwing money away and kids will become better liars. This affair will only help our kids by better preparing them for a career as a criminal.

                Sincerely,

                Chloe