More (!) School Bullshit... I need a friggen Xanax or something.

Listen, I have had it up to here with EJ's stupid school. UP.TO.HERE.

Remember all the crap about the Christian motivational speaker, and before that, the messy desk and EJ's desk nazi teacher? Well, this is worse, way worse. And it's a damn good thing the school is closed, for their own sake, because I am THISCLOSE to calling them up and telling them what a bunch of fascist pigs they are (or something equally appalling.)

Okay. I need to back up. Each week, the students in EJ's class are given a book in an envelope. The kids are supposed to read the book each evening and bring it back each morning to read in class. In the evenings, parents are supposed to sign the envelope to show that the kids read the book, and then they get the next book the following week.

A few weeks ago, Beastie got hold of EJ's book. She took an ink pen and drew all over the back of the book, and on the inside back cover. The book was still readable, but didn't look so hot cosmetically, unless you enjoy the, er, "modern art" look. So EJ took it back to school, and the next day I got a note saying I needed to pay $8 to replace the book.

Fine, but if I am paying for the book, I'm keeping the book. I mean, it only makes sense, right? That if you pay for something, you get to keep it? Yes it does. It makes sense legally too, but I'm not going on Judge Judy over an eight dollar book.

The teacher refused to give us the book. So I refused to pay the eight dollars. And then she got all bitchy with EJ, and screamed at The Hub when he tried to explain our point of view, and finally we just said forget it, pay the damn eight dollars. End of story, right?

Oh, how I wish it were so.

Today EJ came home with no book. "Where is your reading book?" I asked, and she got a funny look on her face. "Did you forget it in your desk?" - Which, I would like to point out, she has never done, but I couldn't think where else this week's book could be.

"No. Mrs. F. says I can't have book anymore, because [Beastie] drew on last week's book."

"Really?" I said, getting angry. "That's pretty amazing, considering we were up north all week, and when we got home, you didn't remember to read the book. So it was in your backpack all week long. She couldn't have drawn on it."

"Well, Mrs. F. says [Beastie] drew on it just a little teensy bit, so I can't have books anymore. But she said I can still read it at school."

"Did she send a note about the book?" I asked, figuring that a normal person would at least send a friggen note. EJ didn't know, so I checked her backpack. No note.

How in the hell is EJ supposed to keep up with the class if she can't read the damn books? How is this fair?

I wouldn't be upset about this, if Beastie really had drawn on another book. But SHE DIDN'T. She had no way of getting into EJ's backpack, unless she woke up sometime in the middle of the night, snuck into EJ's room, climbed up the bunkbed ladder, unhooked the backpack from said ladder, unzipped the backpack - oh and, don't forget, you can never, ever find a writing utensil in our house. No. It didn't happen.

What's happening here is, the teacher is annoyed (or, probably, downright pissed off) with The Hub and I, for having the balls to question the fairness of paying for a book and not being able to keep the book.

I have a call into the principal and the superintendent. I left a message. I would like to say it was a rude message, but it wasn't, because I'm not generally a rude person. (But if they could read my mind, they'd be running. For real.) I am not going to put up with this. This is EJ's education at stake. This school has pushed me just a little too far and I am not going to put up with this. It's bullshit.