CYPRESS, Texas – A recent TikTok video caught attention online this week as Houston mother Aly Matei sparked questions about whether teachers in Cy-Fair ISD are allowed to share classroom wish lists online.
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Matei said the issue came to light after she tried to find local teachers’ wish lists in hopes of donating before the new school year. She said when she could not find any lists online, she posted on social media urging teachers to reach out with their lists, and CFISD teachers responded.
“That’s when I got the DMs coming in saying, ‘I’m not able to publicly post this. I can sometimes privately share it,’” Matei said. “It made me so sad that these teachers are having to jump through all these loopholes.”
So Matei went to TikTok and posted a new video expressing teachers’ claims that CFISD was not allowing them to post their wish lists online.
Here’s what teachers were saying in her comments:
@user1503194302939
- “Girl I just post mine and block my coworkers from seeing it.”
@madison.elise.adams
- “I just left CFISD. We were told we couldn’t even post them on our personal Facebook. I still did it because it’s a ridiculous rule, and it was MY friends and family who were donating to ME!”
@life-of-des66
- “As a current employee of CFISD, I’m so confused because we never heard of this.”
One of the most puzzling parts of the story is the inconsistencies in what is being communicated.
Matei said the varying reports and teachers’ lack of awareness about certain rules are what concern her most.
“There are so many varying reports,” Matei said. “Some teachers are saying they can’t share anything. Some are saying they have no issues doing that.”
Matei said the only way she has been able to make sense of this is that she believes the policy may be tied to the public perception that school districts are not properly providing resources for their teachers and students, although she stressed it was her opinion.
“I think the school districts are doing this because it’s all PR,” Matei said. “They don’t want to seem like they’re not providing. But if it sounds like a duck, it’s a duck.”
CFISD, however, says teachers can share classroom lists once they receive proper approval.
CFISD issued KPRC this statement:
“To ensure compliance with Board Policy CDC (LOCAL) and District Regulation CDC-R, CFISD has an approval process in place for its two district-authorized crowdfunding websites, DonorsChoose.org and Amazon Classroom Wish List. Once an authorization form is completed and approved by their campus principal, the lists may be made live, and teachers may share links to these lists online. Donors financially support programs like DonorsChoose, in part, based on the needs of students at specific campuses promoted in the description. As such, materials acquired through these donations remain at the campus to continue supporting the students and programs for which the donations were intended. This ensures that donor contributions directly benefit the campus community identified in the funding request.”
Still, Matei said some teachers have privately told her they created personal “birthday” wish lists as a workaround to get classroom items.
Matei also said she has heard from other educators around Texas who have reached out and commented with similar stories.
“I want to support my friends and family. I want to support their kids and their community,” Matei said. “All we want to do is help our teachers and help our kids.”