I write with disbelief regarding a policy recently introduced in a local frum school: a “Free Pass” initiative that exempts students from a final exam if they raise or donate $550 to a designated organization.

Encouraging chesed and tzedakah among our children is admirable. But linking a mitzvah to an academic incentive is, at best, misguided and, at worst, a distortion of the very values we claim to uphold.

Tzedakah is not a bargaining chip. It is not a ticket to privilege or a means to bypass accountability. It is one of the foundational mitzvos of a Torah life, meant to be done lishmah, out of a pure desire to help Klal Yisrael—not in exchange for skipping an exam.

This policy does more than blur the lines between ruchniyus and reward—it erases them. It suggests to our children that enough money (or enough fundraising prowess) can take the place of effort, yegiah, and hard-earned growth. That is not chinuch; it is a transactional mindset that contradicts everything we teach about ameilus baTorah, personal responsibility, and integrity.

Even more troubling is the silent message this sends to students who cannot meet the $550 threshold. Whether due to financial limitations or lack of access to fundraising networks, these children are left carrying the academic burden while others are rewarded—not for their learning, but for their wallets. What kind of message does that send? That effort in the classroom matters less than financial clout? That your worth in school is tied to a dollar amount?

This risks turning the classroom into a marketplace where grades can be purchased, and exemptions are for sale. And worse, it will plant seeds of shame, resentment, and division among our children.

Schools should be places of dignity, equity, and growth—where success is earned, not bought. There are countless ways to foster a love of giving in our students without cheapening their education or introducing financial disparity into the spiritual and academic space.

I respectfully urge school leaders and administrators to reconsider this deeply flawed approach. Let us return to a chinuch rooted in Torah values—where mitzvos are done with sincerity, learning is treasured for its own sake, and every child, regardless of financial standing, is uplifted with kavod and clarity.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Parent

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