To think the school should not be promoting forever living shite via book bags?

[Catnappingcatnip]

I emptied Dd's school bag earlier and there was a letter in there. A whole full sheet of A4 from a forever living rep asking us parents to join her amazing successful team. Her children don't even go to the school. I'm disgusted that this is allowed. It's bad enough being bombarded with it on fb but to be spammed by the school is something else. I'm tempted to complain but I don't want to be one of those parents. So AIBU or is this wrong?

YANBU. Is irrelevant advertising usually put in school bags?

Yanbu. Straight in the recycle bin!

I would definitely ask the teacher how it got in the book bag and why

Id be asking why it was in the book bag too

This isn't the first time irrelevant advertising has been put in the bag. I don't mind if it's for a local group or something that Dd might be interested in but not this. A friend of mine said in front of her Ds once that she was fed up with all the junk mail in the book bags. The next time it was given out in school her Ds told the teacher his Mum didn't want any more junk mail.

I don't think any advertising material should be sent home from school - it feels distasteful.

My kids are late twenties/early thirties now but when they were at primary school I queried a flier they came home with advertising French lessons. In fact, it was nothing arranged by the school but someone running a private company and charging for lessons and asking parents to allow them to be run in their own home for groups of children.

I asked if the school was endorsing the company and the HT said he didn't know much about it,

I just feel that if a school sends something like this home, it gives the impression that they approve of or endorse it in some way. Otherwise, why do it?

At our school, we charge local companies to hand their advertising out to parents via book bags, all goes towards school fund.

It's usually out of school activities but I can't honestly say we'd refuse if a FL rep approached us.

Ugh no, book bags are for... books! They're not letterboxes. I'd be seriously annoyed and take it up with the school. It annoys me enough when they send the 'Family Life' magazine home which is basically a catalogue of expensive classes and private schools posing as a lifestyle mag. Anything as blatant as what you've received wouldn't be tolerated.

Please don't ask the poor teacher. Often, we are given reams and reams of things by the office that "must go out today!!!" and often I don't even look at what it is, especially if it's not directly related to school events.

Ask the office or the head.

That's totally taking the piss! I'd complain. Schools should be the one place where you're free from shit business ads like that.

We're not at the school stage yet, but a mum at DS's nursery is into all that Forever Living shite and plastered the place in crappy posters with photos of her child amid all the bottles, banging on about how much [child's name] 'simply loves' her Forever Living products. At the time all I could muster was (and some sympathy for the poor child) as I could tune them out. Putting anything in DS's bag would have been a step too far!

YANBU. I don't think that book bags should be used for advertising - even if it adds funds to the school. Whatever next? Sponsored uniforms? Burger King providing lunches? This french lesson is brought to you by Peugeot? Complain OP.

Sourceofinformation "At our school, we charge local companies to hand their advertising out to parents via book bags, all goes towards school fund."

Do you mind me asking if your school is an Academy or an LEA school?

What is forever living. I noticed it being talked about on another thread but I can't work out what it is.

Standard LA school in a nice area. We were getting loads of requests to hand out leaflets for drama/swimming/holiday activities etc which are generally appreciated by our parents, but which were taking a fair amount of time to organise and hand out, so it was decided we'd ask for a donation to do it.

Also, why should these businesses get free, targeted, direct advertising?

We probably make about £30pw. Charge £5 per 200 leaflets (whole school). Personally, I think £5 isn't enough

Sometimes, it takes a good 20mins of my day to hand out all the crap papers and letters given to us by the office. Not exactly the best use of what should be teaching time. And that's in Yr6 where they don't need help putting things in their bags. Can't even imagine the amount of wasted time in Rec or Yr1.

Have no idea why most things can't be emailed (and then ignored as needed) anyway.

complain.

"What is forever living. I noticed it being talked about on another thread but I can't work out what it is."

It is a MLM (multi-level-marketing) company (a type of pyramid scheme though they deny this) which is set up to make millions to the people at the top of the pyramid to recruit people (known as 'the downline') who have to then recruit other people who have to recruit other people, and also have to spend a regular sum of their own money on products (whether they use it or not). The vast majority of people involved will actually lose money (as well as friends and family).

People who are sucked into Forever Living are encouraged to exploit all their family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, anyone they have ever known even remotely in their lives to join the company. Facebook and other social media is a favoured way of reaching out .

However using a school is a new one to me. Outrageous!

There are a couple of interesting threads going at the moment;

This one is more serious, but very informative (up to number 3 thread)...
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2446930-FL-MLM-Thread-3

This one is a bit of fun ...
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/legal_money_matters/2437667-MLM-bot-watch-FL-Juice-Plus-Younique-etc

this kind of shit really, really, really pissed me off. our school are now doing a quarterly advertising newsletter for parent to pimp their businesses so that will no doubt be full of FL shite too. I really find it inappropriate to advertise parents businesses, it attempts at business in an educational setting.

What the fuck is forever living? I hear it everywhere on here but no one I knows ever heard of it? What is it?

It's a shit pyramid selling thing involving Aloe Vera, that some dopey fuckers get drawn into.
I'd complain too.

Hasn't reached dearest darkest fife yet. Il watch out for it

I'd have a word with the head.

I'm going to complain on Monday. I'm really annoyed about it. Glad to know I'm not being unreasonable.

YADNBU!

It would really annoy me to, I would find ANY spam in a book bag annoying & tasteless, but this most of all.

I would definitely complain. I would complain about all of it - whatever happened to just leaving a pile of the relevant kids clubs type stuff by the school office, or pick up points ,

YANBU. I object to Forever Living on moral grounds. You would not be "one of those parents" if you complained. It is completely reasonable to expect book bags to be solely about literacy and not some multi level marketing exploitative shite.