Can I write off my internet connection and printer as education expenses?

[SunnyD]

wtf public schools. They now expect the kids to have internet access and printers now. In fact, in addition to the $140 in fees my high schooler came home with, all of his class syllabus/information signature sheets came with questions asking if the student had:

- Internet access
- Mobile internet access
- Printer access
- A laptop or tablet (which may not be connected to the SCHOOL'S wireless network at all)

My son's teachers no longer provide any worksheets or lesson materials to the class. They are expected to print them out themselves, at their own cost.

The best part is that I have had to install shit like Java on my son's machine and white list seemingly random sites for various frivolous assignments because teachers thought "This site looks cool, let's do an assignment with it!"

If only there were some sort of tax write-off in here somewhere.

/firstworldproblems

 

[JulesMaximus]

Nope

 

[SunnyD]

Nope

It was a rhetorical question.

They don't seem to be doing this so much with my middle schooler, at least not yet. But she'll be in high school next year too.

I suspect just the one of them will go through enough toner and paper alone, which makes me happy I bought a new printer that's much cheaper on the toner.

 

[Mixolydian]

$140 in school fees? that's damn cheap. I remember when I was in K-12 school the yearly fees were almost $600.

But yes, people are generally expected to have these things.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

$140 in school fees? that's damn cheap. I remember when I was in K-12 school the yearly fees were almost $600.

But yes, people are generally expected to have these things.

Yearly fees? I don't think I ever had fees like this. Also low income neighborhood so most people wouldn't have even been able to pay.

 

[Markbnj]

I write mine off as an employment expense.

 

[Broheim]

that sounds pretty ridiculous to me, of course I'm a spoiled Dane.

back in "folkeskolen" (people's school, grade 0-9/10) there were no fees, you could print at the school for free and they would provide you with computers if it was necessary (none of the kids got their own laptop until the 7th grade for their "confirmation" back then). We had School wifi.

in high school most people had their own laptops, so the school provided printers and internet for free.

it wasn't until college I had to cough up $30 for my student ID and a couple of hundred prints. Still free wifi and the school would provide macs when needed.

 

[SunnyD]

I should also mention that they tore the lockers out of the high school this year. Why? Because the NEW high school they built on the other side of town doesn't have them. Why? Because they're supposed to have technology (tablets/laptops) so that they don't have to have books to carry around. My son's high school was supposed to get that too.

You probably guessed that they didn't get that. $20 million reno at the school going on, but they didn't get the tech, so all of the kids get to walk around with their backpacks filled to the brim with books and binders to the tune of about 30lbs all day long.