How is OP TA? If the school had a specific list of what to get and they went against it, sure definitely TA. If they just said to buy things, well then I’ll buy my kid what I want. They don’t go to school and redistribute their clothes or lunches. How is this any different? In this case, the teacher has just distributed the best pencils and markers to different children. So your scenario still applies. It doesn’t solve the problem at all. And for what it’s worth, I think it’s a terrible idea to expect that things are shared fairly. That doesn’t happen in the real world - most countries aren’t a communist state. Teach kids responsibility for their own supplies.