A New Westminster mother is speaking out about a policy at her daughter's school that she says is forcing her to spend money on supplies she already has ahead of the upcoming school year.

"It seems wasteful to me," said Alice Cavanagh, whose daughter, Elizabeth, is in the fourth grade at École Qayqayt Elementary. "It's financially wasteful as well as environmentally wasteful."

At Qayqayt, the school does the shopping for you, buying supplies in bulk and charging $40 to $50 per student each year.

Cavanagh says the policy has resulted in her having to purchase the same items multiple times, leaving her with more scissors, rulers, pencil sharpeners and glue than any Grade 4 student could use.

"It's not huge, but I know if I bought only what she needed this year, it would be $20," she said.

According to Cavanagh, Qayqayt's principal feels that this is "the only way to ensure equality among the students."

"Every student has exactly the same supplies, brand new, every year," she said.

While some schools do purchase supplies in bulk and sell them to parents, the New Westminster School District said there should always be the option of opting out.

"Parents have the freedom and the right to get their supplies or reuse supplies that they already have," spokesperson Holly Nathan told CTV News. “There’s flexibility so you are not forced to buy your school supplies through the school.”

Some Lower Mainland schools do make that option clear. Parents who choose not to buy from the school receive a list of supplies the student will need for the year.

"I'm not given a school supply list and when Elizabeth arrives in her classroom, she's given a box of supplies and we're told to bring in a cheque," Cavanagh said, adding that she hopes Qayqayt's policy will change even if this is simply a case of miscommunication.

The school district said it is reviewing how school supplies are managed across the board. Parents can expect to see any changes that result from that review in the 2020 school year.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Allison Hurst