my daughter had this same thing happen to her in kindergarten.....i was so upset when she came running out to the car squalling after school. she told me that she had gone through the line, and had her plate (pizza, salad, and chips) as she was grabbing her milk, they took the tray from her and threw it in the trash because she did not have enough money in her account. i am aware that this was my fault for not keeping track good enough of her account, but they really do not need to treat the children like this....her lunch was at 10:50 am and she was still very upset about it at 2:20 when i picked her up.. i know that not all parents could make it to the school to give their child money or take them better food, but i was less than a half mile from the school and could have been there within 5 minutes. i think i should have at least gotten some sort of contact from the school before they let her go ALL DAY upset over something so simple... that was 4 years ago, and i am still not over it.
In grade school my son got a not every Friday saying what was left on his account. He now goes to McGees Middle, no he doesn't get the note every week, but the lunch staff there is nice enough to let him know when his balance drops. I think in middle school they are trying to give kids more responsibility, so there fore they and the parents should be keeping an eye on their balance. Just one question when a child buys lunch do they get a choice of whats on the menu? I notice some people are saying "purchasing snacks". Doesn't a snack come with lunch?
The way I understood it was that he went through the line, got a tray of food he for which he did not have enough funds in his account. having no cash with him, the only option was to ffer a vegetable tray. He was not entitled to the tray he fixed. They can not serve that tray to another student, not can they place the items back in the food line. (Imagine that someone in line ahead of you at Golden Corral puts back something from their plate or the steak cook takes something from their plate and puts it on yours....do you want to eat it?) I rather doubt that the tray of food was "slammed" into the trash can. As I recall, there are no trash cans near the serving line, and food stuffs are dumped off at a separate area of the lunch room at the schools I frequent.
Again, as I read the OP, he didn't get a vegetable tray either? Am I reading it wrong? Or did he just refuse the veg. tray?
I have observed teachers calling home/cell to tell parents that the child has no funds available. I was shocked when some were told, "let them get a vegetable tray." And, so far, the tray being slammed into the trash is allegation or conjecture. I agree that so much more info could and should be available online. Same as being able to vote.
Shouldn't something be done before food winds up in the garbage? Why does a child who doesn't have the money on their account go through the lunch line, make a plate and then told they don't have the funds, so the food is thrown away? Shouldn't it be controlled before it gets to that point? This is just my opinion.
Regardless of the circumstances, all children should be fed. Maybe these "nice" cafeteria workers should go hungry for a day (it probably wouldn't hurt some of them). Also, what if there is a diabetic child who forgot their lunch money? They could go into insulin shock even if given the vegetable plate which doesn't have the required calories for a diabetic. Either you are not a child friendly person or you must be a cafeteria worker!
Again, the parents aren't always at fault. Some teachers really shouldn't be teachers or at least they should invest in some extra child psychology courses. My son's IQ is higher than most of his peers, yet the teacher saw fit to recommend special education. delete delete I probably shouldn't be typing anything delete delete He WAS challenged at home and still IS. He fell through the cracks at the SCHOOL. He now has a more capable teacher. Sorry, OP, for the hijack. :arrow: before things get ugly.
i understood that they could not put the food back, or give it to another child with my situation... the original poster probably had a different situation... my child was not completely out of money on her account, i think she lacked 70 cents or something like that...the thing that didn't make any sense to me, was why in the world did they waste all of that food? they wasted her original lunch (in the trash) and the vegetable plate because she was too upset to eat anything! all of the useless waste did not make sense to me over 70 cents... i could understand a little better if this was a recurring problem with her, but this was the ONE and ONLY time that this had ever happened to her.. again...i could have had them the money in their hands before she even got done in my case if i would have known!!
Grammie, Until you actually see the lunchroom in progress at full speed, you have no appreciation for it. If the students have 25 minutes, and the teacher is expected to spend her first 5 mintues supervising the line (and for primary grades often serve), that leaves her precious little time to get her lunch and eat, and then prepare to return the kids to class. A basic lunch provides a meat, one or two starches, a veggie, and a milk. Kids can also purchase chips, and other snack foods. I personally feel that NO snack foods should be sold or offered. I can't fight the soft drink, snack food lobby.
I had two very, very well behaved children in middle school not too long ago and the things they'd say about the cafeteria workers would just boil my blood. Don't get me wrong, some of the workers my girls really liked but the majority, esp. the one at the cash register were rude and mean to the kids. When my two girls were in elementary/middle school they were very shy girls and wouldn't dare speak in a rude manner to any adult worker in the school or anywhere else for that matter. After several incidents with my youngest not getting back the correct change I just started making her take her lunch every day, also because of the way they were talked to and treated by this staff. I use to just love to hear the stories about how the kids with free lunch would get the free lunch and still load up on all the junk food by pulling out several dollars to pay. I've been to the school more times than one can count, to have lunch with my girls and have always been amazed at how rude most of those workers are. My motto, if you don't like the job and it makes you act this way towards kids, go get another one. Let's face it, these women don't have these kids all day long, what's there to be rude about?
the online accounts are offered in some schools that i know of, but there are none offered in johnston county... you can go online and access your account and reload it from your credit or debit card.... there is just a $2 fee for each transaction, but you CAN do it online... it is just a matter of setting it up for johnston county..
yup - On a lunch date with my son, he didn't eat his PAID FOR apple. I told him to save it for snack. He informed me, correctly, it wasn't allowed. This applied to the entire class. On a different date, I saw one little boy that didn't eat anything. He couldn't get the packaging open, and no one saw it. I took the sandwich, which was about to be tossed, and put it in the teachers hand. I told her he didn't eat and would probably be hungry later.. Nonchalantly, she said OK. On a side note, it is AMAZING how much food is thrown away in a day. I bet in a weeks time it could feed a small country.
Under HIPAA, your child's health concerns remain private. Before you play the diabetes card, you need to be aware of the process of hyperglycemia. I'm not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Having sold insulin and conducted physician and patient education programs, I have some education as to the process. If your child has diabetes, you need to be much more proactive. I've not witnessed rude and unconcerned lunch room staff. I've also not witnessed the coddling, babying behavior of some parents who apparently haven't learned, or taught responsibility. If you want to coddle your kids until they're 40, I could care less, until you place them in a public setting, and want responsible adults to deal with your child your way. I am not a cafeteria worker. I don't have the patience for dealing with rude and obnoxious children. I love being with well behaved children, and most of the kids I see are just that. Just like the schools, the kids who do it right, rarely are told. My spouse teaches locally. I am on the advisory board of my local school. I have a son 23, in college in a Pharm. D. track. I volunteer at local school, and have donated over 60 hours this year. I have a child in elementary school. I am the biggest supporter of public schools and their most vocal critic when they need tightening up. And, until you spend a significant amount of time in the classrooms and schools, you are depending on 2nd or 3rd hand info. Suggestion..as much as your child's class can use your help, volunteer in a separate class. That way, your child's behavior isn't artificially affected, and you can see how the kids of all other parents behave. And, most importantly, do some time in the lunchroom, and then come back with some suggestions as to how we can fix it.
Ok. Now, IO am MORE than willing to be the one to head this up if I have to. These stories are heartbreaking and I CANNOT stand. Ya'll.....ooooooI just get all upset....I need to calm down....calm down........ Soemone please just tell me where to get started....Grace? I don't know you but I think you do have some kind of governmental experience from what I've read. Can you tell me how to get this started and who to start talking with first??? This mess is gonna put me in a home where nuns act as jailers to the demented:shock:..........Good Lord I cannot stand this.:cry:
But in the meantime the free lunch children are being picked up in a 94 Caprice with 24 inch rims and a stereo bangin yo!!
I can see your defense for the system because your spouse works for it. I also have a spouse that works for a very large international cooperation that has been mentioned at one point on this forum in a negative way and I was in full agreement with the negative complaints, knowing for a fact the faults within the company. You are not the only parent that is present in the school system. I have witnessed first hand the rude actions of these particular school staff members, just because you, yourself have not witnessed this doesn't mean it not present. I on the other hand have diabetic family members as well as a very extensive medical background. To say that a parent of a diabetic child needs to be proactive shows how little you know about the disease, this disease can be very hard to manage in young children. A parent would not be in violation of the HIPPA act by informing the school staff of a child's diabetic condition, which has to be disclosed in their folder with all of the other paperwork that the parent fills out for school, this folder is available for all school employees that are involved with this child. My youngest had a friend who was diabetic and the cafeteria staff was fully aware of her condition and along with the teacher they made sure she ate correctly while at school. Once again, my two girls are the type that teachers dream of having in their classes, but during their time in elementary school (Cleveland Elementary) and middle school (Middle School) they were scared of the cafeteria workers because of their abrassive, rude manners towards ALL of the children. Maybe it's a different situation where your childs goes to school. I always told my girls that as long as they were acting appropriately to just let it go and the lesson they can learn from people like this is how not to be. This is not to say that there aren't some really good people that work in this area of the school, but I have found them to be a small number.
I have a suggestion to fix the problem: At our last school the PTA set aside $200 each year for a lunch loans pot of money. If a child ran out of money, or forgot to bring lunch and needed money to buy a lunch, a "loan" was made so the child could buy lunch from this money. A little slip of paper was sent home in their folder asking that the loan be repaid by the following day. Also, as your child went through the lunch line, when the account only had enough money in it for one more meal, the cafeteria worker would rubber stamp the childs hand or put a sticker on their shirt that said they needed lunch money. The system seemed to work very well, most parents repaid the loan, and if you didn't repay it then your child could only get the peanut butter sandwich lunch (couldn't use the loan program again).
That's a fabulous plan! I'd be more than happy to contribute to that, heck, I'll provide the stickers and stamp!
Great idea. Never did get back the left over money that was in my youngest ones account in elementary school at the end of the school year, wonder where that money goes.
