Belle0101
Nothing to see here.
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2002
- Messages
- 4,911
I've believed for years that DS8 has hypersensitvity issues with tastes and smell. When I mentioned his symptoms to his 2 previous doctors I got the standard line of "he'll grow out of it". When I first mentioned it to his current doctor she was concerned and asked that I keep track of his likes and dislikes.
At his last appointment we went over those and realized that he does eat things from each good group, bread being his favorite group. She checked his iron level and it was in an acceptable range. Because he is healthy, takes his vitamins, does well in every other aspect of school, makes friends, active in Cub Scouts, etc., I've not pushed for any type of testing or medications. His doctor agrees and certainly if he were to always be sick or exhibit some new symptoms then we'd take further action. For now it's mostly just an inconvenience. Until yesterday.
Every Monday his teacher sends home a newsletter and in it on 11/12 was a paragraph indicating that all children were to buy lunch 11/19. The teacher wanted all the kids to eat "Family Style" in the cafeteria. For whatever reasons, I never saw the newsletter. This past week has been busier than usual and we've had some extended family issues to deal with. I don't know what happened to his newsletter.
So yesterday morning, like I've done everyday, I packed his usual lunch, exactly the same everyday, of a PB&J sandwich on white bread, chocolate pudding, crackers, apple juice and some gummies. He has never eaten a school lunch. It's not that he won't, with his sensory issues he can't.
Lunchtime came and he wasn't allowed to take his lunch to the cafeteria. He also did not have $1.50 to buy lunch. He started crying in line and not until another student stopped a different teacher did anyone ask why he was crying. He told her that he didn't like what was being served. This teacher told him it was in the newsletter ("Family Style") and walked away.
He sat at the table, crying, while the other students ate. Another teacher came by and asked what was wrong and she told him to go ahead and get his lunch. His teacher stopped him and told him he would have to wait to eat until after recess and he should have known because it was in the newsletter.
So my DS8, in second grade, cried all during line-up for lunch, during lunch and at recess and was only allowed to eat the lunch I prepared for him after recess, in the classroom, all alone. I know he cried because his eyes were still puffy and red when he got home and he told me his eyes didn't "stop dripping" until recess was over. He told me once he was allowed to eat he couldn't because he got "unhungry". Well, yeah, who can eat after crying for 30+ minutes?
My sister pointed out to me that when you don't have money for lunch they give you a PB&J and a milk. That's school policy. So I'm a little conflicted there too because he didn't have lunch money. Her quesion to me was how were they paying for his mandatory lunch?
Even more frustrating is that I was in the office at the exact time DS was lining up for lunch. He saw me walk into the building and wanted to come down and tell me what was going on for lunch but his teacher wouldn't let him get out of line.
I was in the office dropping off snacks for the classroom. The teacher wants to serve a snack everyday and the parents have to donate those - boxes of crackers, cookies, etc. I've lost track of how often I've donated snacks. I'd say at least every other week.
I know I need to address the lunch fiasco with the teacher and probably the principal but I'm so frustrated I know that I'll say the wrong thing. What I want to say is "Who are you tell me that I have to pay for a school lunch and my child has to eat it? If I choose to pack my child a lunch I expect he will be allowed to eat it. And, would it have been so hard to let him come to the office?"
I don't know if I'm looking for advice, although any insights you could offer would be appreciated, or if I just really needed to let off some steam - maybe a little of both. I'm just having a hard time reconciling that a student would not be allowed a lunch that was prepared for them.
Yesterday's newletter had a paragraph in it about how she specifically asked that all students buy lunch for the day and how that was disregarded. She was upset that 4 students brought lunch. DS said that the other 3 weren't allowed to have their lunch either but they did eat the school lunch. I would guess that their lunch was charged and the parents will have to pay for it.
I know I've been long winded so thanks for listening. Like I said most of the time his hypersensitivity is just an inconvenience but then something like this happens and I just get frustrated at the lack of compassion. Almost like we're being too lenient and should be forcing him to eat. I won't do that to him.
At his last appointment we went over those and realized that he does eat things from each good group, bread being his favorite group. She checked his iron level and it was in an acceptable range. Because he is healthy, takes his vitamins, does well in every other aspect of school, makes friends, active in Cub Scouts, etc., I've not pushed for any type of testing or medications. His doctor agrees and certainly if he were to always be sick or exhibit some new symptoms then we'd take further action. For now it's mostly just an inconvenience. Until yesterday.
Every Monday his teacher sends home a newsletter and in it on 11/12 was a paragraph indicating that all children were to buy lunch 11/19. The teacher wanted all the kids to eat "Family Style" in the cafeteria. For whatever reasons, I never saw the newsletter. This past week has been busier than usual and we've had some extended family issues to deal with. I don't know what happened to his newsletter.
So yesterday morning, like I've done everyday, I packed his usual lunch, exactly the same everyday, of a PB&J sandwich on white bread, chocolate pudding, crackers, apple juice and some gummies. He has never eaten a school lunch. It's not that he won't, with his sensory issues he can't.
Lunchtime came and he wasn't allowed to take his lunch to the cafeteria. He also did not have $1.50 to buy lunch. He started crying in line and not until another student stopped a different teacher did anyone ask why he was crying. He told her that he didn't like what was being served. This teacher told him it was in the newsletter ("Family Style") and walked away.
He sat at the table, crying, while the other students ate. Another teacher came by and asked what was wrong and she told him to go ahead and get his lunch. His teacher stopped him and told him he would have to wait to eat until after recess and he should have known because it was in the newsletter.
So my DS8, in second grade, cried all during line-up for lunch, during lunch and at recess and was only allowed to eat the lunch I prepared for him after recess, in the classroom, all alone. I know he cried because his eyes were still puffy and red when he got home and he told me his eyes didn't "stop dripping" until recess was over. He told me once he was allowed to eat he couldn't because he got "unhungry". Well, yeah, who can eat after crying for 30+ minutes?
My sister pointed out to me that when you don't have money for lunch they give you a PB&J and a milk. That's school policy. So I'm a little conflicted there too because he didn't have lunch money. Her quesion to me was how were they paying for his mandatory lunch?
Even more frustrating is that I was in the office at the exact time DS was lining up for lunch. He saw me walk into the building and wanted to come down and tell me what was going on for lunch but his teacher wouldn't let him get out of line.
I was in the office dropping off snacks for the classroom. The teacher wants to serve a snack everyday and the parents have to donate those - boxes of crackers, cookies, etc. I've lost track of how often I've donated snacks. I'd say at least every other week.
I know I need to address the lunch fiasco with the teacher and probably the principal but I'm so frustrated I know that I'll say the wrong thing. What I want to say is "Who are you tell me that I have to pay for a school lunch and my child has to eat it? If I choose to pack my child a lunch I expect he will be allowed to eat it. And, would it have been so hard to let him come to the office?"
I don't know if I'm looking for advice, although any insights you could offer would be appreciated, or if I just really needed to let off some steam - maybe a little of both. I'm just having a hard time reconciling that a student would not be allowed a lunch that was prepared for them.
Yesterday's newletter had a paragraph in it about how she specifically asked that all students buy lunch for the day and how that was disregarded. She was upset that 4 students brought lunch. DS said that the other 3 weren't allowed to have their lunch either but they did eat the school lunch. I would guess that their lunch was charged and the parents will have to pay for it.
I know I've been long winded so thanks for listening. Like I said most of the time his hypersensitivity is just an inconvenience but then something like this happens and I just get frustrated at the lack of compassion. Almost like we're being too lenient and should be forcing him to eat. I won't do that to him.
My DS is also 8 with sensitivity issues in addition to ASD. PB&J is his standard. I can't imagine someone telling him that he couldn't eat it, yet alone, telling any student that they couldn't eat lunch until after recess. AND KNOWING full well that he was so upset! That would have sent me over the edge. Even on the rare occasion that the kids eat in the classroom, the teacher makes arrangements for DS to eat his PB&J in another room (with a buddy) since the classrooms are a "peanut free" environment.
I've never been in a school building that wasn't nut-free.
No rotting food in the fridge, no worn undies on the counch, you know what I mean.
