Weird School Punishment

[mickeysgal]

That doesn't make any sense. They should not run out of food for the last people in line, and I would think this would violate federal school lunch regulations.

I know, it doesn't make any sense to me either, but it has happened in my DD's school. Her class was always the last to get in line and OFTEN there weren't all the pieces and parts available for the state-mandated balanced lunch you were buying. In other words, they may have the entree, but not the vegetables and desert or vice versa. I think that they don't accurately plan on how many kids will be buying lunch for a particular day.

 

[dizagain]

What I meant by sneaking in is to not call ahead of time just show up--In my DD old school you seen the caf before you got to the office so I just hung outside the door---ANd I was glad I did because I found that my DD and her classmate were in fact telling the truth because I was able to see it w/my own eyes---When you call ahead of time the office knows you'll be there,the teacher knows you'll be there'the classroom aide knows you'll be there and the cafeteria workers know you'll be there--Alot of ppl for one person---The old school didnt issue badges or call the classroom when you left the office so not a lot going for their security to start--Even if this happened to the OP's son the school will not say yeah it happened because theyve got their butts to cover but by going to the school and seeing for yourself will avoid the whole your child misunderstood what was going on lecture and get a better ideas of what the facts really are

I totally agree that you should be able to observe your child at lunch - as far as I know the school can't stop you. i would also be very concerned in your situation as well as the OP's. BUT...you're still saying you didn't check in at the office and that to me is a concern - you don't have to call ahead, just show up, check in at the office, and be on your way - they've got no time to put on their "happy faces". By the way, my DD's current school keeps the door locked and the office has to see you and buzz you in - I like it! DD's old school kept the front door open, but had a parent volunteer at a desk right there and you had to check in to enter - liked that too.

OP...hope you get a satisfactory response to all of this!

 

[Hannathy]

Mickeysgal that happens at my DD's school all the time to. After a half dozen times of it happening and them not replacing the missed items with anything I called the district food service office and asked about it. The director called back and was annoyed, she said yes it could happen if they underestimated an items popularity But there was no excuse for them not to go into the pantry and open something to replace it or offer fresh fruit. She sent someone undercover to check and lo and behold things changed after that. They still run out but now at least will offer substitutions. Good luck I wasn't mean or nasty when I called just curious and the Director thanked me because she didn't know and when she hears nothing she doesn't know what happens at each school. She said they have been told but some schools just get lazy with the rules.

 

[mickeysgal]

I have seen so many miserable lunch room monitors, who hate what they are doing, and almost resent working at thier job, who are so nasty to the kids. I equate to the rent a cop scenario--wanna be cops who act as if they are the real deal. These monitors go around enforcing some things that they never should. I have even head monitors tell kids to 'shut up and eat", not lets quiet down but shut up.

My DS recently came home from school and said that he got "written up" by a lunch room monitor that apparently is very hard on the kids. The kids are only allowed to sit boy-girl-boy-girl and can't talk during lunch. Well, a few kids at my son's table were noisy, so this monitor took out a pink piece of paper and wrote down everyone's name that sat at that table. These tables are at least 30 feet long (3 tables 10 feet each). They all had to sit there and miss the recess that happens after lunch. He wasn't talking but understandably got scared as he's a very quiet and shy kid and isn't a kid to cause any disturbance. The teachers weren't present so I couldn't talk to them about what happened. The next day I called the school because I didn't know what "written up" meant. I talked to the principal (who we know from church) and she said she didn't know anything about it and that the lunch monitor was probably doing this as a scare tactic. Now after talking to two other parents, I hear this monitor is mean and hard on the kids. I just didn't think this was appropriate or right. If my kid was talking and wasn't listening, then yes, he deserves to be corrected. If not, don't use a hollow scare tactics on him and the others for something they weren't participating in.

 

[Wishing on a star]

About some of the lunchroom monitors....

I agree, this has been my experience as well. Some of them have no business being around children and in a school setting.

Unfortunately, I have to agree with this too.

Any volunteer or lunchroom monitor who has a bad attitude, and thinks it is just fine to withold a meal or try to excercise 'control' over what the kids eat, etc...

 

[sha_lyn]

I have seen so many miserable lunch room monitors, who hate what they are doing, and almost resent working at thier job, who are so nasty to the kids. I equate to the rent a cop scenario--wanna be cops who act as if they are the real deal. These monitors go around enforcing some things that they never should. I have even head monitors tell kids to 'shut up and eat", not lets quiet down but shut up.

I have to agree with that. In my experience most of them were very hateful and mean to the kids.
DS has attended 3 ele school (once due to rezoning the other due to moving) in the same county. In the 1st 2 schools they had monitors. They worked all day, morning bus duty, hall monitoring, lunchroom monitoring and the after school program. I believe the afterschool program is what generated the salary to pay them. At those 2 schools the teachers did not go to the lunchroom, have hall duty etc. They had lunch in their breakroom not with their students. I found that both these schools had more problems in the lunchroom and halls than the 3rd school.

In the third school they did not have an after school program at the school (it was hald with a another school at the Boys & Girls Club).
Oh and the 1st 2 schools were a mixture of low and middle and high income.
The 3rd school was mostly low income with probably 20% middle income.

 

[momof2inPA]

I know, it doesn't make any sense to me either, but it has happened in my DD's school. Her class was always the last to get in line and OFTEN there weren't all the pieces and parts available for the state-mandated balanced lunch you were buying. In other words, they may have the entree, but not the vegetables and desert or vice versa. I think that they don't accurately plan on how many kids will be buying lunch for a particular day.

Technically, they should offer a substitute of equivalent nutritional value, i.e., if they run out of carrots, they should offer green beans or an apple.

I wonder if you could just ask whether the punishment is in line with federal school lunch requirements and get people thinking.

 

[LauraR]

DH finally talked to the vice principal today. The VP said he asked 3 or 4 people on lunch duty and they all said the 4th graders got lunch. (That's when I wanted DH to follow up with, "Are you counting going through the line in the last 5 minutes when all the lunch items have been put away as 'getting lunch'?" ---but DH doesn't always follow my talking points!) DH did tell the VP he didn't think discipline should be linked with getting lunch, and the VP agreed with him. And DH brought up the point that withholding lunch to the kids buying wouldn't really create an incentive for the kids who already HAVE their lunch to quiet down.

The VP actually seemed more concerned about a separate incident DH brought up about all the parents being kicked out of the cafeteria before the last school music concert by the custodial staff. (DH only brought it up because he thought if the custodial staff was that rude with parents, he could only imagine what they'd be like with kids. But the VP said that was evening so it would have been different people)

Anyway, since this was an isolated incident (I asked both my 4th and 5th graders if it had happened before and both said no) I think we'll let it go at this point. But I told both my DS's that if it happened again, whether or not they were buying lunch, they should tell me because every kid has a right to have lunch. I told them the monitors have other things they can do to deal with misbehavior (if they want to take away snack buying or recess, fine by me). But if it does happen again I appreciate the points many of you have made about federal rules regarding lunch availability. And I agree with other posters that a lot of the lunch room monitors are just plain mean. (It's like the Seinfeld episode with the "Soup Nazi" except they're the "Lunch Nazi's"!) But DS loves the people who serve lunch, especially he tells me, Miss Cindy .

 

[disney junky]

Glad you were able to reach some resolution.