Weird School Punishment

[disney junky]

I hope you have better luck than I did--don't let them give you some excuse--do what I did and check with other parents of kids in your childs class--then sneak into school to see for yourself---I got lucky with sneaking in because the caf was before you got to the office--Dont let them know you're coming just go!

I wouldn't do that in any of our schools. First thing that happens if you get spotted is we would go into lockdown mode. EVERYONE must check in the main office for the safety of students. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about school security than what my kid was eating....if you can get in without being stopped, anyone could....sad......

 

[Bojo]

--then sneak into school to see for yourself---I got lucky with sneaking in because the caf was before you got to the office--Dont let them know you're coming just go!

I'm sure most schools in this day and time have visitor check in policy that you would be violating so, wouldn't that be tresspassing?

 

[yeartolate]

I am very sad that some parents feel the only way to get information from their schools is deception.

If I had that level of distrust in the school, I would change school districts in a flash.

 

[Beth76]

I hope you have better luck than I did--don't let them give you some excuse--do what I did and check with other parents of kids in your childs class--then sneak into school to see for yourself---I got lucky with sneaking in because the caf was before you got to the office--Dont let them know you're coming just go!

How is sneaking in going to help? Check in at the office like you're supposed to and then go to the cafeteria. I doubt anyone's going to run ahead of you and make sure everyone is staged to your liking.

My child's not in school yet, but I would make sure to get every problem solved in the most diplomatic way possible. Why would you want to be the PITA parent? How is that good for your child's education?

Like someone else said, if you have to resort to sneaking into your child's school to check on her, then you should probably find a different school.

 

[HaleyB]

I wouldn't do that in any of our schools. First thing that happens if you get spotted is we would go into lockdown mode. EVERYONE must check in the main office for the safety of students. If I were you, I'd be more concerned about school security than what my kid was eating....if you can get in without being stopped, anyone could....sad......

OK, I am not getting your argument. How would a parent observing lunch with out notice to the school be a saftey risk?

Sorry but this is just a fallacious argument.

 

[Beth76]

OK, I am not getting your argument. How would a parent observing lunch with out notice to the school be a saftey risk?

Sorry but this is just a fallacious argument.

I think most schools require that any visitor--even parents--must check in at the office for security reasons. Yes, a parent bypassing that isn't in itself a safety risk, but it's against the saftey policy. I'm assumming that Irish's school has that policy since she said that she got lucky sneaking in that she didn't have to go past the office.

 

[yeartolate]

I do not think it is necessarily a realistic safety issue, but I cannot comprehend why a parent wouldn't use the front door (meaning ongoing adult open communication with the child's teacher,etc)

 

[HaleyB]

I am very sad that some parents feel the only way to get information from their schools is deception.

If I had that level of distrust in the school, I would change school districts in a flash.

In a way that is true, but the problem is schools have very strict privacy laws they must follow. So sometimes the only way you will know what is going on is to see it with your own two eyes.

So while I trust my childrens school, I also hang out there as much as I can. I don't sneak in. That part is sort of silly, they don't send out some secret code "Code Purple, code purple" (parent in the building) so that everyone will stop doing questionable things for awhile. The real problem is some peole didn't think withholding food is questionable, or else they were very stupid to do it.

 

[HaleyB]

Well I can agree with sneaking in being against the rules, and if nothing else a bad example. If a parent feels they need to sneak in, there is a bigger problem with the school than one bad call by a lunch monitor.

I guess that was the point you were making too.

I just can not tell you how many shocking things I know about because I was there and saw them happen. So I think going to watch lunch is a good idea. They couldn't stop a parent from doing that even if they wanted to, so there is no need to sneak. Public schools have an open door policy.

 

[rhanditresmom]

Well, I just hope the OP has an opportunity to get this sorted out. As the parent of a child with diabetes, who eats school lunch by the way and is control of his diabetes, I would be beside myself if he was denied lunch. There is no way we can know exactly what has happened here, but I do know in our district's elementary schools (and I am a speech therapist in several of them) talking is actively discouraged during lunch. Mostly because they just end up yelling. It is frustrating as a parent and as a child. I believe that they need to keep the volume under control, but to eliminate talking completely is unrealistic and unfair. And to punish children by taking away what could be the only hot meal they get in a day is just mean.

I hope the OP gets the info she needs and that everything works out.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Just wanted to let you all know that the vice principal left a message on my DH's answering machine saying that the 4th graders were able to get lunch. My DH was too busy at work to call back, but plans to tomorrow. We're in agreement that being sent through the lunch line in the last 5 minutes of lunch, when there is no lunch available and only snack items to buy is not "getting lunch." We just want to encourage the school to find other ways of discipline than withholding lunch.

By the way, I made sure to pack DS's lunch today!

Glad you're packing his lunch! You are right. It is a one sided punishment for those that buy their lunch. The form of discipline the school is using may backfire on them. If more parents get wind of what's going on, they too will pack lunches. And then they'll be wondering why their lunch purchases are down.

It is a weird school punishment! What kind of message does that send to a child about nutrition and consequences? It's convoluted. Offering to let the children get something to eat in the last 5 minutes of lunch period is a CYA thing for them. The kids would be lucky to eat a thing.

What's happened to seeking out the offenders and dealing with them?

I was thinking back to the time I was in school. I enjoyed lunch time with my friends. It seems that more is packed into the day and there is less time for the basics. It's sad that everyone is so rushed and the time is hectic.

Good luck with this, Laura!

 

[yeartolate]

I am assuming "hanging out as much as you can" means you are a parent volunteer. That is a good thing.

Being there and being involved not only improves the outcomes for your child, but you have a chance to positively affect others as well. I treasured my time volunteering. I guess it is why I am a bit more trustful of the system. Not only did it feel good to have the positive input from the kids, but it lightened the load for a (probably grossly underpaid) hardworking person.

I had the "opportunity" to see several "screwy" decisons, by teachers, but I mostly saw the good ones. I guess my being involved on an ongoing basis gave me more trust in the school and the overall dedication of the teachers - it also kept an open line of communication in case something "wierd" came up.

 

[Teacher03]

OK, I am not getting your argument. How would a parent observing lunch with out notice to the school be a saftey risk?

Sorry but this is just a fallacious argument.

Our school is very small, but even so, I don't know all of the parents. I am responsible for K-3 when I am on duty, and if a stranger came sneaking in, I would be a little alarmed. I think you should be allowed to have lunch with your child, but I don't agree to the sneaking part. Just go into the office and let them know you are there.

 

[momof2inPA]

Just wanted to let you all know that the vice principal left a message on my DH's answering machine saying that the 4th graders were able to get lunch. My DH was too busy at work to call back, but plans to tomorrow. We're in agreement that being sent through the lunch line in the last 5 minutes of lunch, when there is no lunch available and only snack items to buy is not "getting lunch." We just want to encourage the school to find other ways of discipline than withholding lunch.

By the way, I made sure to pack DS's lunch today!

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.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

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

 

[disney junky]

OK, I am not getting your argument. How would a parent observing lunch with out notice to the school be a saftey risk?

Sorry but this is just a fallacious argument.

I wasn't suggesting that observing lunch is a safety risk. Intruders (defined as anyone who enters without the proper permission) are. The woman at the front desk in our school has pictures of parents who are not allowed to contact their children because of child custody agreements, yet they try. I'm looking at the big picture. I am not arguing fallaciously. I grow weary of reading threads where people argue one side of an issue. Their rights and their kids rights are the only thing that matters. Call the police, call the principal, call the school board, call the FBI, call children's services. People have suggested smuggling cameras into the school to secretly video tape classrooms. Last week a thread suggested calling the police and a lawyer because one elementary student on a bus was threatened by another. No blows were exchanged. Earlier this same child had been called a loser. Teachers have been called thieves for taking items which were confiscated by them according to school policy (but then again on the DISboards, teachers are called just about anything imaginable). I commented that in the grand scheme of things, maybe this wasn't such a big deal and I was taken to task. If stating policy is a fallacious argument, so be it. If you don't like reality, I can't help you. The OP has addressed the issue with the authorities. She can accept that explanation and act on that if she wishes. For another poster to suggest that sneaking into a building to observe the lunchroom seemed unwise to me. I suggested what would happen at our school if the OP took that advice. Not fallacious, fact. Not an argument, a suggestion.

BTW, we do have a secret code to notify the staff when an intruder is in the building. It's policy. And whether you know about it or not, your child's school probably does as well.

 

[justhat]

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 think she said earlier that they stop serving lunch food and put it all away before they bring out the snack items. So it's not that they ran out of food for the end of the line but that they don't offer the lunch food for sale past a certain time.

 

[sandramaac]

Just wanted to let you all know that the vice principal left a message on my DH's answering machine saying that the 4th graders were able to get lunch.--just as I originally mentioned, you would get this type of comment from the school, the getting us off the hook comment

And then the whole thing with the last 5 minutes---come on now, they are trying to save their butts, most caf's either have little left, or are already cleaning and at this point, especially if its the last lunch period.

Pardon the pun, but I think its time to move up the food chain here, and go before the school board on this. 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.

 

[disney junky]

Just wanted to let you all know that the vice principal left a message on my DH's answering machine saying that the 4th graders were able to get lunch.--just as I originally mentioned, you would get this type of comment from the school, the getting us off the hook comment

And then the whole thing with the last 5 minutes---come on now, they are trying to save their butts, most caf's either have little left, or are already cleaning and at this point, especially if its the last lunch period.

Pardon the pun, but I think its time to move up the food chain here, and go before the school board on this. 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.

lunch room monitors=rent a cop

 

[RitaZ.]

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