Students left hungry and shamed!!!

[CHERIE.T]

Way back when my kids were in elementary school, kids either paid for lunch or got state assistance. If a child forgot lunch money they were given a free pb&j sandwich and a milk.
Hard to believe people would allow a child to go hungry.
Imo

 

[killarney rose]

And just where pray tell are these foster parents gonna come from? You are aware there is a shortage? Do you realize the cost, not only to the child, but the tax payers, of placing a child in fostercare? You're aware social workers have too many cases already and are overworked and underpaid?

Sounds to me like you haven't thought this through very well. IMO

If you're going to have kids you need to be responsible for them. Period. What more is there to think through? It's called accountability. The school is there to teach children. Not to do the work of lazy parents who don't care. As long as someone steps up to take care of their kids as is being suggested, they never will. It's time to hold them accountable.

 

[killarney rose]

Way back when my kids were in elementary school, kids either paid for lunch or got state assistance. If a child forgot lunch money they were given a free pb&j sandwich and a milk.
Hard to believe people would allow a child to go hungry.
Imo

A few years ago i worked at our local city Rec center. There was a summer child care program for low income families. Most of the kids attending were there because they qualified(welfare families) and the baby mamas were too sorry to keep them at home. But for a few working poor, the camp was a godsend in the form of affordable child care while school was out. Of course all attending were fed by the school lunch program.

At the end of the season, the lunch program ended before camp did and the kids were to bring their lunches. Of course there were a few whose mamas were too sorry to be bothered. Those kids sat there while everyone around them ate. The director had saved fresh fruit from leftover lunches, along with packaged items that wouldn't spoil. I bought bread and peanut butter and jelly and left it in the kitchen so between the two of us those kids had a decent lunch.

So it isn't like I don't care about the kids. It's just that these parents have gone too far with their sense of entitlement and need to be held accountable.

 

[Sonya610]

So it isn't like I don't care about the kids. It's just that these parents have gone too far with their sense of entitlement and need to be held accountable.

Folks are so quick to say "Punishing the little children won't solve the problem of negligent parents" but they offer NO solutions regarding what will solve the problem!

Does anyone really think the kids that are being raised by the state and bred by "negligent parents" are going to become our shining leaders of the future?

Start offering women $2000 if they undergo free sterilization, that will stop many negligent parents from having children they won't care for and also save the tax payer a ton of money. If they can afford children in the future then they can pay to have the procedure reversed (on their own dime).

 

[sweetcaro]

Ausgirl, lunch orders are definitely still a regular thing here, I am on my final teaching placement before graduating and just had one myself on Friday! I let my own girls (7 and 9) have one every week or so too. Most schools seem to only offer pretty healthy options nowadays. While that is great for a decent lunch kids do spend money at the canteen themselves and it's mostly things like icy poles or ice creams. Canteen offerings are much better now than they were in my day thankfully!

 

[MissJ]

JMO, I grew up NEVER getting lunch in high school. NEVER. I was hungry many times at home. Did it affect anyone but me? NO. Didn't hurt MOM and DAD. Hurt my self esteem. I was followed by county health worker who gave me iron shots twice a week as well as an iron tonic.












How do you make parents do the right thing? You can't. I was so skinny and tiny I was bullied and made fun of....

 

[CHERIE.T]

JMO, I grew up NEVER getting lunch in high school. NEVER. I was hungry many times at home. Did it affect anyone but me? NO. Didn't hurt MOM and DAD. Hurt my self esteem. I was followed by county health worker who gave me iron shots twice a week as well as an iron tonic.

Hugs MissJ. I'm so sorry.






How do you make parents do the right thing? You can't. I was so skinny and tiny I was bullied and made fun of....[/QUOTE]

 

[CHERIE.T]

A few years ago i worked at our local city Rec center. There was a summer child care program for low income families. Most of the kids attending were there because they qualified(welfare families) and the baby mamas were too sorry to keep them at home. But for a few working poor, the camp was a godsend in the form of affordable child care while school was out. Of course all attending were fed by the school lunch program.

At the end of the season, the lunch program ended before camp did and the kids were to bring their lunches. Of course there were a few whose mamas were too sorry to be bothered. Those kids sat there while everyone around them ate. The director had saved fresh fruit from leftover lunches, along with packaged items that wouldn't spoil. I bought bread and peanut butter and jelly and left it in the kitchen so between the two of us those kids had a decent lunch.

So it isn't like I don't care about the kids. It's just that these parents have gone too far with their sense of entitlement and need to be held accountable.

:seeya: I'm not judging you. I completely understand what you're saying.

 

[killarney rose]

When I was growing up, my "mother" hated cooking. So she didnt. Many night supper was a one pot meal. Such as boiled beef with potatoes thrown in. That was it. No seasoning, nothing. The best food I got was in the school cafeteria. This was back when real food was cooked and served, not the garbage that passes today.i was given lunch money daily. But not snack or recess money.

I can remember when we were studying the food groups in fourth grade and had to write down every day what our meals were. I knew other people didnt eat like us and was embarrassed and made up meals for my assignment.

I had food, it just wasnt very good. But this still doesn't mean the school or anyone else was responsible for feeding me. Just my parents.

 

[CHERIE.T]

Well KR , that made me cry. I'm sorry you had to go though that.

 

[Linda7NJ]

If you're going to have kids you need to be responsible for them. Period. What more is there to think through? It's called accountability. The school is there to teach children. Not to do the work of lazy parents who don't care. As long as someone steps up to take care of their kids as is being suggested, they never will. It's time to hold them accountable.

The fact is... We don't live in a perfect world. We live in THIS one. I prefer to lend a helping hand and that we feed hungry children. If that makes me an inabler ... I can live with that.

So.... All those starving children in third world countries, we should turn our backs on?

 

[Linda7NJ]

Folks are so quick to say "Punishing the little children won't solve the problem of negligent parents" but they offer NO solutions regarding what will solve the problem!

Does anyone really think the kids that are being raised by the state and bred by "negligent parents" are going to become our shining leaders of the future?

Start offering women $2000 if they undergo free sterilization, that will stop many negligent parents from having children they won't care for and also save the tax payer a ton of money. If they can afford children in the future then they can pay to have the procedure reversed (on their own dime).

How about instead of hating the poor and blaming & punishing them and their children we close those loop holes that allow the top 1% to have so many tax shelter? How about we start making churches pay taxes? They're run like corporations & should pay.

I think leading by example and compassion as opposed to condemning and ridiculing will yield better results.

There is more than enough money and food in this country that no child should ever be hungry.

 

[Linda7NJ]

JMO, I grew up NEVER getting lunch in high school. NEVER. I was hungry many times at home. Did it affect anyone but me? NO. Didn't hurt MOM and DAD. Hurt my self esteem. I was followed by county health worker who gave me iron shots twice a week as well as an iron tonic.













How do you make parents do the right thing? You can't. I was so skinny and tiny I was bullied and made fun of....

Hugs to you! I would have fed you and been your friend and dragged you to my house every night for dinner!

 

[killarney rose]

The fact is... We don't live in a perfect world. .. All those starving children in third world countries, we should turn our backs on?

fftopic: this thread is about American kids not getting lunch due to irresponsible parents,it has nothing to do with kids starving in other countries due to circumstances beyond their parents control.

 

[lil_buddy]

The fact is... We don't live in a perfect world. We live in THIS one. I prefer to lend a helping hand and that we feed hungry children. If that makes me an inabler ... I can live with that.

So.... All those starving children in third world countries, we should turn our backs on?

:goodpost:Good point. A very apropos metaphor.:cheers:

 

[Linda7NJ]

fftopic: this thread is about American kids not getting lunch due to irresponsible parents,it has nothing to do with kids starving in other countries due to circumstances beyond their parents control.

I guess you need to define " beyond their parents control" to me. And why you believe American kids deserve to suffer the sins of their parents.

If anything it creates a further divide between the haves and have nots. It solves nothing and the only ones suffering are children. I couldn't sleep at night if I denied a hungry child food and instead threw it away. It saddens me that anyone would think its appropriate or justified.

 

[21merc7]

I guess you need to define " beyond their parents control" to me. And why you believe American kids deserve to suffer the sins of their parents.

If anything it creates a further divide between the haves and have nots. It solves nothing and the only ones suffering are children. I couldn't sleep at night if I denied a hungry child food and instead threw it away. It saddens me that anyone would think its appropriate or justified.

Uh, some countries have no food. Even the parents do not eat. Have you seen the commercials or news about them? I think that is what "beyond parents' control" means. I could be wrong.

In this case, the school is way out of line!!! Feed them, do not throw good food away in front of them. Give them whatever. I grew up poor, and mom did pack us peanut butter or bologna sandwiches. I never knew why other kids got the trays of food and I had a bag lunch, until years later when a friend TOLD me my family is poor. I'm still poor. I wish I had been like my parents and not let my DD know we, too, were poor. She is grown now, but it messed her up in a way I do not like, and it is my fault.

ETA: This school throwing food away does more harm than good. It tells the children they are worthless, their parents are worthless, and food is worthless. Too many long term psychological issues with this, not like the children will not have enough without this type of action. So angry!

 

[MissJ]

Heck, I feed anyone who needs a meal and there are lots of them right here in the good old USA. Kids, babies, old people, teenagers. If I have food I share it. Thats how I would want to be treated.

 

[MissJ]

When I was growing up, my "mother" hated cooking. So she didnt. Many night supper was a one pot meal. Such as boiled beef with potatoes thrown in. That was it. No seasoning, nothing. The best food I got was in the school cafeteria. This was back when real food was cooked and served, not the garbage that passes today.i was given lunch money daily. But not snack or recess money.

I can remember when we were studying the food groups in fourth grade and had to write down every day what our meals were. I knew other people didnt eat like us and was embarrassed and made up meals for my assignment.

I had food, it just wasnt very good. But this still doesn't mean the school or anyone else was responsible for feeding me. Just my parents.

I understand where you are coming from. Many times I almost died from malnutrition.......I was a small child. I'd go to neighbors to look for food. Maybe get a bite of bread. But food being thrown away helps no one. JMO.
Children are defenseless. What are they to do? My Dad was a war vet with PTSD going to college when my brother and I were young. My mother paid the bills. there wasn't much left for food. We didn't ask for nor receive any government assistance. We didn't ask the school to feed us either. we went without.

 

[not_my_kids]

Hi guys, (yes, I'm back, long time, no see).

This bugs me on a lot of levels. I can only speak for what I see in my local school districts, but they seem to have this worked out better than the one in the articles.

First, even though we are among the most economically depressed districts in the state, every child is provided school lunch. Every child has access to breakfast and lunch, and must have a waiver signed by the parent in order to bring their own. It lessens the gap between social classes, and supposedly reduces bullying. That, combined with the uniform policy seems to be doing a pretty good job of keeping tensions to a minimum. If we can afford it, most any district could afford it.

Also, to take food and throw it away in front of all the students is not only pretty repugnant from a moral standpoint, it makes no business sense and it is setting a horrible example for the entire school. I hope the idiot that thought this was a good idea is promptly fired or reassigned to permanent janitorial duty.

EDIT: Not to mention, at least in my area, the parents that can't be bothered to fill out the paperwork for the lunch program would be neither shamed or concerned that their kids weren't getting lunch. Too many drugs or too much mental illness to care.