The Public School Cheese Sandwich Policy
A couple days ago I came across this story on Yahoo and have to say that it both outrages me and breaks my heart. I'm really glad we home school our children...
You see, children in some New Mexico public schools are now being singled out and given a cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk instead of the regular hot lunch if their lunch bill hasn't been paid in a few weeks. I know a cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk isn't a bad meal. But, really, that's not the point.
My problem with this is that first of all, children are being singled out. Don't we have enough of that already? It makes me sick when I hear of children being treated like this. These kids have absolutely no control over what their parents do. Yes, some of these parents may not have their priorities in order and some of them simply don't have the extra few dollars a week to send but should the child be treated differently for the parents actions? I think not.
Second, if the cheese sandwich is good enough for one kid then it should be good enough for all of them. Why not serve everybody cheese sandwiches for a while?
Third, if the problem is that bad the community or somebody should step in and get involved. If we can give money to help feed other countries and feed the prisoners in our own country then surely we can feed our kids without concern for the budget CAN'T WE? In my opinion, all children who go to public school should eat for free.
Yes, when it comes to children and food I get a little overly sensitive. Maybe it's because when I was a child I was one of those little kids who got free lunches and I felt different because of that. Sometimes I chose not to eat anything at all. In the end, singling out no matter how it is done is a real problem.Labels: cheese sandwich policy, public school
A couple days ago I came across this story on Yahoo and have to say that it both outrages me and breaks my heart. I'm really glad we home school our children...
You see, children in some New Mexico public schools are now being singled out and given a cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk instead of the regular hot lunch if their lunch bill hasn't been paid in a few weeks. I know a cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk isn't a bad meal. But, really, that's not the point.
My problem with this is that first of all, children are being singled out. Don't we have enough of that already? It makes me sick when I hear of children being treated like this. These kids have absolutely no control over what their parents do. Yes, some of these parents may not have their priorities in order and some of them simply don't have the extra few dollars a week to send but should the child be treated differently for the parents actions? I think not.
Second, if the cheese sandwich is good enough for one kid then it should be good enough for all of them. Why not serve everybody cheese sandwiches for a while?
Third, if the problem is that bad the community or somebody should step in and get involved. If we can give money to help feed other countries and feed the prisoners in our own country then surely we can feed our kids without concern for the budget CAN'T WE? In my opinion, all children who go to public school should eat for free.
Yes, when it comes to children and food I get a little overly sensitive. Maybe it's because when I was a child I was one of those little kids who got free lunches and I felt different because of that. Sometimes I chose not to eat anything at all. In the end, singling out no matter how it is done is a real problem.
You see, children in some New Mexico public schools are now being singled out and given a cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk instead of the regular hot lunch if their lunch bill hasn't been paid in a few weeks. I know a cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk isn't a bad meal. But, really, that's not the point.
My problem with this is that first of all, children are being singled out. Don't we have enough of that already? It makes me sick when I hear of children being treated like this. These kids have absolutely no control over what their parents do. Yes, some of these parents may not have their priorities in order and some of them simply don't have the extra few dollars a week to send but should the child be treated differently for the parents actions? I think not.
Second, if the cheese sandwich is good enough for one kid then it should be good enough for all of them. Why not serve everybody cheese sandwiches for a while?
Third, if the problem is that bad the community or somebody should step in and get involved. If we can give money to help feed other countries and feed the prisoners in our own country then surely we can feed our kids without concern for the budget CAN'T WE? In my opinion, all children who go to public school should eat for free.
Yes, when it comes to children and food I get a little overly sensitive. Maybe it's because when I was a child I was one of those little kids who got free lunches and I felt different because of that. Sometimes I chose not to eat anything at all. In the end, singling out no matter how it is done is a real problem.
Labels: cheese sandwich policy, public school
Permalink posted by PetiteMommy at 6:54 PM
28 Comments:
I think you make a really good point. I too feel bad for those kids, when you look at it from this perspective.
You should forward your post to that school district.
I agree 100%! Amazing how adults treat children (all adults involved).
I am also for serving every child in this country a solid, healthy lunch every school day for free. If we can afford to bail out everyone else, why can't we feed our kids!!
Amanda: You know I don't agree, but I'm glad we can still be friends and have different view points. :)
I agree that because this is not the fault of the children that they should not be singled out. No telling what this is doing to there self esteem. I’m going to stay neutral on the all kids should eat free idea for now but why are these children’s parents not qualifying for free meals? Maybe the districts need to reevaluate the household minimum income requirement now that the price of everything has gone up so much.
I agree completely.
And, like you, I was also one of those "free lunch kids"; I remember my feelings very well.
As a parent, I am all for healthy school lunches for ALL children. I'd especially like to see more vegetarian/vegan options in schools. There is a doctors group that’s collecting signatures to try to get vegetarian options in school lunches. You can sign here www.HealthySchoolLunches.org
Those kids are lucky they're not at my kids school. Since buying lunch is optional, if they don't have any money on their account, they don't get anything. They give the parents ample warning with phone calls every single day until you pay it though.
Lunch should be free for all kids in school...should just be part of school. Period.
Nell
This is an outrage. Children should not be the victims here. Clearly there are underlying problems if bills have not been paid. How about we show some sympathy for a change instead of being greedy money grubbers?! These are CHILDREN we are talking about. Funny that we can bail out the Richie Rich bankers but cannot afford to nourish our innocent children. You've got me all riled up now.
Man.... I'd have been screwed. I'm violently allergic to cheese. :)
Designher Momma- Thanks for your comment. Is is horrible isn't it?
Justyn - Yes, Free!
Karen - I'm really glad we can agree to disagree. It still breaks my heart though!
Chris - I agree. not the fault of children
A Knitten Junkie- from one former free lunch kid to another thanks for your comment ;)
Anon- I'm glad so many more are supportive. Thanks for your comment.
Karla - That is horrible. Even though parents are being called and constantly reminded -that doesnt mean they still have the money or will pay if they do. Thanks for your comment
Casual Friday Everyday - I agree totally. Thanks for your comment.
Illinap - Exactly. These are children. Thanks for your comment.
Timothy - so would my 4 yr old son if he were in public school. Another great point! Thanks!
My son takes a cheese sandwich to school every day. See he is a peanut allergy kid. He is singled out because your kids food could kill him. He is fine about it.
These families should be glad that their children are being fed. Its not that hard to make some sort of lunch for your kid. Also, they can teach the kids to stop feeling sorry for themselves, like my son has had to learn.
This is life. Kids get singled out for having the wrong shoes, or being too fat or too skinny or sometimes for no reason at all. These parents need to instill some resilience in their kids, starting with themselves.
Amen! It pisses me off that our tax dollars are helping to feed criminals when our children can't even have a decent lunch at School? That's not right. When my daughter is of age, she will not be attending public school. I too will homeschool my children.
Cora = my son has Eosinophilic Esophagitis and is allergic to several foods - chicken, corn, soy, dairy to name a few. I'd say he couldn't eat much of anything served in a public school lunchroom b/c it is so processed. However, our children are different in that they are not being singled out by the school or being embarrassed by the lunch lady. It is such a totally different situation all together.
I wish these parents would do something too. Thanks for your comment.
There are so many problems with how public schools are funded that free lunch for all is completely unrealistic. I live in a huge school district: 9 elementary schools, 2 middle, and 1 enormous high school. I can't even imagine what my taxes would be if we provided free lunches for these 11,000+ students.
I do feel bad for those kids who have negligent parents who are late paying the lunch bills but at some point they need to be made responsible for their own children, rather than expecting the schools to step in to do their job.
I agree Amanda - I'm here in western Kentucky & the standard no-pay meal is a peanut butter sandwich & sometimes the schools aren't always great about alerting the parent's about the lunch fund money getting low - I have a 8 year old and I try to regularly deposit $ into her lunch account, sometimes she buys extras - so I don't always know when to replenish & the school at times has only notified me AFTER it was already depleted.. Esp since many kids are allergic to PB it really gets me. I would be so humiliated to be served the "nopay" meal as a kid. Kids are already humiliated enough in other areas in public schools!
Mommy In Pink - Thanks for your comment and support. Exactly.
Christina - Thanks for your comment. :) But realistically how different is the price of the cheese sandwich meal than the regular meal for the day. I'd like to get an idea of that. I agree the parents definitely need to be held responsible or shamed in some way but not the kids.
Becky - thanks so much for your comment. I agree. Sometimes the schools don't do such a good job of notifying. And yes on the humiliation. They definitely don't need another way to feel different than the other kids in class.
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They do this at my kids' school, too. My own daughter has had to eat the "you owes us money!!!" lunch before when I forgot to add money to her acct. The irony is that a cheese sandwich w/ fruit and milk is a hell of a lot healthier than some of the other crap they feed those kids. But yeah, real nice of them to single kids out for something that's not within their control.
A cheese sandwich, fruit, and milk actually sound a lot healthier than all the pizza, hamburgers, and chicken nuggets they normally offer. Some schools even offer soda. Yikes!
I agree with the free lunches for all school children. And I homeschool our kids. Our tax dollars pay for meals for prisoners, and they pay for public schools that we don't use. Wouldn't it be nice if we could allocate our contributions where we would like?
We don't qualify for free lunch but I can't afford to let my kids buy lunch at school. It is almost 3 dollars per day per kid. So something is wrong with the whole system. Just feed all the kids and you would save on all the record keeping expenses.
My kids attend NM schools and I've never heard of this 'cheese sandwich policy.' I was offended to hear of this article because my children have always had hot lunches if desired. I don't think the district could get away with this policy. I agree, punishing the child for the parents irresponsibility for not paying their lunch bill is crazy as it's not the kids fault. I'm not too sure about this article. All students should not receive 'hot lunches' for free, we need to be responsible for our children and that includes feeding them nutritious, healthy food. We need to be responsible, accountable parents & stop relying so heavily on our State and schools to 'raise, teach manners & feed' our kids (not ALL parents, there are several responsible parents & just a few sluffers). The schools job is to educate our children, period. Thanks for sharing.
I agree Amanda. It's not the kids fault and they shouldn't be singled out!
Rebecca
www.momswithvision.blogspot.com
This is an active policy in our county {Florida} also. They serve peanut butter instead of cheese though. The problem is that sometimes the parent isn't given the envelope stating how much they owe. It is given to the child who doesn't always remember to give it to the parent. You are right though. It does single out the child. I feel there should be a different way of letting the parent know that they owe, and if they are unable to pay it there should be some way to work it out where the child is not the one who is suffering!
Thanks.
I hear where you are coming from. But if someone can step in and pay the bills for these kids that would be great. How many kids that are NOT yours do you pay for to help? Someone has to pay for it. I do agree if we can feed other country kids we should start at home first. Cut their budget and give to our own - however our government isnt like that. It isnt a bad meal and there are many kids (mine included) that would love a cheese sandwich instead of other items on the plate. Cheese sandwiches are not bad. It is how they are given. I know for a fact that it is done in our district with great care and no upset to our children. I know this as I am one of the people that work at the school. It is hard to pay for the food deliveries when there isnt money coming in from those who are eating. Maybe these parents should pay their bills or work something out with the schools before this happens. No one calls and tries to work out a payment plan they just keep letting it go until it is way to late. `
I have no problem with the actual nutritious value or taste of either a peanut butter or cheese sandwich unless a child is allergic to it. My problem is how the problem is handled in general. Again, I will say it - I have a problem of singling out children. There are negative effects regardless. I personally don't know how to solve the problem but I do think all kids should have a healthy (same) lunch for FREE.
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