Super Policy or Food Police Gone Wild?

Missjulesdid

I think it's a fine policy. I like that it applies equally to ALL FOODS so it's not inherently labeling some foods good and some foods bad.

It's an excellent time for kids to learn that we can celebrate and be made to feel special WITHOUT FOOD.

Just because baking cupcakes and treats and bringing them into schools to share with the class is something that was done in the past, does not mean it's something necessary or was even a good idea.

missh1967

Public schools have gone mentally ape s.h.i.t.

The_Raspberry

Didn't read all replies so someone might have said this already. I don't have kids, but I am a social worker so I meet a lot of them and are in contact with a loot of schools and preschools.

Usually, if it's someones birthday the parents are not allowed to send stuff. Sometimes the school will provide something tasty, like ice cream or fruit. The main reason for this is that schools can't expect all children to have parents that can afford or have the ability to do something for the entire class. All kids should have the same opportunities, at least while in school. No kids should be singled out as the ones who didn't bring cupcakes, or whatever. So the school makes sure that while in school, it's the same celebration for every student.

The kids can then have birthday parties or whatever and celebrate outside of school.

I think this is a sound policy.

mrsdjordan

Could be a nightmare if there are children with allergies, which the odds say there probably are.

My older son has a nut allergy and while I can usually keep him away from them through being careful, a teacher allowing him to eat brought in homemade cupcakes 25 times a year would be cause for concern.

I'm not talking a rash or digestive problem, it's anaphylaxis and hospitalisation for my boy.

It's a shame, but part of life these days.

Birthday cakes are best eaten at home or at parties IMO, nothing wrong with just singing happy birthday at school!

Maybe you could just put one in your child's packed lunch instead?

Francl27

For what it's worth, in France when I was growing up, nobody ever bought any food from home anyway. It was either going home for lunch or cafeteria food. So I don't see anything wrong with not allowing outside food at school anyway...

But I'm thinking of the parents with kids with deadly allergies and really I don't see it as a bad thing at all to ban homemade stuff... Plus the kids who have Summer birthdays or whose parents can't afford/don't want birthday treats at school don't get left out this way.

rgbmore

this has been going on for a while. about 10 years ago i heard of it as a way to keep things equal amongst kids .

i guess now instead of doing it because some kids may be poor they are doing it because some kids might be fat

That was how it was at a school I taught at. It was in a very poor area, so instead the school had a party once a month where any kid that had a birthday that month got to go down to the cafeteria, enjoy a little "party" (watch an episode of Magic School Bus or something), eat a cookie and pick out a brand new book, pencil (the fancy tye dye ones lol), and a book mark. T
he principal and some staff would sing happy birthday and include each of their names.

These kids LOOOOOVED it. They liked having a special day, because some didn't have any celebration waiting at home.
Granted, it was a small school, but I thought it was sweet.

If you really want the class to have cupcakes, invite them to a birthday party outside of school. (Hahaha 30 kids at a party--good luck!)

lemurcat12

The school's under no obligation to have a mini party for every child there. Have the party outside school times, I'm sure the child won't feel any less like the special snowflake it is.

This is what we did in the US in the '70s and '80s, at least where I grew up. This "everyone must celebrate my child's birthday with a class party" thing seems like the weird new thing to me.

nicsflyingcircus

I occasionally do not appreciate some thing about the American south, where I live, but when I do appreciate it is when it comes to my kids' schools.

They have PE everyday, 45 minutes, all grades up to 6th, then middle school has PE for 40 min year round in 7th and 8th grade. PE is required once in high school, unless you play a school sport, in which case you take sport specific PE every year you play. My elementary kids get recess daily (even the 6th graders) and the younger grades (k-3) get it twice, about 15-20 min at a time. Also, our playgrounds have slides, monkey bars, those merry go round spinny things, all those unsafe things certain helicopter-type parents worry about.

Oh, also, they can have peanut butter at school. One of my kids, her teacher politely requested no PB for snack time, which they eat in their classrooms, because three kids in the class have allergies, and I do honor that, but one of my other kids eats nothing by PB sandwiches for lunch. Also, I can send whatever the hell I want in their lunchboxes, because they are my damned kids.

To be fair, my kids lunches generally consist of : a sandwich/wrap, pretzels/pitas with dip (hummus or pb, depending), a veggie, a fruit and a protein (Yogurt or cheese). They eat one or two of those items as a mid morning snack, as breakfast is at 6:15 and lunch around noon. They buy milk in the cafeteria(1% I believe) if they want to, else they have water bottles. They also buy lunch on average 2 days a week, because it won't kill them, lol.