Throwing away a child's lunch?

It seems to me that if the child already has gotten the tray, it makes more sense, financially and morally, to let the child charge the meal and eat it instead of throwing it in the garbage. From personal experience, I think schools need better systems for notifying parents that the account is over drawn. You would think, in the age of technology, that this task would be simple. I just don't believe that telling my 8 year old daughter that she needs to let me know her account is empty is an adequate form of parental notification. Of course, she won't think to tell me until the next time she needs lunch. Also, don't give a note directly to her. Those get washed in the washing machine. The school already has an automated system that calls and sends email for school closings, delays, etc. They can't modify this program to send me an email when her lunch account is empty?

Is that all you see is the fact there was an irresponsible parent here? Because of these actions, children were not only not allowed to eat, they were embarrassed. Put yourself in the children's shoes. How would you feel? Humiliated? Embarrassed? Yes they were given milk and fruit. I am sure that went unnoticed by other children. discretion should have been used if the lunches needed to be taken away. I could care less if the account had no money in it because the parents couldn't afford it or they forgot. I could care less if the school tried to contact the parents and couldn't. What I care about is the children! As if bullying and taunting is not already a problem in schools, these children have to deal with this type of crap. Totally unacceptable in my book.

There are two different types of parents, those who coddle and those who prepare their children for the real world.

I'm not seeing your connection with coddling. I don't coddle my children, however if I am going to teach them to respect others then I would absolutely be pretty ticked off with the way this situation was handled. At the age these children were, they don't understand money, but they certainly understand how to treat others.

Coddling our children because I do not want them humiliated? Mistreated or embarrassed? Gees...anyone who thinks its ok to do this to a child is sick. I did prepare my children for the real world without humiliating, mistreating or embarrassing them.

Coddling our children because I do not want them humiliated? Mistreated or embarrassed? Gees...anyone who thinks its ok to do this to a child is sick. I did prepare my children for the real world without humiliating, mistreating or embarrassing them.

lol I'm not sick I just see things differently. I feel confident that my child would not feel humiliated in this situation, because what is there to be humiliated about?

Should the poor children who only ever get the fruit and milk feel humiliated and embarrassed every single day? I mean, how embarrassing for your child to have to feel like one of them for ONE day!!

Coddling our children because I do not want them humiliated? Mistreated or embarrassed? Gees...anyone who thinks its ok to do this to a child is sick. I did prepare my children for the real world without humiliating, mistreating or embarrassing them.

lol I'm not sick I just see things differently. I feel confident that my child would not feel humiliated in this situation, because what is there to be humiliated about?

Should the poor children who only ever get the fruit and milk feel humiliated and embarrassed every single day? I mean, how embarrassing for your child to have to feel like one of them for ONE day!!

I am considered lower class but that doesn't mean my child should have to feel like that. It also doesn't mean I am going to "act" low class. If it had been my child in this situation it would embarrass her because she is a very sensitive child. I often tell her to suck it up butter cup, but that isn't in front of her peers. To already be poor and then have that reaffirmed is horrible for any child. In the case of this school we don't know why or how the accounts went over due. All we know is that they weren't paid, the parents had hours notice, then the food was thrown away.

It IS humiliating to have food you are hungry for, taken away, and thrown in the trash in front of you. That is something that could stick with a child for the rest of his life, and not in a positive way.

Low income does NOT mean low class. (I presume you meant low income? If not, my apologies. But i still say class is not determined by income)

The majority of the posters here agree that removing food from a child at lunch is reprehensible. If i had been working at the school and instructed to do that i would have paid for the lunch myself rather than do that.


You sound like a caring mom. Ignore the newbies who are bored. Some people have no empathy for others.

Also, at my elementary school, we had to go to the cashier before we got our food.

Reason # 94 why my child will be going to a private school. Don't care if I need to work 2 jobs and sell plasma to make it happen.

i think this is just an isolated incident, one lady "from the school district" came to the school and was trying to show her power. all she showed was insensitivity and unprofessionalism. exactly the reason why even the people who do not directly work with children needed to be selected carefully.
in many schools especially in south where a large number of students are from families below poverty limit, there are free breakfast, parents don't even need to fill out papers or show income evidence. even during summer holidays schools serve free lunch in Tennessee. so it is not like the schools try to humiliate kids on a regular basis or discriminate them based on their lunch money balance.

So this poster seems to have grasped what actually happened here. A few facts:
First, not all the lunches that were thrown away belonged to students with debt on their accounts. several had their lunches thrown away that didn't. So it was unfair on multiple levels for them.
Second, this is NOT district policy. District policy had an alternative lunch for those who couldn't pay. Those kids were not left to go hungry. If you can't pay for a school lunch, then either make your own and take what is given you and be grateful.
Third, I love (insert sarcasm here) how everyone is clumping the entire public school system in with this isolated incident. Whichever as not even a result of some command handed down, but the result of ONE employee on a power trip. I only blame the district for not firing that employee by now (although it is government so there's no telling what hoops they have to jump through to accomplish that). There should also be an investigation into the other workers that stood by and let it happen.
Fourth, while this is embarrassing and the person who did this should not be working for children...this also is an isolated incident that would be an excellent learning experience for your kiddo. Our kids will always experience difficulties and struggles...especially out in the world. But it can still be made into something positive if handled correctly. I feel this was wrongfully done, but at the same point the vehement outrage I see here seems over dramatic. The responsibility of our children does not end when they cross the threshold to the school.

My thoughts on this one.

It seems all the parents WERE told about this.
Why didn't they make alternate arrangements?
Why was it the schools fault that the parents sent their kids to school when they didn't have money?
If this was money and a kid turned up with no money to pay, what would people be saying?
If this was a bank/credit card for a family at a cafe, would you expect the food to be just given to the family.

Saying all that, I'd tend to agree that they instigated this rather promptly.

But I certainly think some questions have to be asked of those 40 parents.

As for long term issues - maybe this will give them some experience for some of the stuff that happens in 'real life'?

This makes me want to cry. Those poor humiliated children. If ANYONE EVER did this to my step daughter I would knock their heads together. Outrageous!

Because having your step parent arrested for assaulting school staff wouldn't lead to any emotional scars or humiliation, of course?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/02/new-jersey-school-throws-away-lunch-10-year-old-autistic-boy-mother-says/

So it's happened a few times before, but she hasn't done anything to make sure the account is topped up.
If it was a system with cash and the kid turned up with no cash, would they expect the kid to be given free food repeatedly?

Of course, it couldn't be up the parent to do anything about it!