School confiscates and throws away lunch of autistic child

[WDRacing]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/02/ne ... ther-says/

In short, the student, a 10yr old boy, had his lunch given to him and then taken away and thrown in the trash because he had a negative balance in his lunch account. This happened in front of all the other kids. As if having Aspergers isn't enough.

This brings to mind 2 things.

One, wtf is the school doing taking food away from a hungry child because the parent is negligent? This has happened several times, it's BS and I'd like to inflict pain on the people that think this is "ok" to do.

Two, hey Mom if you can't manage your childs lunch money account, you probably shouldn't even have kids to begin with. Don't blame the school because you're a POS parent.

To me, this is a prime example of our society failing on many levels. Parents failing at the most fundamental aspects of being a parent and the school system being so wrapped up with budget problems that they think it's ok to deprive a child of lunch in order to "fix" the problem.

This entire story wreaks of incompetence.

[Hijacker]

We've had similar issues with my step son. The account his lunch money is tied to is supposed to alert us when it gets close to 0, but occasionally it doesn't. And then he'll forget to tell us for a few days that he's been on cold cheese sammiches for lunch, so by the time we hear he needs money for lunch, it's been near a week. THEN, it'll take a few more days for the money to post to his account. I guess we're negligent parents as well.

All in all, it's a common issue since schools began to switch to these debit-style systems. The old ways of needing the physical money always prevented this IMO. The issues with our alert messages failing to automate only started when we moved to the new school district. Perhaps, we should make it a weekly thing to check in the account, but in all honesty, it's an easy to forget thing when you have so many other fires drawing attention on a weekly basis.

Basically, before you call the mom a POS, think about it a bit more objectively and realize there might be other complications in the story that aren't being reported.

[Rogue One]

I actually thought you were referring to this recent article. But your story is a little different.

Utah elementary cafeteria yanks food from kids because they owed money on their accounts
By The Associated Press

Published: Thursday, January 30, 2014 6:33 p.m.

SALT LAKE CITY — Erica Lukes and other Utah parents were outraged when the deep-dish pizzas and other food of their children were taken and thrown away at their elementary school when a cashier said they owed money on their lunch accounts.

Lukes said taking the $2 meals from about 30 students was “humiliating and demoralizing.”

“People are upset, obviously, by the way this has been handled because it's really needless and quite mean,” she said. “Regardless if it's $2, $5, you don't go about rectifying a situation with a balance by having a child go through that.”

The Salt Lake City School District apologized on Thursday and said it is investigating what happened at Uintah Elementary and working to make sure it doesn't happen again.

“This was a mistake,” district spokesman Jason Olsen said. “There shouldn't have been food taken away from these students once they went through that line.”

The students whose lunches were thrown out were given milk and fruit, a standard practice when students don't have lunch money.

The school is in a middle-class neighborhood, and the district qualifies for federal reimbursement on lunches when students select certain offerings that are within nutritional guidelines.

Olsen said officials started notifying parents on Monday that many children were behind on the lunch payments. It appears one district employee decided to start taking lunches the next day, he said, even though district policy requires that parents be given time to respond to account shortfalls.

State Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, said the district made a “grievous mistake” that was indefensible.

“To me, this rises to the level of bullying,” he said. “These children were humiliated in their own school, in front of their classmates.”

[PapaSmurf2k3]

When and why did this debit system start?

Can you still use cash?

[Hijacker]

Ever since our oldest started school under my watch ('09), we've had to deal with this crap. Never had any issues until we moved to Fredericksburg and had to send him to the school he's in. We can still use cash, but we rarely keep enough cash on hand normally to shell out for lunches. The last time we overran his account, I gave him cash and he didn't use it for food. So that's on him. As much as I hate to say it, at least with the debit system, he's forced to buy food instead of just pocketing the cash and getting a cheese sammich.

From what I gather at this school, this happens a bit too often. The teachers will spring for lunch for the kids if it happens once instead of yanking the tray from the kid and tossing it. But the next day, they'll check the account first and then give him the po'boy cheese.

[MinisterofDOOM]

I'm still struggling to figure out how THROWING THE FOOD IN THE TRASH solves the problem of the kid's balance being negative. It would be a whole different (and still unacceptable) issue if they simply declined to serve him in the first place. But throwing the food in the trash? How is that any different than feeding the kid, cost-wise? Makes about as much sense as a dealer driving a customer's car off a cliff because he missed a payment.

When and why did this debit system start?

Well, I'd say at least 23 years ago. I used the debit system the entire time I was in the public school system. I remember carrying a barcoded "lunch card" that was scanned to debit my account. I'd bring in checks monthly to deposit into my lunch account, and then use the card (or my "lunch number" which I can still recite in my sleep to this day) to charge my lunches to the account.
I do think cash was still accepted (I know for sure it was in high school, but in elementary school I never exactly had loose cash laying around so I didn't pay that way). But debit-style lunch accounts were the main means of payment.

[WDRacing]

Basically, before you call the mom a POS, think about it a bit more objectively and realize there might be other complications in the story that aren't being reported.

Sorry dude, but no. When it happens once its part of the learning curve. If it continues its because you can't figure out that your kid needs 10/week for lunch. If the alerts are a known issue, then continuing to rely on them is kinda silly no? In the above story, the Mom had a recurring problem with keeping the balance updated. That is no ones fault by hers. Seriously, if you can't budget lunch money ffs then set alarms on your phone, email or any number of a billion different ways to get reminders. The amount they need doesn't change. If you can't remember to pay your bills how are you not negligent?

Don't act like I don't have 3 kids dude. I never have these issues.

[LocAL_anarchy]

I'm still struggling to figure out how THROWING THE FOOD IN THE TRASH solves the problem of the kid's balance being negative.

I'm assuming since it was done in front of other kids, it was to show them all what happens in that situation. Try to get lunch with a negative balance, you'll be humiliated. Absolutely deplorable.

[WDRacing]

Agreed. The poor kid has nothing to do with this yet he's the one publicly punished. Deplorable is too kind imho.

Also, if lunch money is a problem there is always the lunchbox option. My middle boy is wicked picky, so I make him a lunch more often than not. Chances are its a lot healthier than the crap schools serve these days as well.

Parents have no accountability these days and our youth are showing it in spades.

[themadscientist]

I have a coworker whose kid's lunch account keeps getting screwed up. He puts money in, but it gets screwed up somehow and he doesn't get timely notices. I fielded a call from the school asking for him, passed the word to him and he called back and read them the riot act. Apparently the account zeroed out over a month ago and they never said anything and they are treating him like he's been avoiding them. He told them where to stick it and she tried to threaten him by asking who his first sergeant was. (military base, that usually scares people) He's a civilian so that doesn't scare him, but I encouraged him to give them my name since I'm his boss and would love to have a conversation with these idiots.

My kid would brown bag it. The school serves s*** anyway. I brought leftover crab legs from the Red Lobster dinner the night before for my lunch one time. I packed them with those blue cold things and brought my own butter. I went to the lunch lady and asked her to nuke the butter and I sat there crackin and dipping snow crab while the other kids and several teachers just watched in confusion over their cardboard pizzas and PB&J.

Yeah, poor latchkey kid of a single mother, his life must be so hard. Yeah, bishez, let me show you how we roll. Catch the vapors.

[Deelow]

It's more of the same bullcrap from the school systems all over. Our school systems in the U.S. are so far behind it's crazy. The inexcusable part is the treatment of our kids. Now I also agree our kids get away with too much now a days. My kids know we don't tolerate ignorance and trying to play the system. I feel sorry for the kid. This is horrible.

[Rogue One]

Bringing your own lunch to school? Are you aware that's verboten in some schools?

Chicago School Bans Lunches Brought From Home?
By Erika Nicole Kendall on August 5, 2013
http://blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/ ... from-home/

“Who thinks the lunch is not good enough?” the seventh-grader shouted to his lunch mates in Spanish and English.

Dozens of hands flew in the air and fellow students shouted along: “We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch!”

Fernando waved his hand over the crowd and asked a visiting reporter: “Do you see the situation?”

At his public school, Little Village Academy on Chicago’s West Side, students are not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.

Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.

[WDRacing]

Nothing good comes from Chicago...

[MinisterofDOOM]

Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.

Principal Elsa Carmona needs to mind her own damn business.

I really, REALLY just need to finally actually take over the damn world.

[Rogue One]

I really, REALLY just need to finally actually take over the damn world.

[Rogue One]

[themadscientist]

you
Know
TOo
MUCH!!!!!!

[szh]

I seriously WANT that book!!

Gotta do a search for it ... Amazon, here I come.

Z

[szh]

I seriously WANT that book!!

Gotta do a search for it ... Amazon, here I come.

Z

Found it ... bought it ... downloading in progress!

Three minutes total time ... Amazon and Kindle's rule!

Z

[szh]

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/02/02/ne ... ther-says/

In short, the student, a 10yr old boy, had his lunch given to him and then taken away and thrown in the trash because he had a negative balance in his lunch account. This happened in front of all the other kids. As if having Aspergers isn't enough.

This brings to mind 2 things.

One, wtf is the school doing taking food away from a hungry child because the parent is negligent? This has happened several times, it's BS and I'd like to inflict pain on the people that think this is "ok" to do.

Two, hey Mom if you can't manage your childs lunch money account, you probably shouldn't even have kids to begin with. Don't blame the school because you're a POS parent.

To me, this is a prime example of our society failing on many levels. Parents failing at the most fundamental aspects of being a parent and the school system being so wrapped up with budget problems that they think it's ok to deprive a child of lunch in order to "fix" the problem.

This entire story wreaks of incompetence.

Amazing! I agree with you ... both the parent and the school system are at fault.

Fortunately, my son goes to a private high school that has a "prepay" lunch requirement for the entire year, so there is no issue like this ever likely to occur. Admittedly, not everybody can afford to do this ... but, even if we did not prepay for the year, I would make damn sure that his lunch cost was covered properly all the time. No excuses for that!

Separately, his school account is set up to automatically debit our bank account for any purchases (like tickets to the school plays, etc.).

A similar system was used for his elementary school - the tuition and all other charges were automatically charged to a credit card every month (I wanted the card points!).

If there was an issue (happened one time when I changed cards due to fraud and forgot to notify the school), I got the e-mail from the school directly and did not have to rely on them telling my son to tell me! Can't expect an elementary school age kid to remember this kind of notification - they are not used to it.

Z

[szh]

I really, REALLY just need to finally actually take over the damn world.

Please do go for it ... I will support you!

We need rational, pragmatic, honest people in government ... and are not getting it.

Z

[szh]

Bringing your own lunch to school? Are you aware that's verboten in some schools?

Chicago School Bans Lunches Brought From Home?
By Erika Nicole Kendall on August 5, 2013
http://blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com/ ... from-home/

“Who thinks the lunch is not good enough?” the seventh-grader shouted to his lunch mates in Spanish and English.

Dozens of hands flew in the air and fellow students shouted along: “We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch! We should bring our own lunch!”

Fernando waved his hand over the crowd and asked a visiting reporter: “Do you see the situation?”

At his public school, Little Village Academy on Chicago’s West Side, students are not allowed to pack lunches from home. Unless they have a medical excuse, they must eat the food served in the cafeteria.

Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.

Now that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard of!

I had no clue that some so-called educators could be so utterly clueless.

Z

[Jesda]

As a product of Illinois public schools I received a solid education but the hot lunches we were served were of low quality. Adequately nutritious, not at all dangerous (lunch staff were careful about cleanliness and order), but they were the exact same food program used in state prisons.

The kids who brown bagged it got better meals and were probably more alert in class.

Elsa Carmona is out of her farking mind.

[gwoods]

I love private schools

[themadscientist]

I would send my kid to public school. I would want him to observe the brainwashing and indoctrination of his peers during the day. Those mouthbreathers are going to be "society" when he's an adult so he needs to know his enemy. In the evening we would sit at the dinner table, me with a scotch, him with a juice box and discuss what he saw and bolster his "approved" lessons with actual knowledge and critical thinking lessons.

[WDRacing]

I would send my kid to public school. I would want him to observe the brainwashing and indoctrination of his peers during the day. Those mouthbreathers are going to be "society" when he's an adult so he needs to know his enemy. In the evening we would sit at the dinner table, me with a scotch, him with a juice box and discuss what he saw and bolster his "approved" lessons with actual knowledge and critical thinking lessons.

You can watch my boys any time Mike.

Side note: I now live in Ohio. I'm allowed to enroll my kids in any public school I choose regardless of the district without paying fee's. So I drive my kids 20 minutes down the highway everyday so they can attend the best public school in the area. This school has uniform requirements and free lunch. Course my picky little bastards won't eat the school lunch...but none the less, I really like the education system so far here in Ohio.

[Rogue One]

I really, REALLY just need to finally actually take over the damn world.

Can we assume you'll be a Benevolent Overlord? If not, here's some helpful advice (I'm only posting the top 25, there's a lot more at the website).

Being an Evil Overlord seems to be a good career choice. It pays well, there are all sorts of perks and you can set your own hours. However every Evil Overlord I've read about in books or seen in movies invariably gets overthrown and destroyed in the end. I've noticed that no matter whether they are barbarian lords, deranged wizards, mad scientists or alien invaders, they always seem to make the same basic mistakes every single time. With that in mind, allow me to present...

The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord

1. My Legions of Terror will have helmets with clear plexiglass visors, not face-concealing ones.
2. My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.
3. My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.
4. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.
5. The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.
6. I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.
7. When I've captured my adversary and he says, "Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?" I'll say, "No." and shoot him. No, on second thought I'll shoot him then say "No."
8. After I kidnap the beautiful princess, we will be married immediately in a quiet civil ceremony, not a lavish spectacle in three weeks' time during which the final phase of my plan will be carried out.
9. I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labelled "Danger: Do Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will not clearly be labelled as such.
10. I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum -- a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.
11. I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or leaving my weaker enemies alive to show they pose no threat.
12. One of my advisers will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.
13. All slain enemies will be cremated, or at least have several rounds of ammunition emptied into them, not left for dead at the bottom of the cliff. The announcement of their deaths, as well as any accompanying celebration, will be deferred until after the aforementioned disposal.
14. The hero is not entitled to a last kiss, a last cigarette, or any other form of last request.
15. I will never employ any device with a digital countdown. If I find that such a device is absolutely unavoidable, I will set it to activate when the counter reaches 117 and the hero is just putting his plan into operation.
16. I will never utter the sentence "But before I kill you, there's just one thing I want to know."
17. When I employ people as advisers, I will occasionally listen to their advice.
18. I will not have a son. Although his laughably under-planned attempt to usurp power would easily fail, it would provide a fatal distraction at a crucial point in time.
19. I will not have a daughter. She would be as beautiful as she was evil, but one look at the hero's rugged countenance and she'd betray her own father.
20. Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in maniacal laughter. When so occupied, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.
21. I will hire a talented fashion designer to create original uniforms for my Legions of Terror, as opposed to some cheap knock-offs that make them look like Nazi stormtroopers, Roman footsoldiers, or savage Mongol hordes. All were eventually defeated and I want my troops to have a more positive mind-set.
22. No matter how tempted I am with the prospect of unlimited power, I will not consume any energy field bigger than my head.
23. I will keep a special cache of low-tech weapons and train my troops in their use. That way -- even if the heroes manage to neutralize my power generator and/or render the standard-issue energy weapons useless -- my troops will not be overrun by a handful of savages armed with spears and rocks.
24. I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of the job, at least I will never utter the line "No, this cannot be! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!" (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)
25. No matter how well it would perform, I will never construct any sort of machinery which is completely indestructible except for one small and virtually inaccessible vulnerable spot.

75 more @ eviloverlord.com