Should a teacher be allowed to take a childs lunch ?
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
Canada
September 19, 2008 8:34am CST
I ask this question because one year when my older children were in school , one of the teachers took my daughters lunch because she didn't like what I had packed . I had bought a gator aid for her to drink as a special treat after she had did something good at home and the teacher took it from her leaving her nothing to drink for the day . She did not think it was an appropriate drink for her and there were other times my children would come home and complain that the teacher would take some part of there lunch because they didn't feel it was a good choice on my part to pack . The time that got me was when I packed a treat for one of my children and the teacher not only took it but then ate it in front of my child !!
I always pack a healthy lunch for my children to take to school but even if I didn't , I don't feel the teacher has a right to take a lunch that was packed for the child leaving the child nothing to eat , as I saw this happen the one year I worked in the school . They would say that it was too bad for the child as the parents should have taken better care in packing the lunch . Do you have this problem in the school where your children go ? How would you feel if a teacher took your childs lunch because they didn't feel it was healty enough for them ? What woudl you do in a situation like this , and just so everyone knows , I had called the school board and nothing was done about the matter !!
25 people like this
69 responses
@cbreeze (1205)
• United States
19 Sep 08
I would have a big problem with it and I would not stop until I was satified. You probably would have gotten a better response if you had taken it up with the teacher first, then her principal, then the superintendent.
When I have had issues with my children's school, I always make a personal appearance. If not satisfied I take it to the next level. I bring or send my children's father, stepmother, grandmother. I just don't stop until I am satisfied with the results. I don't think they should dictate what you choose to feed your children. If there was no policy against gaterade then it shouldn't have been confiscated.
It has been my experienced that teachers are so used to non-participating parents that they treat all students as if their parents don't give a d_mn. Get them used to the fact that you are not one of those parents and that you will not tolerate them overstepping their bounds with you child.
Okay...let me calm down. Your story just brings back some negative experiences I've had with teachers.
4 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
19 Sep 08
Your proposed course of action is entirely commendable! I would have been too mad to even bother to take it up with the teacher!
The only good thing there is to be said about Gatorade, by the way, is that no real fruits were harmed in its production! Trouble is, kids love it.
2 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
20 Sep 08
Well said , I never am sure what to do in a situation like this , wish I had that advice when it had first happened but will have it should it happen again because I think you are right where the teachers are so used to parents doing nothing and not caring so they feel they can get away with anything :)
Thank you for your response .
1 person likes this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
1 Nov 08
I would act entirely in the same manner and I have actually taken some things up with the schools in the past when something has not been the way it should be. I have transferred my kids out of specific classes because of teacher behavior - if it has seemed unethical. I am not afraid to stand up for my kids, likewise I am not afraid to EMBARRASS my kids if they have lied to me and I find out about it. I often explain to my son that if I get a conflicting story from a teacher than from him that the adult has no reason to lie, it's not the TEACHER getting an F due to not participating in class or completing and turning in homework. However, if I hear that students have been badmouthed by a teacher, especially IN FRONT of other students, then that teacher deserves to be embarrassed, to lose their job, etc etc.
There is a lot to be said about making a personal appearance, getting in someone's face - even just in theory. A problem is much bigger when it is sitting there in front of you instead of just being a faceless phone call or a name on a message pad. For the most part when time is of the essence, I will go somewhere in person and tell everybody present that I will not 'go away' until my issue is dealt with to my satisfaction. Sometimes it has turned into a big hairy deal BUT it gets dealt with. People will move faster if they know they are going to be stared at all day, or have to have noisy kids running around their office or waiting room, etc. I don't feel bad about it, these people usually get an opportunity to address the problem via a phone call, and if they ignore me, this is what they get.
Yes, it is true that teachers and schools are used to parents who don't care and don't even know what is going on. However, when they know that you DO CARE and what happens when they step on your child's toes, they become much more understanding and learn to act accordingly.
@raclie (1732)
• Singapore
19 Sep 08
well...
that has nothing to do with the lunch...
the fact that the teacher takes the lunch and that she eats IN FRONT OF THE CHILD is just plain GREEDY!!!
no doubt about it.
unless it is against the school rule that the child is not allowed to bring treats to school for lunch?
if so, fine, take away the treat.
but if you EAT it IN FRONT of the child, that just shows spite.
its like saying..."haha, i take it and i am going to eat it which tells you i have it and you dont."
and if it is not healthy for kids, does it mean that it is healthy for adults?
maybe if the child brings a treat and the teacher wants to take it for herself, tell your kid to just throw it into the bin.
so, healthy lunch after all.
but maybe that is not a good idea, huh?
maybe, visit the teacher, talk to her about the situation.
calling the school board will not help if this is cnsidered as a trival matter as they feel that they have more important things to do.
hope the situation will be solved soon...
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
I agree :) Thank you for your response .
3 people like this
@Ohara_1983 (4117)
• Kuwait
20 Sep 08
You need to do is go to the school & talk to that teacher & ask her what you need for my daughter daily lunch bag, if there wrong to that till him/her to talk with you so you can handle what is the rules of thier lunch bag. because i remeber that you can put all whatever you want except junk foods, mom know what the best for thier kids not other people my friend.
4 people like this
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
That in my opinion is horrible. I would much rather see a child drink even two gator aid then see them take one drink from the school fountain. When my daughter was going to school she lived with strep throat and yet she was healthy otherwise. It was finally figured out she was drinking from the fountain. I packed her a drink and told her she would be in big trouble if she ever drank water from the fountain again. That was the end of strep throat. The teacher had no bussiness doing that and shame on the school board. Unreal. More time neds to be spent on teaching education not nutrition.
4 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
I agree completely , thank you for your response .
3 people like this
@mattcassethan (226)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
No they should not be allowd to check their lunches . If we pack a lunch then it was our money . I understand the need to healthy eating but some parents can't always afford this and if I want to give my child a treat in his or her lunch then I should be allowed to and nobody should be allowed to take it from them cause it was my money and if they did take it from them then they should have to put it back at the end of the day to take home with them and a note saying why they were not allowed to have it for the day so we know not to send that back in again . They should send home a list and not take there lunches from them .
4 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
Well said , Thank you for your response .
3 people like this
@Farside604 (870)
• Canada
20 Sep 08
I think that its completly uncalled for, the teacher was way out of line taking that drink without so much as an explination. I have heard of a teacher taking away a chocolate bar temporarily from a kid becusae it had nuts in it, as there was a kid with severe nut allergies in the class. However i dont think this teacher had any right to tkae the drink from your kid and if the school board isnt doing anything aout this then just go to the principal.
4 people like this
@GardenGerty (160949)
• United States
19 Sep 08
As far as I know, if it is not in the school rules to not bring something, no one can take it away. Kids are not allowed to bring pop in their lunches, except for special treat days. Speaking of general knowledge of the schools around here, if a student had a lunch that school felt was insufficient in some way, unobtrusively, the child would be offered something in addition. I have seen kids claim to have packed their own lunch, and show up with four cookies. I do not like what you are saying about your school. It would bother me to send my kids there.
4 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
I do have a lot of issues with the school my children go to and yet there is nothing that we can do about it as parents . I know many of us have called the school board but it is so hard to find teachers that they basically have their hands tied and will only do something if is a very serious case , doesn't matter how many calls they get from parents complaining about what is going on .
Thank you for your response .
3 people like this
@Ithink (9980)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I would be furious and the school would know it! You know your child better then they do and who are they to dictate what you can give your child unless there is a list of donts that they send home and even then I would be fighting that! Schools are not the parents. That is bad enough worse is the teacher taking something and then eating it!!! I would sooo have flipped out. That is just ignorant there is no other word for it.
Was it the same teacher everytime?? I would have gone to a school board meeting and brought it up in front of everyone there just so everyone would know how ignorant she is.
The other thing that really bothers me why not send a note home and if there is a list of allowed and not allowed then resend one with the note and if there isnt a list it just shouldnt have happened period!!
3 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
21 Sep 08
I believe it was the same teacher everytime . It happened awhile ago so I am not positive but I do believe that it was the same teacher .
Thank you for your response .
2 people like this
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
19 Sep 08
I'd say that would come right up under the heading of child abuse...after all if a parent makes their kids go hungry that's what they'd be charged with. I think if they don't like what you've packed then they should give the kid a free luch (hot lunch) and send the packed lunch home. There should be a list given at the first of the year of what the kids are allowed to bring in packed lunches. Sorry to say if it was my child and this was happening I would have pulled them and homeschooled until the issue was resolved. The eating of the treat by the teacher was just plain spite and hateful.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~ [/b]
3 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
20 Sep 08
If I had any idea how to home school I would be doing this for sure , I have many issues with the school .
Thank you for your response .
2 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
21 Sep 08
Thank you for the link , I am going to look into this and appreciate you taking the time to send me the link :)
1 person likes this
@krissy32 (205)
• United States
20 Sep 08
Homeschooling is not as hard as you may think. Go to the website of www.hslda.org. for ideas on how to begin homeschooling with all the legalities involved as they pertain to your state. Its about 100 bucks a year for membership, but their attorneys come in handy when dealing with nosy social workers who still think homeschooling is equivalent to abuse. It sucks to me that the teacher not only took your child's treat for doing something well at home, but to eat it right in front of your child is unconscionable and child abuse. Just my two cents. For the record I do homeschool during the summer to keep improving their skills and teach them things that they could never learn in school, fortunately our public school is pretty good and doesn't pull this kind of nonsense. Parents are in charge of their own children. A child's packed lunch is none of a teacher's business. As an FYI tip, leave the treats for home use to prevent this teacher from butting in, but instead of gatorade, put in a 100 percent juice box or two to prevent this teacher from throwing a stink again.
2 people like this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
21 Sep 08
of course she shouldn't take any child's lunch. i imagine i would have been in her face, big time. that is ridiculous!! i would have kept on w/the school board till they got tired of me & did something about it. if you send youe child's lunch w/them to school it is none of the teacher's buisness what's in it. i don't understand her doing that.
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I would haul this teacher's buttocks right down to the principal's and/or superintendent's office and give them a piece of my mind!! How dare she touch your child's food, and then, on top of it, give nothing in exchange!!!
If she were concerned about what you were sending home, a note home would have been appropriate. Then you could write back and tell her, in a nice way, to mind her own business.
I never would do this to a child I was teaching and I would never put up with it, either.
Have you talked to the principal and/or superintendent? If not go above the school board, if you have to. Do you attend the open board meetings? This would be a good time to bring it up, also.
If it continues, I would write the teacher a note that if it happens again, that she will be hearing from your lawyer next. See what happens. Keep us up to date on this, too.
3 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
21 Sep 08
I did go to the school board about it but nothing ever happened as a result . It was basically pushed aside and I was basically told that I should try to get along with the teacher and just not send these foods with my children again , as for the other children I was told I could not report on behalf of other children and because I worked in the school it would be in my best interst to get along with the people I worked with .
Thank you for your response .
3 people like this
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
21 Sep 08
I would not let this rest because, unless they had set policies that you agreed to, about this, then they cannot do it! I would start a letter writing campaign to newspapers, news shows, and politicians.
On top of that, get the other parents who had this done to their kids and get a petition against this started. You can make a difference.
I had an issue, in NYC, when my kids were small, that they did not have seat belts on school buses. I started with all of the above and got the whole city involved. We had the law changed!
2 people like this
@dhisaw (304)
• United States
19 Sep 08
That would definitely anger me. I have not had that happen so I cant exactly say what I would do. Most parents pack lunches for their children that are more healthy than what the school lunches sometimes can be. But that would definitely be wrong because then the child has nothing to eat or drink. I know you said that you did go to the school board but have you tried talking to your congressman or something about it.
3 people like this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
1 Nov 08
Yes, this makes me chuckle because how can the school complain about a child's packed lunch being unhealthy when their cafeteria offerings are hardly any better? When the school cafeterias begin offering fresh fruits and vegetables and grilled chicken, soups, and other good-for-you things for $2 a meal, THEN they can start complaining?
@rocketj1 (6955)
• United States
19 Sep 08
Our school has a policy about soda drinks. I think the reasoning is more about the possible explosion of the drink and the mess it would make.
Also, my daughter is allowed to bring a water bottle to class (the classroom is far from the fountain). They are told that only water can be in them. I assume it it for the same reason as the other rule.
Did you talk to the teacher? School boards often consider such a thing a matter for the teacher to handle. There are two sides to every story, even when it's coming from your kids.
If you've talked to the teacher and the school board, then I don't know if there IS anything else you could do.
4 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
I have spoken to the school board about this and never was ever done about it . It bothered me the year I worked at the school because I would often have children coming up to me because they were hungry and had lost their lunch and knowng that my children had the same complaints , I had to assume it was true .
Thank you for your response .
3 people like this
@moneyman123 (194)
• Canada
19 Sep 08
They would do this at my school to and they woudl do it to the little kids cause they kenw the little kids would be to scared to go to the office to tell on the teachers . They would not do it to highschool cause they knew that we woudl tell on them and then they would get fired .
4 people like this
@vijigopi (991)
• United States
19 Sep 08
I would understand a teacher not allowing a snack, because sugary snacks will not be permitted as per the guidelines my daughter's teacher sent us the first day of school. But eating a child's treat in front of the child is just plain irresponsibly mean for a teacher!! If she felt the parent should have sent more nutritious lunch, she should have sent home a note to you saying that such and such drinks/snacks are not permitted in class and sent the drink back to you. You should have confronted her straightaway. If she has a conscience, she will be definitely ashamed of her behaviour. But henceforth, I would say it would be better if you reserve treats at home since they don't seem to reach the right hands or should I say mouths
.
.2 people like this
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
20 Sep 08
That's outrageous...The teacher doesn't have any right to take food from a child...There is absolutely nothing wrong with gatorade..I give it to my boys all the time...
It doesn't matter what you pack..as long as your child had something to eat and drink then there should never be a problem....
If your child or any child was throwing their food or doing something to that effect then it would be necessary to take the child to the principals office to figure it out...
I would have been upset and I would have gone to the principal to get it resolved..I am sorry to hear that they did nothing to correct the situation for you...
2 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
21 Sep 08
Thank you as I didn't see a problem with the gatorade either and if there was some rule that they were not allowed to have this in school they could have sent home a note on what was acceptable and what wasn't .
Thank you for your response .
@xialinye (1403)
• China
20 Sep 08
that's not a teacher....i have to say...he or she doesn't care about the feelings of the child or their parents.sack them!
if i had a child,i prefet to let her eat at canteen.and try to share those food with other children or not to bring food .
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
19 Sep 08
In one school, the school had gotten all righteous about Oreo cookies. So my daughter told me not to even bother packing them. But she never actually had something taken away.
I would have a problem if something was taken away and not given back. I guess I would be OK if the school told us in advance not to pack certain things and then confiscated them if we did (especially if they were given back at the end of the day).
2 people like this
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
1 Nov 08
I would have a problem with that. If I wanted to pack my daughter an oreo cookie I would, and if anybody took it away from her, there'd be hell to pay. I also would not stop packing her the cookies, they'd shut up eventually - even if I had to make them.
@moondrop824 (241)
• United States
19 Sep 08
I'd be absolutely "pissed." I would go right to the teacher and tell her to pay for those items. Then I would tell her that the lunch I buy is for my child and that she has no right deciding what I put in that bag. I'd make a big fuss about it and maybe even go right to the school board and if they don't want to help with the matter (which is what they are supposed to be there for). Then I would go straight to the Superintendent and tell them that if they don't want to do anything about it, then I will then sue the school district for making my child go hungry and allowing the teacher to take what is not hers/his. I can't imagine that happening in my childs school. Give that teacher a piece of your mind and maybe even talk to someone about switching teachers. That is ridiculous. I'd make a BIG FAT HUGE STINK about it. Also see if this teacher is singling your child out and is she looking in ALL the kids bags? Ask her why she is consuming the lunch that she deemed unhealthy for your child. Then the next thing would be that the items be returned to you instead of her feeding her greedy face with them.
2 people like this
@samtaylorskykierajen (7977)
• Canada
20 Sep 08
The teachers in our area will deny anything said by a child and the problem comes in proving that you know your child is telling the truth . What made it more believeable was when I worked at the school and had more and more children coming to tell me they were hungry . I took it up with the principal at the time but he never did anything about it because I was only the playground supervisor .
Thank you for your response .
2 people like this
@nanajanet (4436)
• United States
21 Sep 08
Hmm, maybe you should "wire" your child, send in the lunch she does not like and then you'll have proof.
@moondrop824 (241)
• United States
21 Sep 08
exactly. Take a stand and don't back down if you don't want your child to be hungry.
@pehpot (4762)
• Philippines
19 Sep 08
Oh no the teacher I think has no right to do that. If they think the kids snacks are not appropriate on the student's diet then they should contact the kid's parents, but wait I think they also have no right or take on what ever the kid is eating, maybe they are envious with your kid's snack.
3 people like this
