Wednesday, September 21, 2016

School-Lunch Shamming


Title: Cafeteria Worker Resigns Over School District's 'Disgusting' Lunch-Shaming Policy

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Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stacy-koltiska-cafeteria-lunch-shaming-cannon-mcmillan-district_us_57e1fae3e4b0e80b1b9f1213

Key points:  A school employee decides to resign her job as a cafeteria worker after she had to take food back from a first grader due to new district policies. On one side we have workers leaving because they cannot provide enough food to students and on the other, we have people fired for giving extra food to students. where is the right balance? How does administration create these policies and expect teachers to help them grow when we cannot even meet their basic needs?

Relevance: As educators how can we help our students grow academically when we cannot fulfil their nutrition needs.

Audience: Teachers, parents, Administrators

6 comments:

  1. Alejandra,

    I came across this article yesterday and was appalled that student's are not able to get a lunch if they have not made a payment but then the food gets throw away at the end of the day. This made me mad and sad because if a student is behind on payment and is not bringing money clearly means that something is going on behind the scenes financially. As a student teacher in a title one school many of the kids are on free and reduced lunch but if a student doesn't bring a lunch to school one day it is no questions asked and they are given a hot lunch. The cafeteria employees relay that information to the homeroom teacher and they are able to talk to the child or call home. Most of the teachers at the school also have food in their classroom as a backup just incase, because as you pointed out how are we suppose to teach them if their basic needs are not met.

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  2. Alejandra,

    Reading this article, I am shocked by students being denied access to food due to the outstanding balance on their accounts. Like Melissa said above, if the student doesn't have enough money to pay for school lunch, and isn't bringing a lunch from home, there is probably much more going on behind the scenes. And these are the kids that are going to really be needing the food at school.
    I liked how you talked about basic needs not being met. This summer in Dr. Cichy Parkers class, we talked a lot about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The most basic needs for human survival (physiological needs) needs to be met first in order for the student to be successful in any other aspect, and in this case, academics. If these requirements are not met, the body can not function properly and how can we expect our students to learn. Denying students access to food will not allow them to be the most successful that they can in the classroom.

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  3. This is sad and infuriating at the same time to me. I don't understand how administrators can expect children to stay focused and put forth even a decent effort in the classroom without proper nourishment. Depending on the SES, neighborhood, or just flat out income of a family, there can be hundreds of kids in a school who can't afford meals. And it certainly isn't fair to put it on the staff to have to pull meals out from in front of kids because thier parents can't afford a meal. I work in a district where every single student has free breakfast AND lunch every single day of the year. There are so many days that some of my students come to school with an empty stomach and I can send them down to the cafeteria to fill it. I agree with the woman who walked out of her job. I would have done the same thing. No one should have to take food away from a child and replace it with a slab of cheese between two pieces of white limp, dry bread.

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  4. Working in a school where its entire population receives free breakfast and lunch I would have never guessed this type of action is taking place across our country. It is terrible that stipulations are being placed on the type of lunch students are allowed to receive based on financial need. if a child is given a cold sack lunch because they have a charge of $25 against their account, what makes the district think they will ever be able to play that? I can only imagine how embarrassed and uncomfortable children may feel due to the financial state of their families, but now peers can see firsthand just what that financial state may be based on the lunch they receive? Terrible. In order to be successful in the classroom and able to think with a clear mind it is imperative the basic needs of humans are met first. Schools are here to help educate and build confidence in students not rip them apart.

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  5. We know that developing minds and bodies thrive with enough sleep and food but in some cases, meals at home are not guaranteed, food served at school may be the only food they regularly eat. Lack of consistent nutrition can lead to cognitive delays, impacting their ability to learn, grow and reach their full potential.

    As an educator, it is our duty to provide an environment for our students that is positive, healthy and safe, by taking away foods and humiliating children does not promote that kind of environment and disrupts their ability to reach their full potential. Providing a basic need to our students shouldn't even be questioned or taken away.

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  6. I understand the district’s need to have all the meals paid for, but to prevent a student from a hot lunch due to unpaid fees, is plain wrong. I didn’t think things had come to this and could be this bad. At a school I worked at, the lunch servers were required to give a piece of fruit to the students whether they wanted it or not. Much of this was thrown away or left on tables. As far as I remember it’s a federal rule. So administrators and law makers, need to put themselves in these students’ shoes before they make these awful policies. I understand some students don’t appreciate the food they are given, but to force kids to take something we know they are not going to eat, is plain wasteful.

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