Comments on: Cheese Sandwiches For Kids Whose Parents Failed To Pay Their Lunch Tab.

By: efvusa

efvusa — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:07:13 +0000

Let me just start with saying, I am all for privatized schooling. I feel it is our responsibility to pay for our children to attain proper education, but since this is not the way our government works this is how I see this situation…The government would gladly make budget cuts in our public schools and feed our children cold cheese sandwiches, while we serve our prisoners a hot meal everyday, three times a day! Now how backwards is this? Like I said, I am all for taking care of my responsibility’s but I think this situation may need to be reevaluated.

By: fathersez

fathersez — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:53:36 +0000

I suppose this is a classic example of how unrealistic people can be. They don’t pay, still get something and yet they complain.

The kids get caught in the middle, yes, but the parents should do their part. And like many of the commenters pointed out, pack lunch for their kids.

By: plonkee

plonkee — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 09:21:14 +0000

At schools in the UK, children normally wear school uniform partly so they don’t get bullied for their clothing, and if the kid haven’t got theirs or it gets damaged, they’ll give them some to wear for the day.

I think one of the reasons that the school will feed the kid is so they don’t go hungry and can concentrate in lessons in the afternoon. I’m not sure I’d send a child outside in inadequate clothing either.

By: Slinky

Slinky — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:24:34 +0000

There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch?

When I was a kid, every Monday the teacher called everyone up to get their lunch tickets. All the paid students were called, and then reduced and then free lunch. I’ve been on both sides, and there wasn’t ever any comments about it. My height, hair, and clothing were another matter altogether!

In the end, it’s the parents’ responsibility to feed their children. If the school has to feed the children because they’re getting singled out and teased for not having lunch, should students with substandard clothing also get replacements so they don’t get teased? Should the school hand out snow boots for those with holes in theirs? What about people with their houses forclosing. Should the schools put in dorms to house the kids? Where do you draw the line?

The school is being generous to feed the kids at all. It’s more than I got when I forgot my lunch money at home.

By: Ashley @ Wide Open Wallet

Ashley @ Wide Open Wallet — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:03:57 +0000

My child’s school has always done this. On every lunch menu it says that if your child forgets their lunch or doesn’t have money they will be fed a cheese sandwich.

I can’t believe that anyone would complain about the fact that their kid is being fed for FREE!

By: Glenn

Glenn — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:13:07 +0000

I don’t have a problem with it. The kids are being fed. Kids will always be picked on by other kids. Parents have the option to pay for their childrens lunches, qualify for reduced lunches, or send food from home. How much are the lunches? If the parents care so much for their kids, how about doing without cigarettes, cell phones, cable TV, etc. to pay for their food.

By: Annie Jones

Annie Jones — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:59:43 +0000

There is no reason a kid should feel humiliated over being given a FREE cheese sandwich lunch. If anyone should be humiliated, it should be the parent who doesn’t pay.

A parent can’t expect to send their child into McDonalds (or any other business)and receive a meal for free. Why should they expect their child to get a free meal at school?

By: Neal Frankle

Neal Frankle — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:00:19 +0000

The long-term cost of humiliating those kids will be much higher than $55k

It will have a huge economic impact.

The school and parents should both be ashamed of themselves.

What is the difference in cost between a the cheese sandwhich and the hot lunch? Probably $.50

By: plonkee

plonkee — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:26:37 +0000

I guess it must be very unpleasant for the children, who are after all the least to blame for this mess. Maybe you’re all perfect in the US, but I know that in the UK, enough bullying of kids who qualify for free/reduced price school dinners goes on, that you don’t want to humiliate them further by pointing out that their parents can’t/won’t stump up the money to pay for their lunch. You might not think it’s the end of the world, but you are an adult – kids tend to react differently.

I am not sure what the answer is for the Albuquerque Public Schools, and this may have been the best option in the circumstances, but I also think that if you let the kids go hungry they aren’t going to do all that well at school in the afternoon. Which might cause problems further down the line.

By: Krista

Krista — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 04:56:13 +0000

I think it would be a shame. As I have said, no one wants children to go hungry. As a libertarian, I suppose I would like to see the community rally around and feed these children – not because they are made to through tax dollars, but because they want to. As a realist, I don’t suppose that will happen.

Amy – I have to respectfully disagree with everything you said.

1. I suppose it is possible that through our lives we have been exposed to different types of poor people, but in my experience the people who “can’t afford” the reduced lunch can afford cigarettes, beer, junk food, etc. I lived in the projects as a child. I have seen it first hand.

2. The people who I referred to as being lazy are the parents of the 2,000 children who qualified for reduced lunch and didn’t bother to apply. I know that when I was in school, multiple applications were sent home and the only way you didn’t apply was if your parents just didn’t bother.

3. Not even a valid argument. Have you spent any time in the lunchroom of the school you teach in? I have seen what is in lunch boxes and it is disgusting. Not to mention the highly processed crap the cafeteria serves. You can not honestly say that chicken nuggets, ketchup with high fructose corn syrup and greasy french fries are any different than a cheese sandwich on wonder bread. (Which by the way is probably on the menu every so often.)

5. I personally think it is absolutely shameful that parents can’t take care of their children and expect others to do it for them. Again, no one wants to see a child go hungry, but when do we say enough is enough and stop perpetuating the problem?