Ashton came home one day this week from first grade a bit distraught. She is somewhat of a picky eater (especially when it comes to eating school lunches), so she takes her lunch most days. Her from-home menu includes such delicacies as pre-packaged pizza kits, ham rolls, cheese sandwiches, and her favorite, bowls of cereal.
This particular day, we sent her to school with a bowl of Froot Loops. When she takes cereal, she buys the milk in the "kid's cafe" and enjoys her 13 vitamins and minerals in a bowl. After going through the line with the rest of her class, who were all getting delicious healthy fare like catfish platters and processed turkey sandwiches, Ashton grabbed a milk carton and told the lunch lady her account number. This is where the fun started.
While walking towards her table, one of the lunch ladies (presumably one with a hair net) came "running after" Ashton and told her she didn't have any money left on her account and she, therefore, couldn't have the milk. In my mind, I can see her ripping it away from Ashton's trembling hands, tears welling up in her big, blue eyes. (It probably wasn't that traumatic, but I'll take literary license here.) Dejected and parched, Ashton sauntered over to her table and proceeded to eat a bowl of dry cereal.
When I got home and heard about this, my immediate reaction was "dry cereal's not bad", but that was quickly replaced by outrage. Who makes a child put back their milk because her account doesn't have 50 cents in it? Especially when half the school is on free or reduced lunch anyway?
Luckily, the school has a great principal. When I called him the next day and explained the situation, he talked with the lunch staff as well as her teacher (in her defense, she didn't see any of this happen... I think she would have intervened). When he returned my call, he apologized and assured me no child would go without milk in the future.
Ashton is such a sweet girl, she just takes what adults say as gospel. Ethan, on the other hand, would have talked his way into getting the carton of milk, an ice cream cup and would have gotten $1.35 back for his troubles.
Despite this event, I still have tons of respect for the lunch staff. They make sure 600+ kids have a healthy and hot breakfast and lunch every day, and probably don't get paid near enough for their troubles. If you see your local lunch lady today, give her a hug. You'll be glad you did.
Has anyone else with elementary school kids had any lunch room drama?
3 comments:
Oh dear! That's not good. I'm now singing the Lunch Lady song by Adam Sandler.
I can't believe that. At our school they stamp your hand for 2 days and send a letter home letting know you are getting low and/or have depleted your account. You can build up to 2 days of lunches in the negative before they start refusing you full lunches, but even then, they provide a roll and milk. But I will agree, the people who work in those kitchens are AMAZING! I love our kitchen staff. They are always willing to help and even let us invade their space for parties and such. Good people - sometimes just not great policies!
Poor Ashton. I can imagine that that was quite traumatizing.
I think our school was like Donna's. They would send notes home when you were getting low. Of course, my dad's aunt was a lunch lady so I had an "in." :)
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