School gets tough on unpaid meals; kids left in tears
A handful of children at Boulder Bluff Elementary School burst into tears inside the school's cafeteria Thursday when their lunch trays — filled with hot food — were replaced with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
The students already had sat down at their tables, and in some cases had started eating, when the switch was made. A chaotic scene erupted where some teachers and parents in the lunchroom tried to scrounge together enough money to buy back the students' hot meals from the cafeteria staff, according to observers.
Parents of more than 90 students at Boulder Bluff in Goose Creek have not updated their children's lunch balances, meaning the school is feeding children meals even though the parents owe money. The school had allowed students who owed money to receive the "lesser" option of two hot meals, but after sending several reminder notices to parents who failed to pay, officials decided to change that policy this week.
Thursday was supposed to the be first day for 37 students who owed more than $6 to receive cold meals, said Pam Bailey, the Berkeley County School District's public relations director. Teachers were told to place students at the front or back of the lunch line to indicate who was designated to receive a different meal.
But many teachers forgot when they entered the cafeteria, and students proceeded through the lunch line as though nothing had changed, Bailey said. Only when students got to their seats did some teachers and cafeteria employees realize the error. Children cried as some of the adults took away their full trays and substituted the sandwiches.
Bailey apologized for the way in which the situation was handled, calling it "human error."
"What you had was a plan that didn't work," Bailey said. "Everyone regrets that any child was confused or stressed by what happened. The situation just became overwhelming and difficult to manage. Sometimes when things start going wrong, they escalate."
On Friday, school officials decided to return to the previous lunch system in which students who owe money still receive a hot lunch. Procedures will be re-evaluated on how to transition to a more organized system of hot and cold lunches depending on payment.
Boulder Bluff Principal Diane White was on campus but not in the cafeteria during the confusion, Bailey said. White planned to send a phone message to parents Friday explaining what happened and reminding them to pay their child's lunch balance if money is owed.
The school decided to get tough on families with outstanding balances because its food services budget is nearly $1,000 in debt this year, Bailey said. The school began serving breakfast to students inside classrooms this year but has had trouble reporting the number of meals provided versus the number of meals actually purchased, accounting for some of the debt.
Boulder Bluff Parent Teacher Organization President Michael Skerritt said he understood why Thursday's scene would upset young children but said it's up to parents to pay their children's lunch balance and not "take advantage" of the school's free meals.
Skerritt said that peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, milk, juice, and fruit are better than nothing.
"It's not like the school is making those students watch everyone else eat," Skerritt said. "As long as they are feeding them something, I think it's OK."
Reach Mindy B. Hagen at mhagen@postandcourier.com or 937-5433.
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Comments
SeaSaw (anonymous) says...
I'm sure alot of people will make a big deal out of this. At least the news already has. When I was coming up you didn't pay for lunch you didn't get any lunch. I'm sure there will be parents pointing fingers at the school for abusing their children over this ordeal. The real abusers are the parents that didn't fill out the proper paperwork for free lunches and others that just didn't bother to give their kids their lunch money.
December 8, 2007 at 4:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
LI58 (anonymous) says...
How about taking some of that SC Lottery money and use it to pay for hot meals for our students throughout the public school system in our state?
That was pretty thoughtless to put those children through such a traumatic and embarrassing incident in front of their peers.
Where the heck are our school administrators learning their trade? First they field test dope by taste testing it, then they decide to take the meals from our children after serving it to them. There seems to be no common sense being used by the people who are teaching our children.
Somebody better wake up and get a handle on the people who are supposed to know better!
December 8, 2007 at 4:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pirate42 (anonymous) says...
I agree meals should be paid for,,, but EMBARESING the students in front of there peers!!! Way to go school board. I would love to do that to you and your friends and would in a heart beat. you just traumatized the child is all. nothing going to change,Go directly to the parent.... that will go down in books as another AIRHEAD choice by faculity....
December 8, 2007 at 5:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
auger (anonymous) says...
I agree that these students should have never been embarrassed in the presence of their peers. Children are able to create enough reasons to single out other classmates for ridicule without the adults stepping in. If these parents can't be bothered to pay what they owe for their children's meals, then try an approach that will get their attention. I have read in other recent media that folks are finding that their credit rating was demoted due to something as seemingly harmless as overdue fines on library books. If that works, why not the same idea in this scenario?
December 8, 2007 at 6:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
skeeter (anonymous) says...
Tell me something. Just what was the cafeteria staff going to do with the food they confiscated? Heat it back up and give it to someone else? Doesn't sound very sanitary. Oh wait these people are idiots. Silly me.
Who hires these morons.
December 8, 2007 at 7:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
secwind7 (anonymous) says...
I have to say even if they had a plan it was poorly executed. Why cant someone take the ball and run with it. Why put these kids through that type of scene.The board spends too much time with things that could be decided quicker. somebody needs to get on the ball and get with it.
December 8, 2007 at 7:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ironhorse (anonymous) says...
When I pay my son's balance online, Meal Pay charges me a "convenience fee" for each deposit. What is that for and where does that fee go?
December 8, 2007 at 7:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sharons (anonymous) says...
I would like to know what they did with the food that they took from the children. Did they serve it agine or throw it out? If they threw it out they are just as waistful as our goverment is today. That hot school meal is the only decent meal they may get all day. To take food away from a hungry child is awful . That is not human error, thats unprofessional.
December 8, 2007 at 8:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pirate42 (anonymous) says...
AMEN People I see you all get it Lets give the priciple and the head cafeateria a christmas present two weeks unpaid leave. I am sick of the unprofessional people we hire to educate protect our children.
December 8, 2007 at 8:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bankz (anonymous) says...
I agree that the parents should pay, but to the faculty of the school, it is hard to implement a rule in the middle of the school year, they should of been doing the bag thing from the beginnig of the school year so there is no confusion.
And why in the hell is our schools in debt. They take so much money from us the tax payers and the lottery where in the hell is this money going.
They make the teachers buy their own supplies and they require the parent to buy a whole sheet of supplies. Lunch is expensive as hell. They barely have books to use. Why are they in debt?
December 8, 2007 at 8:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sethook (anonymous) says...
So now the teachers have to manage the children's lunch program. Probably easier than managing the children's lesson plans. Why not have the teachers prepare the meals for each of their students and then they could ensure that each one received the meal they derseved. We wouldn't want to ask the parents to spend a few minutes taking care of their children's meal money balance or try to hold them responsible for any of the children's upbringing. Pile all the responsibilities on the school system and hold them to a higher standard than you do the parents in raising the children. They're teachers folks, not your nanny.....
December 8, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rollo (anonymous) says...
Typical of gov't employees, take a relatively minor issue and expand it into major chaos. Don't schools have information on how to contact the parents of their students directly?
December 8, 2007 at 8:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
skeeter (anonymous) says...
I agree with you tripsa but I feel they went about it the wrong way. Might as well let the kids eat the food instead of taking it from them and throwing it out. This would not have happened if the "forgetful" teachers had "remembered".
December 8, 2007 at 8:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCgal (anonymous) says...
Unbelievable!
So the child is penalized because of the parent's lack of responsibility!
What other "penalties" do children endure in this system?
December 8, 2007 at 8:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
linglej2001 (anonymous) says...
I hope this is not the same school district that is paying more than $2000 a month for lawyer services to oversee School superindentants. Good idea with the state lottery. Life lession. What? They already had the food. Start new process the next day. I will Donate $100 monday so a child can have a hot meal. Merry Christmas
December 8, 2007 at 8:35 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCgal (anonymous) says...
Maybe the PTSA can hold a fundraiser and earmark the funds for "Hot Meals for ALL KIDS"
December 8, 2007 at 8:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
blackwoman (anonymous) says...
So why not notify DSS if parents are not providing meals for their children? What do you think their homelife is like if these parents could care less if their child eats? Let's leave the responsibility where it belongs.
December 8, 2007 at 8:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
oldglory (anonymous) says...
I do believe we all related to this because each of us has a memory of something/someone who embarrassed us in school Probably more than one memory actually.
Educators who cannot follow through to ensure children in their care are properly fed? Obviously these people are annoyed and tired of uncooperative parents, but come on! The educators should get an "F" and pay a fine for their bad behavior! Why in the world would anyone take something like this out on the children? Totally unacceptable behavior by both teachers and parents who did not/could not (?) pay.
How would any one of those teachers reacted if they'd been treated in a similar fashion, hmmm? Don't give us that justifiable phony baloney either, because no one in this world has a clue as to what truly goes on in a child's life at home, in school, or anywhere else for that matter as children hide things/events from officials of any sort.
The school board needs to ensure that its educators are up to par on a national level, particularly in administration. And my gosh, what's with that PTO president who said, "As long as they are feeding them something, I think it's OK." By the way, what does that food service budget cover, only food for children? (I doubt that!)
December 8, 2007 at 8:58 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
SCgal (anonymous) says...
If they want to talk cost- exactly how much lunch food is thrown away every day?
They give the excuse about having to serve "nutritionally balanced lunches" and in doing so, they end up wasting money preparing food the kids won't even eat!
I agree with the nutritionally sound and balanced diet, but if you repeatedly throw out the food they kids don't eat, then change the menu.
December 8, 2007 at 9:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
29407 (anonymous) says...
While I think that parents should be held responsible, I'm tired of watching children being punished for their parents' misgivings. You're going to embarass these elementary school kids in front of their fellow students because their parents aren't paying? This is absurd and why would anyone handle it in this fashion?!
December 8, 2007 at 9:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kingsacura (anonymous) says...
Poor babies----------go home and cry to your mama and tell her to pay her bill. I am so sick of the hand-out. If you can not take care of your kids stop having them.
You are right they will make a big deal out of this and point fingers. Someone stands up to the plated does what's right and the Media makes a huge deal out of it and cries unfair to the poor. MY kid brings lunch everyday
December 8, 2007 at 10:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KnowAllSeeAll (anonymous) says...
This is why I always had to bring my lunch to school. More often than not, my midday feast was far superior to what the other kids got, and the only thing I had to wait in line for was milk.
I agree that the taking food away from the children after they'd already been served was silly. It should have been handled before the kids got into line. I agree with the concept of making parents responsible for their children's lunch bill, but they way this was handled was silly. However, please read the article again and note that these kids were not deprived of food; they were given an alternate menu, so their needs were met. But if I know it wasn't what they wanted.
December 8, 2007 at 10:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nich19699 (anonymous) says...
well, what all of you guys said is true. Let's just say that the chldren are not the blame here to some degree. In defense of the teachers they have a hard job to do. I am almost certain that they have sent several responses or request home for these parents to pay there child/chldren lunch balances. The parenets need to take a little time and check there kids bookbags for reminders and such. Now, as for them taking the lunches after the children had already sat down that was plain cruel. they should have just sent reminders to the teachers for the next day. why hurt these poor children. who knows if some of these parents can afford to pay for there children lunches. Like a few of you have said that maybe the only hot meals they get all day. As a past pta/o president for him to make those comments is very absurd. He should be advocating for the children as well as bridging the gap. Lets get it together. Until parents start doing what parents are supposed to do the school system will always be the way that it is. The teachers job is to teach not raise or children and they dont get paid enough for doing that. COME PARENTS DO YOUR JOB AND LET THEM DO THERES.
December 8, 2007 at 10:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dawhetsell (anonymous) says...
Lets put the blame where it is due,on the parents. If the parents don't pay lock them up for child abuse.
December 8, 2007 at 10:32 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sweetsouthernpearl (anonymous) says...
I'm appalled by the attitude of the PTO president. After all if one reads the PTA by-laws, they clearly state that the mission of the PTA is to improve the school environment for the children.
But then again a PTO is not subject to the by-laws of the PTA since the PTO does not pay dues they cannot belong to the PTA.
December 8, 2007 at 10:38 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
menderia (anonymous) says...
The individuals that are in charge of Boulder Bluff Elementry School should be ashamed. They should not just be ashamed of taking the lunch away from the kids but ashamed that they are all "EDUCATED" but no one could come up with a better idea than to snatch the lunches from the kids.
The this really shows that book smarts does not equal good common sense. Perhaps, it sounds too much like right for the caferteria manger to go to the principal of the school and say " Mr. Principal the teachers did not separate the kids today, can you make sure they do it tomorrow?" Or perhaps instead of sending home letters, you pick up the phone and call the home? I don't at all blame the teachers for forgetting to separate them because they have so much to worry about. They made a mistake.
The Principal and others involved were slack.
AND AS FOR THE PARENTS THE TRUE ROOT CAUSE OF THIS ENTIIRE SITUATION, I RESERVE FOR YOU THESE FEW WORDS:
Your actions have caused a huge problem in so many places. You have harmed your kids by just being lazy. If you dont have the money, speak about it, borrow it, go to organizations for donations, but dont ignore it. You really need to evaluate your parenting skills and make the right steps to become better parents.
December 8, 2007 at 10:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
keepitreal60 (anonymous) says...
no one is asking the schools system or the teachers to raise their child what they did was dum and they talk about the kids useing poor judgement
December 8, 2007 at 10:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
USC_Alumni (anonymous) says...
It a shame how badly this was handled by the school administrators. The parents should take the blame for poor parenting and not following up on school matters. However, this article is about how poorly handled this situation was by school administrators, not that the kids have bad parents.
If they can't get something as small as this correct, what does it say about larger, more important issues?
December 8, 2007 at 10:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ptmama73 (anonymous) says...
I agree that the parents should pay. However, the decision to take the meal from a child that already had it, and already eating, was absurd. Just deal with it the next day.
I happen to agree with Pirate, give the principal and the cafeteria manager a day or two off without pay for making such a horrible decision. I am not a bleeding heart, children DO need to learn about adversity and not getting everything they want, but, with our drop out rate, we need to make the elementary experience as smooth as possible. These are the formative years in education. If "Johnny" has humilating experiences in Elementary school due to incompetent administration he will remember that SCHOOL is humilating. Then what are the odds of his staying in school? I know there are playground battles and such but the difference here is that this experience was provoked by adults that we parents encourage our children to trust.
WAY TO GO BERKELEY COUNTY! Give your administrators another raise!
December 8, 2007 at 10:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pirate42 (anonymous) says...
Lets just forgetthis people you think for one minute the school officials will read this! or even care, As long as the big wigs get there raises (school superintendent) they will sit on there butts let all this happen what do they care I had situation when my children were in school and I would not hesitate getting in there faces and standing up for what I felt was right.. and yes there are poor excuses for parents out there for sure...
December 8, 2007 at 11:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Fatboy (anonymous) says...
The Parents should be ashamed! This is not a school problem, it is a Parent problem. Try sending the kids out to a fast food place with no money in their pocket and see what they get to eat. It is the Parents who are guilty of neglect here, not anybody else. Get with it Parents!
December 8, 2007 at 11:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bankz (anonymous) says...
It is the parents fault, but do not take food you have already given the childeren.
December 8, 2007 at 11:53 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KidYendor (anonymous) says...
Thank you Boulder Bluff Elementary for your action that will set in motion an eventual end to socialist welfare state-nanny state government in America. This will send a message to everyone and help those kids learn also that there is no free lunch. Someone has to pay for everything we get and their parents are responsible for not paying for their food. Americans are tired of being taxed/robbed to death to pay for others to eat and to have subsidized housing for generation after generation. Keep sending the message Boulder Bluff. We support you for taking your courageous stand in the cafeteria. Hats off to Boulder Bluff! Hip Hip Hooray!
December 8, 2007 at 12:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
RTC (anonymous) says...
All great comments. I think everyone agrees that the children are the victims.
For the life of me, I could never snatch a meal from under the nose of a little kid.
The staff should all be ashamed at the manner in which this was handled.
Parents, you should be ashamed that your children were put through this due to your own neglect.
December 8, 2007 at 12:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
USC_Alumni (anonymous) says...
Fatboy your are missing the forest because you can't see the trees.
You can't compare a fast food resturant to a school cafeteria. The fast food resturant is a privately owned, for profit based establishment. The PUBLIC school is supported by federal, state, and local taxes and is non-profit. It's definitely a schoool problem, because they choose to handle the situaution like a private for profit entity, and forgot that at the specefic moment in time their sole purpose was to appropriately feed children. The school system should have known better, and they punished the children for the faults of the parents.
December 8, 2007 at 12:10 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bucky (anonymous) says...
I agree that the school should crack down on those parents who are not updating their kids' meal plans. However, there was no need to humiliate those kids like that in front of their classmates. Children can be very cruel, and I can imagine the taunts those poor kids with switched lunches received on the playground. For example, when I was in grade school in the 80's in another state, the free lunch kids were always ridiculed, and even received snide remarks from some of the teachers. Shame on those parents for putting those kids in this position, and shame on school officials and teachers for handling the situation in such a poor manner.
December 8, 2007 at 12:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kma71 (anonymous) says...
When the staff realized their mistake, they should have sucked it up for that day and tried again the next day. What the he** were they thinking?
December 8, 2007 at 12:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ThePhink (anonymous) says...
Ok I said I wasn't going to comment anymore but I can not resist this one.
This relates to an experience I had just last week. How do we really know if these children were as late as they appear or at all? How do we know they sent notes home in the book bag? Here is the reason I am saying this.
I have a little girl in K in another district. Last week my wife received a call AT WORK from someone at the school saying our daughter was 45 cent past due on her lunch money and it needed to be paid ASAP.
This is where I have the problem. We pay each week for the whole week at one time. The whole week is paid for on Monday. Last week my daughter was sick and missed Thursday and Friday. This call was placed on Monday. What happened to the lunch money that was already paid and did not use?
Also why was there no note sent home BEFORE calling AT WORK? I know there was no note sent. Each night her homework is done with the help of her mother or me if not both. Her homework slip is signed each night as well as any papers that need to signed and returned.
I bet if they went back over this with a fine tooth comb some of the kids were not behind.
December 8, 2007 at 12:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
nurse7798 (anonymous) says...
I think taking hot food away is horrible. To do what with it ?? Throw it away, or maybe if they can claim it as waste they get a tax break or something. Parents need to be responsible for thier kids. When I was short cash my kids took lunch from home. Actually there were times when they preferred to take lunch. I don't understand why parents would ignore a notice from school saying they owed lunch money. Come on..people know when they need to pay for lunch... Maybe CPS needs to go to these homes and see what goes on in the home.. why is thier young child's lunch taking a back seat ???
December 8, 2007 at 12:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bankz (anonymous) says...
ThePhink i have been a victim also. So i agree with your comment. I make my daughter bring a receipt home after paying on Mondays so i do not run into that problem again.
December 8, 2007 at 1:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
PoisenIvy (anonymous) says...
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches???
I thought all schools were now required to BAN 'Peanut' products....
December 8, 2007 at 1:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
portcitygirl (anonymous) says...
Oh my goodness!!! I can not believe this report. How in the world can a school do something like this to young students??? Yes, I understand that the parents are responisible for making sure that his/her child(ren) have enough money for breakfast/lunch....but, to take the food from the children once they had already received their lunch and replace it with a cold one is unbelieveable! Couldn't the school chalk up their losses that day and try again the following day? The children should not had to suffer because of their parents. Then again, you have to look at the finanical status of these parents who are in the negative. Although I don't live in Charleston (I was born and raised there), if school lunch cost as much there as they do here in the Midwest, they may not be able to afford the lunch. Here, lunch cost 1.65 and breakfast cost 1.45. I am a single mother with two school-age children who do not get child support from their father. Because I am a shift worker, there are days when I can not provide breakfast at home or have the opportunity to pack a lunch for them. If there is 30 days in the month, it costs 186.00 dollars a month for my children to eat. Thanks to the illegal immigrants that this beautiful country of ours have decided to take care of and to the welfare receiptants who refuses to get a real job and decided to make a living off of tax paying citizens (* please note, I am aware that not all people who benefits from welfare are not milking the system. There are many individuals busting their behinds everyday to make ends meet for their families*), the income limits have been lowered to benefit them, so their children get free or reduced lunch (.40), whereas a family of three making less than 35,000 a month can afford to spend over 1600 a school year of food!!!! For America the greateast country on Earth to reside in (and it must be since we have folks killing themselves to get to this country), you would think the school system could get their act together and provide breakfast and lunch for all children free of charge. If the government would stop raping the school funding maybe this can be a reality. With presidential elections coming around the corner next year, instead of the politicans wasting everybodies time in regards of abortion rights and whether or not gay couple have the right to married and share the same benefits as a heterosexual couple, they need to be focusing on our school system. These children are this country's future....In some households, what the children get a school may be the only food they get all day long. We can not punish the child....Instead of making sure that Iraqi children have a better country to live in, the government need to worry about the country that are children are living in.
December 8, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
GG (anonymous) says...
Many school districts use private contractors to handle jobs such as the cafeteria and cleaning. Because of this, the school has absolutely no control over what is done by these contracted agencies. In Charleston County schools complaints are made to the district directors about these folks all the time, but very little is done. Just look at how dirty most of the school buildings are and you can blame SERVICE SOLUTIONS COMPANY.
So before anyone blames the administration, ask if this cafeteria is out-sourced. If so, ask that company to explain!
December 8, 2007 at 1:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
elcid06 (anonymous) says...
The situation was handled very poorly by the ADMINISTRATION- not the teachers (many of whom paid for thier kids' lunches out-of-pocket!); and "heads should roll" (figuratively speaking of course!)over this. Kids at The Citadel get expelled on an honor violation for stealing if they take food away from a knob- @ $20k+/ a year that is a high price to pay!
Take a minute to look at the demographics and personal lives of some of these kids, many who have seen & been through more than most of us can imagine; really look at a what a title 1 school is & realize there is a good chance that a school lunch is the only hot meal many of these kids get in a day. THEN try to tell me it is ok to penalize them for their parents debt!
These kids have, unfortunately, been taught a screwed-up lesson in the workings of a dysfunctional beaurocracy. It seems like the administration & Boulder Bluffs' "Lunchlady Land" need a reality check...
Note to Editor (if you read this): How about doing an article on what is going RIGHT at Boulder Bluff for a change? Believe it or not its not all poisonings & stealing food from little kids!
December 8, 2007 at 1:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ElGuapo (anonymous) says...
OK, everyone take a breath. Does anyone actually know who is responsible for this? The reason I ask is because the article is vague in delegating blame for this incident. I doubt many (if any) of the previous posters on here have any idea how the school cafeteria works and/or who is responsible.
Having experience with the workings of a school district (albeit a different one) I can pretty confidently say that this isn't the fault of the principal, faculty, or even the cafeteria staff at the school. Instead the blame almost definitely rests on the shoulders of the district food service personnel. If Berkeley County works anything like most school districts the district food/nutrition office is in charge of decisions like this and someone in that office is more than likely responsible for this boneheaded decision. There's a good chance the principal and teachers weren't even informed of this plan, so cut them some slack.
December 8, 2007 at 2:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mac0cm4 (anonymous) says...
The error was in the execution but the plan was sound. It's ridiculous that the school/taxpayers have to pick up the tab for irresponsible parents. Today's society likes to shelve responsibility for things on someone else. Back when I was in school - no money no eat.
Just think - if this happened in Chas County schools, somehow they'd have said it was racist.
December 8, 2007 at 2:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
whatelseisthere (anonymous) says...
Here's a thought.....FEED YOUR OWN FREEKIN CHILDREN and stop looking for handouts! When did school lunches start? Now we feed them breakfast too.....and in the summer don't we have to feed them again? TAKE IT OUT OF THE PARENTS WELFARE CHECKS!
December 8, 2007 at 3:18 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Carolina_Politics (anonymous) says...
Ah yes, government bureaucracy at its finest. So who is to blame here? It's obviously easy to immediately point the finger at the school for making the kids cry. Well, if you blame the school you're correct, but if you blamed the parents of these children you would also be correct.
When I was a kid if you didn't pay for lunch then you simply didn't get it, period. These parents have apparently been given several notices about their delinquency to pay for their kids' lunches and have clearly ignored them. The cold lunch switch doesn't kick in until you hit a balance of $6 and nobody is going to tell me that none of these parents were incapable of coming up with $6. They simply chose not to because they are lazy or have an entitlement mentality.
The school is also to blame because the completely idiotic way they handled this. What kind of moron goes and grabs the lunch away from an elementary school aged child in front of his friends after he has already received it. Were they shocked that some of these children started crying? Let's use our brains people. Considering this error was seemingly caused by the teachers, would letting this go one more day really would have hurt anything?
These are the educators of our country and we wonder why American kids are so damn stupid.
http://www.carolinapoliticsonline.com
December 8, 2007 at 3:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ImplantedYankee (anonymous) says...
I agree with the school in principle, but what awful execution! What were they thinking? These are the same administrators who, in their holier-than-thou, "enlightened" sense of social right deny kids the score at games, tag, dodge ball etc. Couldn't they wait until the next day rather than waste the food they've already served? I hate the way kids are coddled today, but this was unusually cruel. If you to get the attention of the parents, send it to collections, print their names in the school newsletter, add penalties, surcharges, and interest -- make it a crime to be behind if you have to. Don't punish the kids for their parents being deadbeats.
December 8, 2007 at 4:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ElGuapo (anonymous) says...
Since everyone who has posted since seems to have ignored my earlier comment let me reiterate:
I can almost guarantee you that this was a decision made at the district food/nutrition office level, not the decision of the individual school.
December 8, 2007 at 4:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
professional_blk_woman (anonymous) says...
Im sorry, Palmetto(by the way, this school is not in Charleston County as you stated in one of your posts). I agree with Tripsa on this one. Parents think if they dont pay (or pack a bagged lunch) then the school will just feed the kids anyway. Well, with 50,000 students in Charleston County (I dont know how many there are in Berkeley County)at a little over a dollar for both breakfast and lunch, @ 180 days a year....you do the math. Hell, why dont we all just stop paying if the school district will feed the kids anyway. And no, this wasnt a decision made at the school level. It came from the district!
December 8, 2007 at 4:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
christmas (anonymous) says...
Carolina_Politics- If you re-read the article, you will notice that the teachers did NOT take lunch from the children, the cafeteria staff did.
The article states, "some teachers and parents in the lunchroom tried to scrounge together enough money to buy back the students' hot meals from the cafeteria staff."
The administration is above both teachers and cafeteria workers. They should have addressed the cafeteria staff on how to handle the situation when they first realized the chaos created from a bad execution plan(there is no way the principle wasn't aware). The superintendent's decision to serve PB&J for breakfast and lunch everyday to punish the children for the parents incompetence, is a poor decision. We can remember Dr. Floyd(superintendent) next election.
One more thought, why are the teachers being blammed for the "missing" $1,000? The cafeteria handles the money daily. If they were confused, they should have spoke up immediantly and demanded accuracy. The cafeteria's financial situation needs to be audited.
December 8, 2007 at 5:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ElGuapo (anonymous) says...
Christmas,
Two important points:
1) Dr. Floyd would not have made the decision. I can guarantee you that this came from the district food office as the district supt. generally makes no decisions regarding the everyday happenings of the cafeteria.
and
2)As someone else mentioned about, the cafeteria is probably $1,000 in debt this year due to the non-payment that brought this whole situation about.
December 8, 2007 at 5:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
christmas (anonymous) says...
ElGuapo- You are most likely correct by saying it was a district decision. However, people are more upset by the way that the school handeled the matter.
If other schools in Berkeley County executed the same instructions in such manner, the article would have addressed Berkeley County district as a whole versus Boulder Bluff individually.
December 8, 2007 at 5:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Carolina_Politics (anonymous) says...
Christmas,
My comments concerning the teachers being in error referred to the following passage in the article:
"Teachers were told to place students at the front or back of the lunch line to indicate who was designated to receive a different meal.
But many teachers forgot when they entered the cafeteria, and students proceeded through the lunch line as though nothing had changed, Bailey said. Only when students got to their seats did some teachers and cafeteria employees realize the error."
December 8, 2007 at 6:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
christmas (anonymous) says...
ElGuapo:
Two points also:
1.) Dr. Floyd is Berkeley County's District SUPERintendent, he is responsible for the execution of the policies over all of Berkeley County. This was a policy possibley made by the district food office that is supposed to be approved by the leader of all district activities, that is Dr. Floyd. He is responsible for Bekeley County District as a whole.
2.) It also states in the article, "has had trouble reporting the number of meals provided versus the number of meals actually purchased, accounting for some of the debt." Trouble reporting to me means their food budget figures are incorrect. We pay our taxes and are audited when we look suspicious. If citizens are audited and accountable for accurate figures, so is the government with our tax money. That statement means that the schools numbers are not correct.
December 8, 2007 at 6:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
motherof3 (anonymous) says...
I would like to mention one thing that might have been overlooked, as a parent of a child that attends BBE. My child was not one of the ones targeted but I still feel angry and sympathetic to the parents of the (37 -small number) students. Breakfast and Lunch prices were increased this year. I was not aware of this until I noticed how often my son needed lunch money. I have usually sent a check for the entire month so I was suprised when it wasn't enough to cover the first couple of months. And another thing the amount for a daily meal is $2.00 and that covers breakfast and lunch. If children had fines $6 and over were being targeted -that is 3 days being late. How many times did you have a bill that was 3days late.
If you wait for a note to be sent home to refill your balance you are depending on the staff to pass that note from staff to teacher to student to parent.
In a perfect world that is one day.
But we are talking about students who could be absent one day, teachers because of a full day of activities or just brought to them late in the day might take another day to pass to students- (children who have speech and other activities sometimes don't go back to class before bell), then from student to parent. How often has your child forgotten their jacket or other items in their cubby hole. How many times have items been lost on buses or transition home. Not to mention the parent just forgetting. By the time the parent received the note that her child needed lunch a few days could have already passed.
The kids are K4- 5th grade. They do receive a bag lunch and its healthy.
But the issue of taking the kids lunches away after they received a tray infuriates me. This is just another example of bullying, insensitivity, and just malicious.
There is no excuse for that action. The children that attend this school are as young as 4yrs.
December 8, 2007 at 6:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Lynnusc85 (anonymous) says...
somebody please correct me if i'm wrong...but isn't a procedure to throw away food that's not eaten, so you're trying to tell me that they would rather throw food away, than to feed the children. It must have felt really good, to take food away from children, and embarrasing them in front of their peers...ignorance at its finest! I agree that the parents are very much at fault, but these types of situations aren't new in any district. I hope that these officials will be reprimanded for this behavior...it shows you who the kids really are!
December 8, 2007 at 7:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
whatelseisthere (anonymous) says...
Parents are supposed to feed their young! How about if the schools just served PB&J every day with milk and some fruit? That would solve a whole lot of problems. What was done to the kids was crappy, no doubt, but if it's the worst trauma they ever go through, then they will have lived a charmed life.
December 8, 2007 at 7:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Lynnusc85 (anonymous) says...
I agree with you JohnQ!!
December 8, 2007 at 7:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
motherof3 (anonymous) says...
For whatelseisthere...
Parents are supposed to feed their young????? Are you seroius ?? Bad things happen to good people. You can do everything right in your life. College..Great job..And layoffs happen, illness happens, lossing a loved one. many things happen that could destroy the dream. Show some compassion...That is what feeds the bullying ...our children do need to handle situations but when do you say that is enough. What it change your opinion if I told you one of the children lost both mother and father and the grandparents are now taking care of that child. grandparents on a fixed income yet too high for free/reduced care for the child but just forgot...We are not discussing the pb&j but the matter that it was handled... No child should go through that especially at that age... He/she will have many obstacles in life to challenge them...
Your compassion is so overwhelming ...merry christmas to you to...
this is a title 1 school ...meaning a good majority are on free/reduced. Before you are judging remember you havent walked in that childs shoes and you dont know what traumas they have already overcome...
December 8, 2007 at 7:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mon_Kie (anonymous) says...
Goose Creek schools are cool.
I think they took all of the half eaten food from Boulder Bluff and fed the Police Dogs who couldn't find any drugs at Stratford.
GO GOOSE CREEK!
Maybe this can make the national news also.
December 8, 2007 at 9:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jca (anonymous) says...
stuff like this is why i feel school meals should be free for all students.
this is awful that food shouldnt have been taken its not like it could be reserved and some of the kids were already eating poor kids.
glad my sons school isnt like this. we just had a similiar issue where the teacher failed to send a note for more money. my son was not penalized for her neglect he was given his meal. this is sad and sadistic
December 9, 2007 at 12:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rollo (anonymous) says...
And the finger of blame points round and round, and nothing changes.
December 9, 2007 at 12:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Inkcaddy (anonymous) says...
Berkeley County Schools, take note. A person at the school made the decision to remove food from in front of children. That person is on some kind of power trip. That person should be immediately removed from a position of authority over others. They do not have the ability to handle the little power they were given. And you need to empower your teachers and other staff to stand up and say "NO" when something is wrong. Your employees are beaten down or they would not have watched it happen nor aided in removing the food. You have whipped them until they feel powerless.
This school is not the only one with someone on a power trip at the helm in the cafeteria. Take a hard look at all your schools, please.
December 9, 2007 at 8:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scwendy (anonymous) says...
To be sure the situation was handled poorly. The lunches never should have been switched once they were given out.
I agree with blackwoman: "So why not notify DSS if parents are not providing meals for their children? What do you think their homelife is like if these parents could care less if their child eats? Let's leave the responsibility where it belongs."
If the parents cannot afford the lunches there is paperwork for reduced and free lunches. So like blackwoman, I say it is a child welfare issue lying with the parents.
December 9, 2007 at 9:33 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mhammet (anonymous) says...
Has there not been a counselor brought in to help the traumatized students cope with the mental anguish this has caused?
December 9, 2007 at 8:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rollo (anonymous) says...
As I re-read I begin to understand that this is about 37 students whose accounts were each in arrears by $6.00?
That's a grand total of $222.00!
Get a rope! Let's lynch the snot nosed little deadbeats as an example to all who think they can get rich by bilking the taxpayer!!! Hang them from the highest swingset in the playground!!!! We'll show the rest of the children that NO ONE gets away without paying!!!
Seriously, We raised 4 kids, and fostered 2 others, sometimes Monday mornings would get a little hectic, and someone would go to the bus stop w/out his/her lunch money envelope, sometimes we would get a week(or more) in arrears before we could get the issue straight, but I can't recall any of our kids having regular lunch denied to them(much less served and then taken away) as a result.
There is a better way, someone may have to work a little harder to find it, but taking the lunches away from these children in front of their classmates is inexcusable!!!!!
December 9, 2007 at 8:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
motherof3 (anonymous) says...
rollo ...
thats right...again $6.00 is 3 days of school breakfast/lunch... 3 days put you on the arrears list and started this chaos..
December 9, 2007 at 9:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
motherof3 (anonymous) says...
The PTO president sounds like an idiot and I cant believe he supports their actions in taking away their trays...How backwards is this school?..
December 9, 2007 at 9:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
fastdogs (anonymous) says...
motherof3, thank you for the specific info regarding what happened. My heart goes out to the children who were bullied in this way, and I would like to applaud the parents and teachers who attempted to make things right by paying out of their own pockets for the children's lunches. Shame on all of the ADULTS who were responsible for this fiasco. I am appalled at those of you who seem to think it is all right for the children to be punished for their parents shortcomings - what is up with that?! I thank God that my child attends school in a different district, where the cafeteria personnel simply informed my child that her account balance was insufficient, but gave her the hot lunch anyway and told her to bring more money next time. She came home, told me, and I sent in a check the next day. Please don't misunderstand what I am saying, the parents should definitely pay for their child's lunch if they can afford to, but under NO CIRCUMSTANCES should a child be punished for an adult's mistake, which is certainly what happened here.
December 10, 2007 at 1:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
deetadee (anonymous) says...
First of all, these are children! They do not have jobs nor do they have financial obligations. Two years ago I was one of those parents that some of you are calling deadbeats..how do you know why they have not paid lunch money? The father of my children died of cancer. Not slowly, but very suddenly, and NO he didn't smoke! Never. He also left no Social Security. AND YES, I do work and have worked always! My children were humiliated, and YES I did fill out the paperwork immediately...FIVE times! When I confronted the "manager", she mysteriously found my paperwork and discovered..OH WOW...they owed me money. You have no clue what financial circumstances these families have! Obviously you haven't ever had a hardship. Great for you! Oh, and before you even say.."oh lunch money is only $$$... NO..you don't get it..sometimes that little bit really is not available. Instead of judging the parents..why don't you speak of those who contribute so much to starving kids in other countries instead of assisting our own! Why don't you ask your school cafeteria vendor how much they paid for the uniforms their workers are wearing. So paying upwards of 4,000.00 for one school to have uniforms is okay, but taking a lunch from any child comes second? Get Real! Are you kidding me? So if you are quick to criticize please don't judge because you could be in that place one day! You don't know and certainly should not judge. You don't know what the circumstances are. You may not have ever been faced with a crisis involving funds, but although I agree your child's lunch should definitely be a priority...sometimes it can't be because the spare change isn't there! So, all I ask is that you consider this as different people in different situations and place blame on the individuals who actually made the children suffer, not those who you don't know are trying or not to help the children..obviously the school lunch program wasn't! Tell them to trade in their uniforms for the children they serve. I have to buy my own clothes to go to work. Don't hold the children accountable and have them fear the humiliation each time they enter the lunchroom! Thank you to the teachers who did everything they could to help. And shame on you to those involved in the BAD part of this ordeal...I surely hope you sleep well at night, and remember..."What goes around, comes around!" Oh..and to Ms Bailey:if you are the one who made the decision why weren't you there to ensure this went as "you planned"? Did you just not care enough, or was it not that big of an issue? I wish you sweet dreams. I am sure you had a hot lunch and a great dinner. We know you didn't make that decision on an empty stomach!
December 10, 2007 at 11:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ru4real (anonymous) says...
mother of three-
Ok, did we read the same article? Please go back and re-read the last 3 paragraphs about the PTO president. No where does he say it was ok to take food away from the kids and make them cry. When he said,"It's not like the school is making those students watch everyone else eat," Skerritt said. "As long as they are feeding them something, I think it's OK." Your reply to this? "The PTO president sounds like an idiot and I cant believe he supports their actions in taking away their trays...How backwards is this school?.." Hmmm...I didn't see anywhere that says "he supports their actions in taking away their trays." When I read the last paragraph, I automatically thought he was talking about giving a different lunch, not taking away the lunches. You admitted in an earlier post that your child goes to Boulder Bluff. If that is the case, what are YOU doing to help this "backwards" school (besides ripping it apart)? Do you volunteer and make your presence known in the school? Since the PTO president is such an "idiot" maybe you could do a better job? If you are going to get on a public forum, and you are so obviously caring about the school your child attends, how about stepping up to the plate, and not just sitting back and running your mouth.
December 11, 2007 at 5:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
caringparent (anonymous) says...
The PTO president does not condone taking lunches away from students. He was asked what he thought about the commodity lunch which is PB and J.
I dont know what happened cause I wasnt there BUT I dont agree with taking a kids lunch if they already had it but I see nothing wrong with giving the commodity lunch at first. parents arent charged for that. And if they did take a plate o food from a child that already sat down and was about to eat then shame on her. But dont blame the whole school nor the PTO for what the lunch staff did.
December 11, 2007 at 11:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
caringparent (anonymous) says...
Oh yeah by the way whoever said how abt focus on the good things we have accomplished I agree. We made AYP 6 elementary schools district wide can say that. Over Thanksgiving we raised over 2000 cans to help our families that are in need. Believe it are not we are one of the best elementary schools in Berkeley County And I would goes as far as saying one of the best schools period. We are a close knit community that does what we can. And dont blame the teachers they have enough to deal with for not alot of pay.
ru4real kudos to you your statements are very true.
December 11, 2007 at 11:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
cowboyman (anonymous) says...
I am closely offiliated with this school and can say that theres not a better staff around anywhere!! The teachers all the way to the janitors are the greatest people around!! If the people in this blog knew how much the PTO president and his other officers work so hard for this school the comments left would be pretty,hmmmmm........, ignorant as people are saying. They have turned the morale and the attitude about the PTO to nothing but positive since this crew took over. As for the staff, I wasnt personally there but do know that the media does tend to stretch any story to make it hot news. So I would like to personally thank Mindy Hagen for making one of the best schools in the area look like dirt. Reporters are idiots!! I have 2 kids in this school and wouldn't dream of having them any other place!! Thanks BBE staff and volunteers for being the best there is!!
December 12, 2007 at 7:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BBEPTOROCKS (anonymous) says...
The PTO president's response was following the question, "How do you feel about hot lunches vs. bagged lunches?" not "Should hot lunches be taken from children already eating and replaced for bagged lunches?". So lets get off the name calling bandwagon, our PTO president is only an idiot if IDIOT means: volunteering at BBE after leaving a 12 hour shift of work without going home to sleep (he does this often), donates supplies, snacks and food items, even clothing out of his own pocket (not PTO funds), never ever says No when asked to do something for BBE. THEN YES, HE IS AN IDIOT AND LOVES EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Mr. Skerritt and his family are at BBE almost everyday showing their support. In fact the comment made about "he should be bridging the gap", I can say he HAS and the bridge should have his name on it. Each month PTO hosts a family night so families can spend time together and meet other families, they have raised over 2,000 can goods to feed our community for Thanksgiving and Christmas, they have won $5,000 this year from Lowe's for a grant to create an outdoor area, they have bought the school a mascot to boost morale, they have purchased school supplies as well as many other things that go unrewarded or unrecognized by the media. Hey reporter...how about you come spend a day interviewing all our positive male role models at BBE and the impact they make on the lives of many in this school. This IDIOT has children come up to him daily at school and in town just to say hi and hug him. At BBE's volunteer luncheon his family was given a standing ovation by everyone attending.(not bad for an IDIOT!) I am not saying he is perfect because no one is however I am saying he is the perfect person to fill the president's shoes at BBE (by the way no one wanted to take on this responsibility and he gladly stepped up to the plate). So for those of you that have taken your energy to add a comment here and hates what you have read about BBE, take that energy and spirit one step further...I challenge you to enter the doorway at BBE and volunteer even if it's just for one day. I don't think any of you would be so quick to judge if you had an insider's view. I have supported the PTO for many years now and volunteerism is always very low, however since Mr. Skerritt has become the president last year that number is slowly increasing one parent at a time. For a school of 700, we shouldn't have a problem getting parents to help out when needed. Let's not forget that PTO Board members are not PAID staff! If children had food taken our of their hands while eating then that staff memeber should be dealt with, so lets stop the name calling with adminstration and the other cafeteria staff as well. They are all very hardworking and dedicated to the children at BBE. (continued..)
December 12, 2007 at 8:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
BBEPTOROCKS (anonymous) says...
Part2: Mindy B. Hagen, why don't you please write something perhaps on volunteers needed at BBE or maybe something on business partners needed or maybe even a request for sponsorship to help us reach many goals we have for the school such as a covered playground...since your article seemed to get so much attention and now people that never heard of BBE are focused on our little school hidden in the back of a neighborhood on the other side of the railroad tracks, this misfortunate event towards our children could be an eye opener of many things needed at not just BBE but all low country schools. BBE PTO ROCKS AND SO DOES OUR IDIOT PRESIDENT!!! :)(hope you are our idiot next school year too unless some other idiot steps up to fill your shoes!)
December 12, 2007 at 8:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
caringparent (anonymous) says...
Hey BBEPTOROCKS
Thanks for a well written statement. People need to learn what a great PTO we have. I have 3 children in this school and wouldnt dream of putting them elsewhere. The PTO staff has children come to them everyday hugging them and just excted abt them being tere. Why because they are the best BBE has had in a long time. They turned our school around. So I would like to personally thank our PTO officers that put in so much time and for what??? The kids. And the volunteers that may not be on the board Thanks for your help. Maybe if more parents like them would come and volunteer than our school would be even better! I promise you there is no better feeling then when a kid you dont know by name comes and hugs you out of the blue. Ya know they know our names though. Cause you know you are appreciated.
Hey Mindy Why dont you come to our holiday store this week from 1030 to 130 and see more positive things we do???
December 12, 2007 at 2:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
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