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Parenting
Question about responsibility?
How old is old enough to remember to tell your parents you are out of lunch money at school? Example the school tells you at breakfast you don't have $ for lunch, how old would be old enough to say remember to go to the office and call your mother, instead of forgetting to call?
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Re: Question about responsibility?
I agree most schools won't even let a child call home for lunch money, none that I taught at would. Is this not something you as a parent can access online it is around here.
To answer your question I would say by 3rd or 4th grade I would expect my child to tell me when they are out of lunch money, but as a parent it can't be that hard to figure it out. You know how much money you put in their account and how often they buy lunch simple subtraction seems like something a parent could do.
My kids' schools don't have the kids call home for that, they send home a printout and email statements.
But I would expect by 4th grade that could be something most kids could handle.
Can't the parents monitor the lunch money accounts and just check it every couple of weeks or so? I went to school when you had to use actual money to buy lunch, so I've never used an online account.
I know in most districts around here it can be monitored online and notes are sent home.
I am going to say upper elem/middle school.
DD's school allows you to charge over for lunch. We get a letter from the school forwarded from the teacher stating DC is out of lunch money and so much is owed. We send DD cash in an envelope in her folder (marked CASH) to give to the teacher who in turn gives it to the lunch lady.
We also have "My lunch money" button on the district website to look up how much DC has left (but I always lose DD's student #). If you school participates perhaps you can look it up that way. I generally keep an idea in my head of when DD will need more $. She likes to buy her lunch on pizza day and hot ham and cheese day (sometimes nacho) steller food choices, huh?
I'd be livid if the school didn't let DD call home for lunch money (esp in elem) and they refused to feed her.
Before I get flamed, it's not me, it's my stepson and his mother. He's 9.
This is the 2nd if not 3rd time I know of this year he has been without lunch money at lunch, the last time the school made him dump his food and get a sandwich for lunch. Today he ate breakfast and they told him he didn't have enough money for lunch, and that he needed to call home, well he forgot so at lunch they wouldn't give him food and he sat crying and then called home after lunch so she went and got him.
The schools method of notifing parents is to stamp the childs hand and therefore if they wash their hands properly the note is gone by the time he gets home.
Her argument is he's 9 he shouldn't have to tell me he's out of $. While I agree, she should have to figure it out or at least keep up with it. I also feel like he's 9 and should be able to remember to tell mama, hey i'm out of $ and i'd like to eat.
No school is going to refuse to feed a child in Elem school. Sorry I did not read the OPs second post. I am calling BS on this, I have worked in a number of elem schools and I don't believe for a second one would not feed a child
I can't believe they don't just put a negative credit in his account!
This is ridiculous. When I child is 9, it is the parent's responsibility to make sure he is fed. How hard can it be to monitor the lunch account? Does your husband have access to it? Can you give him "emergency" cash for lunch or does the school not take cash?
Maybe the kid SHOULD be able to tell his mom he needs lunch money, but obviously he's not mature enough to do it.
I would be mad at the school. If that is their policy, to leave a little kid without anything for lunch and make them dump the lunch, then they should have a more effective way of notifying the parents. Obviously, schools need the money, but that is punitive to the child in a way that I think is ridiculous. Should he have remembered, sure, but should he be left to go hungry, no (the sandwich option is ok by me). 90% of the kids in elementary school in city of Atlanta get free or reduced lunch. They don't go hungry, why should a kid who just needs a $2.00 loan for a day?
After researching they do offer online account management. why she doesn't utilize it I don't know! I will question that further. Thanks for the info!
I agree! The school system is messed up. I was furious the day they made him dump the plate, I mean there are STARVING children in the world and they are throwing food away instead of letting him go negative in his account? I also think that rather than making him sit there today thru the entire lunch someone should have sent him then to call her!
Are you sure he isn't just saying they made him go without lunch? Like, he didn't want to eat the sandwich so he didn't eat anything?
I have never heard of a school refusing to feed a child with no lunch money. At my kids schools, they are given something, I think it's a crappy sandwich, but at least it's something.
As far as the answer to your question, an easy answer would be late elementary school. However, I think it depends on the child. I have one who is in 6th grade who would forget to tell me he needs lunch money. That's why we always took advantage of the online notification system.
I'd say h.s.?
Our system is automated, and we get emails with our account balance when it gets below $20. I would not expect my kids to keep track nor for the school to make them call me.
DS has racked up a $20 debt at school for lunch. And I send the kid a packed lunch every day. We start getting phone calls to pay a credit we didn't even know was there!
So our school definitely lets the kids get lunch, I'm surprised they aren't charging interest
So did he take it upon himself to get a "hot lunch?" or it was it a mistake?
This happened to my DD when she was in kindergarten. There was a mix-up, and the check I sent for her lunches was delayed in between her classroom and the cafeteria. They gave her one lunch when she had zero in her account, but the second day, they weren't going to give her anything. They would have stuck to that too, if the principal hadn't demanded that they give her a lunch.
It is so f*cked up. Don't punish a kid for something they have no control over.
BTW Andrews, this topic was on another board I visit, and this situation is unfortunately, not that uncommon.
But I would be LIVID if they made my kid sit there with no lunch.
Cristiana, was that other board citymommy in LA? There was a similar post a couple years ago. From what I remember, I think the kid was only in kindergarten, and the school hadn't followed its own procedure (their notification was to put a wristband on the child, they were supposed to provide two notifications, but only provided one when he was actually out of money - I didn't get the impression there was any kind of online system to check). The mom forgot, they didn't call her to give her a chance to bring money or a lunch, the school had already ordered the kid's lunch that morning so they had it, but on principle (I guess) refused to give him the lunch and gave him some graham crackers instead.
The most surprising part of that post was that a bunch of teachers jumped into it defending what the school did, saying that there is a lot of abuse and some parents never pay their negative balances, and pointed out that the crackers were probably provided by a kind teacher since the school doesn't pay for snacks to be used for that purpose. I don't have kids in school yet, and don't remember this being an issue when I was in school, but it must be quite a problem if elementary school teachers are so cold about it! So I absolutely believe they would refuse to feed a 9 year old, especially if it was a chronic problem.