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3rd-Grader Busted For Jolly Rancher Possession
theodp writes "A third-grader in a small Texas school district received a week's detention for merely possessing a Jolly Rancher. Leighann Adair, 10, was eating lunch Monday when a teacher confiscated the candy. Her parents said she was in tears when she arrived home later that afternoon and handed them the detention notice. But school officials are defending the sentence, saying the school was abiding by a state guideline that banned 'minimal nutrition' foods. 'Whether or not I agree with the guidelines, we have to follow the rules,' said school superintendent Jack Ellis."
Big Brother comes from the left.
The more we socialize responsibility for health care, the more power the government needs to control costs...
Really is this surprising to anyone? Coming from the same state that is thinking of not teaching evolution anymore and approved the editing of school books to push a conservative agenda?? Everything is big in Texas, including the level of stupidity at all levels of education and common sense.
Perhaps it is time for Texas to secede from the union...this time we won't stop you Texas.
"I hope you know how very lucky you are to know me, because I am so incredibly incredible."
If you want to attend FREE school, you absolutely must abide by the state/district policies. Don't like it? You have a choice: Private school. Actually, there's another choice: Home school.
Yes, this policy is being abused, no it should not go this far, probably there's some subtext here not being reported (like continuous pastern of this issue, and singling out a particular student as an example). Possibly, this could even be an attempt explicitly to GET notice, so the law gets CHANGED! Very often, the best way to see a law overturned is to actually enforce the letter of the law, even if you don't agree with it, as doing so would actually create enough news and yelling that the law can be changed.
My wife's school has a pretty touch nutrition program. Nothing sold in the cafe is "questionable" on a nutrition standpoint. kids can't buy snacks unless they've already both bought and EATEN their meal (they have to get a pass from the cafeteria aide before they can enter a snack line). Snacks are limited to relatively healthy items, but things like chips are available, but again, only if the meal was actually eaten... Candy is not sold by the cafe, but it is available from teachers as a positive reward system. Parents are cautioned not to send certain snacks (especially candy) to the school, but kids can not be directly punished for it (a not is sent home the first few times, and contraband is confiscated if its a continuing problem).
What IS important to note: The PARENTS can actually get in some hot water if they're failing to either send a nutritious lunch, pay for a meal plan, or get on an "assisted" lunch program (for those having trouble affording it). They handle this by checking what kids are eating, and if the school feels the lunch is "dramatically poor" in nutritional quality, the kid is made to buy a meal at the cafe, and the parents get a bi-monthly bill for those meals. i.e. send you kid to lunch with some low-grade snack-as-a-meal, or fail to send one at all, and the parent is not only out the cost of what they sent (which likely will be thrown out by faceteria staff) but they get a bill for the meal the kid did eat. Failure to pay that bill (or get on an assistance or free lunch program for those that qualify) leads to added fees, late charges, and eventually collections (in the form of you kid can not return to the school until you pay, or fill out forms to get on a program).
Every kid that goes to public school in 8th grade and lower here is essentially guaranteed a good meal, regardless of who's paying for it. You would be flabbergasted at how many parents send their kids to school with little or no food and no money, and who would otherwise have NO ISSUES financially getting them a good meal. Many are simply lazy, others seem to not give a shit. The state has a responsibility to get involved. I'd much rather it be this way, including continual documentation of the neglect to provide a good meal, eventually leading to a DSS visit at home to find out why, and in the meantime the kid doesn't suffer...
banning candy (and sodas and other such pure sugar content items), is essentially done exclusively such that those can be used as positive rewards in other ways. Ensuring lunch actually includes basic nutrition (whether it be vegan, vegetarian, or other, many standard easily apply to what is and is not a fulling and nutritious lunch), that is important.
There is no contest in life for which the unprepared have the advantage.
The federal government, as well as the states, provide good models for "nutrition." No single teacher makes that determination, its a broad policy, based on a simple food group tree, or nutrition tree.
The school very well not only has the right, but in most states an obligation from parent services (DSS) to do exactly that, or they can be fined for not reporting poor nutrition or outright neglect.
Parents have the CHOICE to not send their kids to the local public district schools, or can explicitly get exceptions in writing (which the district usually backs with requirements of a doctors written approval of a nutrition plan if it differs too far from norms, and usually only in cases of religious or allergy based requirements). If you want free education, you must accept their terms. These are mostly COMMON SENSE rules for nutrition. Banning of candy and other contraband is typically done in lower grade levels to a) limit bullying, food trading, etc, and typically more important, b) using exceptions to the rule as positive reinforcement ("you can have this piece of candy because you...")
There is no contest in life for which the unprepared have the advantage.
I'm so sick of this crap. The constitution applies to emancipated adults. Stop trying to invoke rights that you don't actually have. But you would know that if you actually, oh I don't know, studied or something instead of trying to find your way around the school's rules.