Pa. school gives kids sandwiches as punishment after hot meals go unappreciated

reply to post by AshleyD


I hate it because it sounds like they did it out of spite, and it serves no purpose in teaching them.

reply to post by MJZoo


I probably would too. I just think its a ridiculous way to try and punish a kid.

reply to post by irsuccubus


Exactly.

It's a non-issue. Let's move on to more pressing matters, thanks.

reply to post by LadySkadi


I agree with you, LadySkadi. When I was a kid, I always made my own lunches at home. However, this is just a small version of the government demonstrating that what it gives, it can take away. Whether we are talking about jobs, lunches, health care or amendments, the rule is the same. I will revise my main post so my point is made clearer.

Peace,
SeraphNB

reply to post by RSF77


It takes me back when I was a kid. If your lunch card ran out and your parents didn't renew it, you were given something like a PB&J sandwich and fruit cup.

No big deal to me.

?

I guess that could be seen as being done 'out of spite' to make the parents pay for their kids lunches. But still no biggie, IMHO, and it's not like you were shoved out in the snow with your urchin nosed pressed against the glass watching everyone else eat.

Moving along...

I'm 100% a believer in tough love.. I have no problem with this punishment.. Sure not all the students were involved but I bet the trouble makers' peers were not so keen on this happening to them.. They probably will make sure it doesn't happen to them again..... You see what I'm saying...

Might just straighten the little #*&% up!

Wait, you mean they get free hot lunches? When I was in grades 6 7 and 8 we had a privilege of hot lunches only if we paid for them. Lunches were our parents responsibility, and my mother will chuckle when she finds out how cruel it was to feed me those sandwiches all those years. This is discipline without the physical or mental abuse.
This is showing kids whom don't have the logical portions of their brain fully formed yet, in a clear manner that this is a privilege and to treat this as their own home (which hopefully isn't one with trash thrown everywhere), in a way that is more understandable and real to them. Consequences need to be added into discipline IMO and I hope the school stands up for their decision.

reply to post by irsuccubus


I have to agree with you,when I was in school I would have been grateful for cold sammiches,I swear the ladies in the lunch room couldn't or wouldn't put flavor in the food.

As a punishment I would think it's ineffectual,besides I always thought lunch room food WAS cruel and unusual...all kidding aside I cannot see this bein cruel and unusual or even a punishment.I went to parochial schools..if we didn;t clean up after ourselves we stayed after school to do it,plus a call to our parents as to why we had to stay..my parents could have counseled them on cruel and unusual punishment,but that's another thread entirely....peace ya'll

So, some people here think that the United States should be punished for what the Elite do to others???? I don't think this is the way to go...Group punishment does not work unless the punished have a way to take out the few that are causing the problem....Like we did when I was in the Army...you screw up, cause all of us to get punished, you don't screw up again as we pay you a visit during the night.......lol...

reply to post by AshleyD


I'm just saying those who had to put up with it back in the day think its alright and acceptable, but then again they went on to make our wonderful utopian world what it is today.

Well I guess I am wrong by popular opinion on this then. Let's forget the next generation and ignore it.

reply to post by Praetorius


ITS NOT ABOUT THE SANDWICHES. People! look deeper. Why this method? Maybe because many of children's fond memories revolve around food. Ice cream socials, sunday dinners, baking cookies with mom.. pizza with the team...I could go on but you get the idea. What the hell...should they do? bow gratefully and say, "Thank you sir..you could have starved me and you were good enough not to. I will be good next time, I promise" lol...riiiiiiight. If a kid is a slob in school chances are he is a slob at home. That means that the PTA needs to have a meeting and discuss it. Maybe institute mandatory janitorial work for infractions as well as cleanup days where lessons about civic pride and taking care of the environment are taught. That way the kid might ACTUALLY learn something. But no...its easier to just take something away and flaunt your power. Talk about counter productive. And people wonder why kids dont trust adults.

reply to post by seraphnb


Well, I guess I can understand that point of view (what it gives, it takes away) and yet, I still don't have a problem with that... I have learned growing up that this is the case in many areas of life and if you don't want to be subject to someones terms, then you don't allow yourself to be.

In this case, I can also see the school's point of view. If serving the students lunches is creating a huge mess for them to clean up, when the students should be cleaning up after themselves, then showing the students what that responsibility is (by giving them a day or two to see what it's like) is quite fine, IMHO.

In either case, the schools job is to provide access to lunch (to those who did not bring theirs) and it did that. The schools job is not to clean up after slobby children who have not learned or who feel entitled. Perhaps, now they have.

This was taken from the Harrisburg Public School District's website. I find it appalling given 100% of the children qualify for federal lunches food was used as a punishment. Technically as long as the cold lunch was nutritionally adequate the district will recieve it's reinbursement. However, as providing hot lunches is more costly the school district probably just stretched their budgit during the days the kids got cold lunches.
If food is going to be the "new tool" in dicipinary methods employed by Public School Districts why not just send kids to boot camp or jail? (yes a little extreme) It would be at this point my child would be home schooled and let the district pay for it.
Bribing kids generally doesn't work, consistant expectations does.If the parents don't attend the next School Board meeting I'd be suprised.









Home > Pennsylvania Schools > Harrisburg Schools > Harrisburg City School District
Camp Curtin School
Public | K-8 | 720 students |
Compare this schoolAdd to My School ListRate & review Share
PHONE: (717) 703-4200
Nearby homes for sale
2900 N 6th Street
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Dauphin County | Map
Harrisburg City School District
Notice an inaccuracy? Let us know!
OverviewReviewsTest Scores & Stats Map
Test Scores|GreatSchools Ratings|Teachers & Students|Programs & Extracurriculars

LEARN ABOUT THIS SCHOOL'S:
Teachers
Students
Spending Per Pupil



Students

Student Ethnicity

Source: NCES, 2008-2009
Ethnicity This School State Average
Black, not Hispanic 84% 16%
Hispanic 11% 7%
White, not Hispanic 5% 73%
Asian/Pacific Islander

I send my kids to school with cold sandwiches every day. Since when is making your child eat cold sandwiches wrong? LOL Where my kids go, if the students misbehave they either have to eat lunch alone or they have to walk the fence alone at recess. When I was a kid, we got whapped with a ruler.

I'll raise hell when the school tells me I can't send lunch with them and they have to eat what the cafeteria is serving. That'll be something to talk about.

Corporal punishment, tough love.....all that sounds nice but how effective has it been really? After all...many of those chanting about the good old days when teachers hit you with jabs when you stepped out of line and discipline was more hands on....arent these the same people who are part of the generation who is allowing the government to rape them with a barbwire bat? You know...the ones who fear retribution if they step out of line...so they dont. they tow the line and do what they are told.

reply to post by irsuccubus


I'm all for tough love, but I don't think giving out cold sandwiches will do it. Maybe they should negotiate with the PTA and organize a clean up crew with the kids that have been shown to be littering the lunch room with food and making a mess.

During recess or free time maybe they could accomplish this, as soon as they start missing the niceties they will stop trashing the lunch room. I think basic necessities like food should be left out of punishment though, like many have said its just as easy to eat a cold sandwich as it is to eat a hot one, this is not punishment.

Originally posted by Praetorius
reply to post by irsuccubus

 

Exactly.

It's a non-issue. Let's move on to more pressing matters, thanks.

I disagree, teaching the next generation is of the utmost importance.

reply to post by irsuccubus




Its not. The biggest failure by far is the parents. Society/school is the way it is due to the PARENTS and nothing more. We can thank the 60's for the crap we have today...

Originally posted by irsuccubus
Corporal punishment, tough love.....all that sounds nice but how effective has it been really? After all...many of those chanting about the good old days when teachers hit you with jabs when you stepped out of line and discipline was more hands on....arent these the same people who are part of the generation who is allowing the government to rape them with a barbwire bat? You know...the ones who fear retribution if they step out of line...so they dont. they tow the line and do what they are told.

I was paddled as a kid, and I deserved it! I am one of the most passive people I know, but if you cross the line, I sure as hell step up... The problem is the kids dont fear punishment, you cant stop them anymore... Maybe if something hurt instead of pissed them off we wouldnt have so many snotty kids?

(before anyone asks, I love kids, but I would never let my child act like most do today...)

reply to post by seraphnb


While I don't think food should ever be used to control children, I think that giving them cold sandwiches isn't a big deal. They still get to eat. They should be cleaning up their messes. I'm on the fence with this one.

reply to post by RSF77


exactly. Once upon a time when kids were jackasses in school the parents got involved and worked it out. Teachers and parents need to present a united front. It has nothing to do with changing the menu and everything to do with helping the kids understand WHY there is a need for cooperation from everyone to ensure a good environment. such a lesson could be expanded on in so many ways. But people are lazy.

Most of the hot meals in schools taste disgusting anyway...I used to only trust the cold sandwiches