My daughter is 17 and a senior in high school. My husband retired from the US ARmy in April 2010. We have known since she was in kindergarten that we will not qualify for free/reduced lunch due to we both work, and only have one child.

Every year, the first week of school she has brought home an entire packet of crap for me to sign/fill out. This year I refused to fill out the USDA form for free/reduced lunch. We dont qualify. We make more money now than ever because my husband retired from the mililtary, is getting 80% VA retirement, and we both work full time currently at good jobs. So I didnt fill it out and I didnt send it in.


I was informed last night that her grades will not be released to any colleges etc until I return the form completely filled out. So I sent it to them signed with the income info left blank. I do not feel my income is any of their business.

I got it back with a note that again reminded me her transcripts will not be released to colleges nor will she graduate until it is turned in.

I visited the school today and told them I would gladly fill out another one but I refuse to fill out the income portion. They sent me to the Vice Principal who informed me the school gets paid for every form they collect and turn in. WTF.

I told him too bad I wasnt divulging my income. Period. He told me they couldnt budge either it is their policy.

My daughter is currently applying to U of L, UK, and Ohio State. She cant go if she dont graduate or if she doesnt get her transcripts released.

I do not understand why they have to have our income. Doesnt the govt have it from taxes???? Why does the school need it? It is truly not their business. I pay for her lunches. I just dont get it.

So..I am pretty tough. I can take it. What would you do and do you understand my hesitation in providing my income ? Can they really keep her from graduating? Advice? Should I just cave and give them my darn income info?

I was told by a friend (I live near FT Knox KY) that they also get money for every military kid that goes to school there. Is this form used for that too?

Probably has to do with the schools demographics,

income probably has something to do with the money they can get from the gov etc.

Lower income probably equals more federal money for certain programs.

We're a military family too. The schools my kids attended have always had a separate form to determine which kids are military kids. Of course, we've always lived in small towns where a lot of the people ARE military. As for the USDA form, I didn't fill out my daughter's this year, but she's only in Kindergarten so maybe not such a big deal at that age? I would stand my ground if I were you. You should not have to provide your income information. OR, you could always just make up an absurd and random number and put on it. I think it is BS that they are holding your child's transcripts hostage over a stupid form.

I would go directly to the board of education and bypass the VP and principle at the school.
i would ask the board of education if it is indeed their policy to extort personal income information from parents who pay taxes to support the school in exchange for releasing educational transcripts to colleges?

from personal experience i have discovered that often the vice principles and principles don`t understand the board of education policies so they just make up their own interpretations of the policies.

if the board of education confirms that they extort income information from parents i would then call my state senator and ask him to look into the situation.

Originally posted by k21968
My daughter is 17 and a senior in high school. My husband retired from the US ARmy in April 2010. We have known since she was in kindergarten that we will not qualify for free/reduced lunch due to we both work, and only have one child.

Every year, the first week of school she has brought home an entire packet of crap for me to sign/fill out. This year I refused to fill out the USDA form for free/reduced lunch. We dont qualify. We make more money now than ever because my husband retired from the mililtary, is getting 80% VA retirement, and we both work full time currently at good jobs. So I didnt fill it out and I didnt send it in.


I was informed last night that her grades will not be released to any colleges etc until I return the form completely filled out. So I sent it to them signed with the income info left blank. I do not feel my income is any of their business.

I got it back with a note that again reminded me her transcripts will not be released to colleges nor will she graduate until it is turned in.

I visited the school today and told them I would gladly fill out another one but I refuse to fill out the income portion. They sent me to the Vice Principal who informed me the school gets paid for every form they collect and turn in. WTF.

I told him too bad I wasnt divulging my income. Period. He told me they couldnt budge either it is their policy.

My daughter is currently applying to U of L, UK, and Ohio State. She cant go if she dont graduate or if she doesnt get her transcripts released.

I do not understand why they have to have our income. Doesnt the govt have it from taxes???? Why does the school need it? It is truly not their business. I pay for her lunches. I just dont get it.

So..I am pretty tough. I can take it. What would you do and do you understand my hesitation in providing my income ? Can they really keep her from graduating? Advice? Should I just cave and give them my darn income info?

I was told by a friend (I live near FT Knox KY) that they also get money for every military kid that goes to school there. Is this form used for that too?

I'd say get a lawyer, or threaten to get one. I'm a retired school teacher, and I can not ever remember the school withholding grades and transcripts over not revealing your income. I think this is a privacy issue, and the school is wrong.

In fact, the free and reduced lunch forms we had at the beginning of school were optional to turn in. You only filled one out if you qualified in my district. All students had one in their opening day form packets, but we never asked for them. It was up to the parents to send them in if they were needed.

Your daughter's school is dead wrong here, and for them to use strong arm methods to force parents to reveal private information when the parents do not wish to participate in the free lunch program is probably illegal.

Go get 'em!

so you won't help your daughters school commit their fraud.

good for you.

they just want to fill their form so they can get their thousands of dollars, continue to serve rat meat and pocket the difference.

i think you should go to your local newspaper, they love those kinds of stories.

"daughter can't go to college because parents won't fill in lunch form." perfect headline.

Dont give in, or you'll be teaching your child that she should always give in too!!

Absolutely disguting behaviour by the school. Go public about this and be VERY LOUD.

I dont know. Off the top of my head Id say put a stupid number and be done with it, but then again my personal irons in the fire currently may be influencing my advise. I was going to say fill in a buck or 2, but then they would hassle you for proof siince you'd qualify for free lunches with making a buck a year. Seems absurd, but there are certainly more horrible absurdities to fight in our school systems.

I guess if you have nothing else going then choose this battle, but you will probably lose. Schools and their federal dealings for money is crazy. Here they pass illiterates because every grad and every warm seat gets them money and a little banner to put on their school lawn and a little BS thing about being an AAA rated school Its a scam. Ever hear of participation points? Kids do work in class.. doesnt matter if they did it all wrong they get points or grade for it thats a positive. They can flunk a test but it will average out as passing when they add in the participation points. LIke I said.. the dealings between our schools and the feds is CRAZY.