Did You Hear About NC School That Took Away a Child's Lunch?

Wow did anyone actually READ the article? According to the NC Division of Child Development, it appears to be a mistake. Probably made by a rookie employee.
But I guess none of US has ever made a mistake before, right?
My goodness, come ON people :(

Making school lunches healthier, great! If a parent sends in a packed lunch then that is the parents choice as to what their child eats. What about allergies and another poster brought up being a vegetarian...

I really don't understand how anyone thinks it's ok to interfere in peoples parenting. The government has much more important things to tackle right now, don't ya think?

They took away food she liked and gave her something she didn't like, so she went mostly hungry. How was that better for her than the lunch she brought with her?

Even if the child's lunch consisted of Oreos and Red Bull, the school had no right to take it away.

I wouldn't care if that kid had a cupcake and soda in her home packed lunch! (I would never do that, BTW) The Government has no @$#%-ing right to tell me what to feed my kids! Correction- they SHOULD not have that right!

Oh, BOY!!! maybe this will shed some light on government control and how screwed up it can be to people that currently support more government.

However (something I haven't seen other moms mention yet), this "rule" was one that was put in place prior to the occurrence. My energy would have been directed to BEFORE it was decided rather than after. I would have done whatever I could have as a citizen to stop it. Not to mention, there was nothing wrong with her lunch. So, the problem is in my eyes was not that this incident happened, not that it was a "mistake", not that people are "blowing this out of proportion" (what some of you had said)... MY beef is that THERE IS A RULE OUT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! whether that one incident was misdirected or misunderstood is one thing, but the BIG issue here is that the rule exists!

Schools can choose what they serve to kids, and parents can choose whether or not the kid eats that or home lunch. That's the way it should be.

MANDA: In no way have I said that I support a war on drugs. Interesting how you like to discredit people who are against this by classifying it with the drugs thing. Honestly? I don't like talk in school about "saying no to drugs" Why? That talk belongs at home. See? I'm CONSISTENT. I don't want a nanny state, in any way, shape or form! I don't care WHAT side started the against drugs campaign. I'm not some STUPID DRONE that goes with whatever side goes with. I make my own mind up, I don't let a political party do that.

Yep I have a BIG problem with this. Who in the hell died and left the school (government) in control of my kids? I don't care if I packed my kid a twinkie, coke, and a hoho. I am the MOTHER. I am making the choice of what type of food my child will eat because I am SENDING it to school. Now, would I pack my kids that? Of course not but what that little girl had in her lunch bag was not an unhealthy lunch. It is over reaching from a school and inspector. They really stepped in it this time!

Now, here is another issue. If we want our kids to be healthy, why don't they have PE anymore? Kids don't go outside and play. They sit in front of the tv or computer. Our kids were only allowed a certain amount of tv and then they had to go outside.

This is what we have to look forward to with this administration, we should be thanking Michele Obama for this.

There is going to be a lot more of this style of policing when Obamacare takes place. Our food intake will be part of healthcare, so the government will get to make the rules.

ETA: Come on, smarten up people, NOW it's a *mistake*, only because of the backlash & the publicity it got. This was intentional. There has been several people on the news saying when they enroll there kids in school, they have to sign a contract saying they will abide by the government rules on their food standards or the kids food will be taken away. YES there are food police in schools.

Just one more reason to homeschool. The government is WAY too intrusive into our lives. I would be furious. Who knows what allergies that child might have. What if that was gf bread on the sandwich? I would not pay one cent for the school lunch. I am glad she has gone to the media with this.

Wow. I am astonished that a school would actually take it to that level. I think Michelle Obama has a valid platform-school lunches desperately need to be revamped, but I hope policing our children's lunches isn't what comes of it. It was probably an isolated incident that unfortunately caught the media's attention. I bet those school officials are embarrassed!

I read the link and obviously something went wrong here. I do not understand what Michelle Obama wanting to educate people on eating healthy has to do with, but I guess, we will now hear about her and the president and how this is all of their fault, not this lunatic inspectors fault..

Typical..

I'm not sure why anyone is surprised. This is what the future holds for all of us with government run healthcare. They may not inspect your grocery sacks but they will make you pay astronomically high taxes on anything they deem unhealthy.

Edited: OMG!! I can just see it now. I am at the checkout and the checker says, okay ma'am. You have chips, sodas, and onion dip. That is your limit of unhealthy things so you will need to put back the birthday cake and the dill pickles. You can trade them for cucumbers and some fresh fruit.

My mouth dropped and I started to think of what my reaction would have been,had it been my kid!

Oh the yelling I am sure that would come out of my untamed mouth:)

http://www.newser.com/story/139751/uproar-after-nc-state-...

Here is the link

wow, talk about some super paranoid conspiracy theorists on here. this story was probably blown way out of proportion. and sorry, but chips and juice? how is that healthy? and her home brought lunch had no vegetables. and it is not the schools fault that THE LITTLE GIRL DECIDED NOT TO EAT HER OWN LUNCH!!! the articles all say that they are required to supplement with the missing portions. if she brought her lunch home with her obviously it wasn't taken away from her. she is the one who decided to eat 3 chicken nuggets and nothing else. not saying that chicken nuggets are the best, but come on now. this is just over reaction and so are the responses. people are so fickle, either the government is doing to much or not enough. always complaining about things instead of trying to change them. Why are people so mad that they were trying to make sure the little girl had enough nutricious food?

I think it's funny that some of the people on here complaining that they the school has no right to provide nutricious food to the students, are the ones stating all the sugar and junk they send with their kids and are mad that the school supplements. ever think that part of the reason this "rule" was started was because of the students whose parents cannot provide healthy food? or those, like some of you, who send tons of sugar and junk in your kids lunches. Golly gee, how dare the school try to make sure kids have enough food to eat. I also think it's funny how many of you want to trash the government and complain complain complain....but what do you do about it? and if it is so horrible here, then why not MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY!!! try seeing how things go for you then? seriously, get over yourselves!

Yes, because processed chicken nuggets are SO much better!! So they have to eat a lunch that has milk, grain, meat, and two servings of fruit or veggies.
Turkey and cheese sandwich - meat, grain, dairy
Fruit juice and banana - 2 servings of fruit

So...am I missing something? Yah, it's not the healthiest lunch in the world. (Healthier then nuggets.) However, it contains what it needs to, per the requirements. Or, am I just stupid?? And why in the world is there a lunch inspector? Couldn't school budgets be put to better use. Like buying food that's not chicken nuggets?

I wonder what they would suggest for people with dairy allergic, wheat allergic vegetarians?

In ALL seriousness, what if your kid is a vegetarian???

I'd refuse to pay the $1.25, as it was their error, not mine. I am not aware of any policy in our current school system that allows staff to remove a lunch from a child - if it did, they might have been replacing my SD's lunches (which, I admit, are not always terrific and she packs them herself - most days I'm just glad she eats) since middle school. I think whoever did it went overboard and owes the mother an apology. And whoever did it needs some retraining and/or this ability revoked.

Have you ever watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution? I came across it the other day and watched all the episodes...our school lunch system is pretty messed up. The school system can count a cup and a half of french fries as a full serving of vegetables...but not a pasta sauce made with 7 different vegis...just because it doesn't 'total' a certain amount...

(I haven't actually read the story you're talking about...but I'll hunt it down later...I'm curious...that's just stupid.)

I think someone at the school got a little carried away with their job. They should be fired for being a power drunk dufus.

My husband told me about that this morning! I wondered if I'd see it on here. Yeah I would go bat sh$& crazy if this happened to my kids. We are vegetarians and if someone tried to force garbage nuggets on my daughter I'd sue.

I think that the lunch would have to be extremely deficient for me to find this ok, like the kid better have a stomach you can hear growling.... And half a Twinkie in their lunch.

No I didnt hear about it either, but I think that is absurd!! Her Mother packed a healthy lunch and I am sorry but think it's ridiculous that the school deemed itself the "Health Police" and took away her lunch for less healthy cafeteria chicken nuggets. If I were her Mother I would be raising hell! Tell me that the lunch I send MY kid is unhealthy. It's my stinkin kid for goodness sake. I get the final say on what she eats, not someone at her school.

Beyond ridiculous!

Yes I did read the story and if I were that parent I would be mad. I would also be shouting at the rooftops to the state, the schoolboard, and anyone else that had any part in this nonsense.

She had packed a turkey and cheese sandwich (protein, dairy, and grain), banana (fruit), apple juice (fruit)..depending on kind and content) and potato chips (snack). The only problems I can see with this would be the snack and maybe the fact that there was not a vegetable. The mother explained that easy enough....she packs according to what her daughter will eat. Her daughter doesn't care for vegetables so she has her eat them at home where she can be sure they are eaten. And who doesn't pack a snack for their child. Had the "state worker" simply told the child that she couldn't eat the chips until she ate the rest of the lunch I don't think there would have been a problem. Also, if the problem was the lack of vegetable, all they had to do was give the child a vegetable (how does that involve chicken nuggets? or a full meal?).

I get the idea of trying to get kids to eat healthier. I get telling parents the meals should be healthy and balanced. However, something in a child's belly is better than nothing at all. Even if the packed lunch was not as healthy as the school's lunch, if it isn't eaten what good did it do? Is it better to have a child skip lunch because they don't like what is packed or served? Now you have food and money wasted and a hungry child. That hungry child will have trouble performing well in the class room AND received little to no nourishment.

Parents are responsible for thier children and should be able to pack them the lunch they see fit. If a child were to consistantly come with just junk food, there is reason for concern but just because you don't approve of what I pack for my child does not mean you have the right to tell them they can't have it.

They didn't take the lunch away as in throwing it away but they did not let her eat it and sent it home with her. They didn't offer her an "alternative" and let her choose. She is a pre-k kid that did what the adult at the school instructed her to do. They are saying it was a mistake...fine, they happen but please explain what the rational was.

I went to high school in that district, and in all seriousness, I'm lucky I'm literate. I assure you, this is the very least of their problems. Can we please get the focus on schools back to where it should be..... Academics? They need to spend a little less time inspecting lunches that parents actually take the time and expense to provide and start teaching proper grammar and math. Pitiful school system.

doh! what are we doing in this country. MY god. Yeah give em SODA cause its got corn syrup in it, thats a veggie right.... oh yeah my bad its GRAIN... love how they try to put corn on a kids plate and call it veggies.

WHAT the oh-dang-nabbit-crappola-wacked out-heck is blaming Michelle Obama for this going to do for anyone? how bout just blame it on the new guy and a kid who didnt like her lunch. THE END... Michelle Obama didnt put a gun to anyones head, and why do you all think that the government is about to tell you what to eat? you interpret tax raising on junk food, as an ultimatum? bought damn time someone is concerned about their countries health and welfare. Its not that she is saying or the bill or what not is saying... hey fatty put down that potato chips or feel the burn of my lead bullet in your brain.
They are just saying, dude, dont eat that as a normal meal. YIKEY-NIKES... anyway. So all ya mama's want to do the torch and pitchfork thing with me tonight? I feel like knocking on some politicians doors.

Just crazy, under no circumstances is this an acceptable action. The only thing I would have an issue with is the chips, but the school could have given her the fresh fruit or steamed veggies offered on the chicken nugget plate instead and sent a note home asking the mother to not send chips in lunches any more and what their guidelines are for a healthy lunch.

This was "reported" on Fox "news" everyone. Fox does not report news, it stirs up false outrage. Here's the real story:

http://myfox8.com/2012/02/15/usda-meal-was-not-replaced-m...

"If a teacher feels that a child’s home-packed meal does not meet the state’s requirements, the teacher is required to supplement the meal with whatever is missing to ensure the child is provided with a healthy lunch.

Nothing from a home-packed meal is ever taken away and teachers cannot force a child to eat whatever supplemental servings are provided.

Eldridge said parents of her schoolchildren know and understand the state regulation. However, she said they are often adding something to a child’s plate.

Eldridge feels the state is simply looking out for the health of schoolchildren and said she doesn’t mind having to add a fruit or vegetable to a child’s lunch if the state requires it. Some pre-K programs prefer to avoid the situation altogether by not allowing their students to bring a packed lunch, she said."

On top of that, they expect the mother to PAY for the stupid lunch they gave the child (and child didn't eat) !!! OMG!! If anybody gets any updates on this from that area, please post - I'd love to hear that mom went down and charged them back for the lunch they took away from her child!!

Oh wow... I'd be so angry if I was this mother. What a sad way to start of a school career as this kid is a preschooler.

If the school tried that with my autistic daughter who has sensory issues that include food textural issues, I would be raising hell, but not before my daughter raised hell and advocated for herself. She's packed a very specific lunch based on the few foods she's able and willing to eat. Yesterday was ludicrous because her drink (water) leaked and her sandwich container somehow was open and her sandwich got soaked. Effing A. She actually did have to get chicken nuggets, but not before going to the school nurse to get her Lactaid and discuss what other options were safe for her to eat and figure out what she would agree to eat from the cafeteria. I felt badly for the teacher, the nurse, the lunch ladies, and my daughter.

I was told she ate a few bites of the nuggets, some fruit, some salad, and Lactaid milk. But she wasn't happy and when she came home after Girl Scouts she was ravenous (she's never ravenous).

Didn't hear about it, but if that happened to me, I'd be livid and definitely taking action!

It's horrible. That is what our society is coming to. What if the kid had food allergies?

Can you post a link in the WH section? I'm kind of speechless right now.

oh i'd be Pod beyond words.