I teach first grade. Last week I had parent conferences. I explained to one set of parents how their child seemed to react to the food that he eats. Asked them to send in healthy snacks and lunches to school to help him focus.
Today he brought in powdered sugar donuts for snack and a bagel with jelly and a small bag of marshmallows. Oh my!
Um, um-somehow his food went missing in the closet. I shared my grapes with him for snack and gave him the $ plus to buy a lunch in the cafeteria.
When it was time to go home and the kids were packing up, low and behold the kids found his lunch!-yeah, where I hid it. He was happy to have it-sooo I let him eat all the sugary stuff and 5 minutes later sent him home on the bus to mom.
Was that really mean?? I don't know if I'm trying to feel better by confessing and looking for forgiveness here or just trying to give you guys a laugh.
Uh oh. Sorry to say you did cross a line. 
While the parents are ridiculous idiots, you can't just hide a kid's lunch. you're asking for trouble with the parents.
I hope you all realize I bought the student a lunch. I would never let a kid go without eating. Over the years I have bought a lot of lunches for kids.
We have a strict nutritional policy at our school. I could have sent him with his lunch to the nurse. She would have had him buy a lunch and then called both his parents at work and let them know, in no uncertain terms, what they may and may not send to school. He would have never seen that lunch again. I just didn't want to make a bigger deal out of it than necessary, and because I have caught a cold from my little ones, I didn't want to be impatient with him when he went into a sugar rush, and he would have.
Maybe I did cross a line. I've always had trouble seeing lines. I always see so many different alternatives that could all work. That is why I always do so poorly on multiple choice tests. I can always think of at least one way all the answers could be correct.
You said "We have a strict nutritional policy at our school. I could have sent him with his lunch to the nurse. She would have had him buy a lunch and then called both his parents at work and let them know, in no uncertain terms, what they may and may not send to school."
That's what you should have done. All they would have to do is CLAIM that your grapes made their child ill and how could you prove otherwise? And, perhaps if they have to deal with enough phone calls from the school nurse, they'll start following the rules.
sure you were naughty - next time, stick to procedure so you dont get in trouble - but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to survive!!!!!
work in a care home, and sometimes you want to take the 'line' and rip it to blooming shreds! i imagine that school creates the same feeling...
xx
I know you bought him a lunch and wouldn't let him go without eating. That's wasn't what I meant. What I meant was that people are so litigious and will quickly jump down your throat for the smallest infraction. In this case, you asked the parents to bring a healthier meal for their kid. How did they respond? By bringing the worst meal possible. I think that even though your heart was in the right place, that you just have to be careful and not throw away (hide) a child's lunch to fulfill your own beliefs. The next step should have been involving the principal and then maybe even CPS if they continued to feed their child this way.
But no biggie, I seriously doubt anyone but you will know about this. I would just be careful about crazy parents who would harm their kid to teach the teacher a lesson.
Heehee, I have to laugh. I think you did cross the line, but...only slightly. I am a parent and trust me, I see what some of these kids bring for snack and what the kids look like from them. It's sad. On the other hand I know first hand the politics that get mixed into the schools. I think it's sad, but it's true. I'd just be worried for you. Somehow these things seem to come back to bite later.
I think calling CPS is a bit extreme, but I do think that if this is a situation where the child is all sugared up and you have already said something to the parents, it's time to take it to the nurse. Keep your records and paper trail (you never know) and continue to offer the healthy snacks. I only wish we had more teachers that cared in our school systems!
Hey there - I taught for several years before becoming SAHM and I feel your pain! It is so frustrating at times when you see a problem, try to address it, and then feel like the parents blow you off completely. So I totally understand where you are coming from.
I have to say though, that this is one of those things that you need to either take to the next level (report it or whatever is compliant with school standards) or let it go. I know it is tough, I have been there! I wanted to take one little girl home with me because her mother was such a rotten, negligent parent! But now, as a parent I really hope that no teacher of my daughter ever steps over the line and second-guesses my parenting! (Even though I know someone probably will.)
So yeah...that is what I think since you asked. 
SugarLover-You are right. That is way too extreme. I guess I meant if she went to the principal, and that they still continued to feed their child bad stuff, that they might need to take it to a higher level somewhere, and I just didn't know what that level was.
oh yes summer, i totally agree. it sounds like the nurse handles the nutrition there, but the principal would be the person i'd go to if the nurse can't handle it.
we have the same policy in our schools. no sugar, soda, anything that tastes better than cardboard (ok not really, buuut) I get it, kids need healthy diets and I make sure mine get it. but it is really frustrating to see the kids that don't and continue to bring in the cheese curls and fruit snacks. i feel for the poor kids.
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