How does a family qualify for free/reduced lunch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for reminding us in this thread that poverty and need exist in this area, and that we have to help our neighbors in the public schools.

It SHOCKS me that you need reminding of this. Where do you live that you don't see poverty? Under a rock? Most ignorant thing I've seen on DCUM, ever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious about how many schools serve breakfast. Ours doesn't, and I wonder how many others don't serve it.

Virginia? Or JKLM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school I work at is 93% free/reduced price lunch. Only 2 of my 33 students brought in any school supplies and only one of them could afford to pay the $7 fee for our field trip. Only a handful of them have crayons, glue sticks, etc at home and only 3 or 4 of them have a family car. They don't go to the library b/c it is too far to walk and the bus fare is too much. We don't have a librarian at our school so nobody can check books out of the library. Everyone gets free breakfast. This is what makes kids show up to school on time/at all. We just had a dentist visit us and gave out free toothbrushes. Some of the kids didn't want to put them in their lockers because they were afraid they would lose them. Many of them don't have their "own" toothbrush. It is another world right here around us.

That is sad to read.

But the problem is that your post confirms for some parents why they don't want to send their kid to a school with a high rate of FARMS kids -- because too much time is spent on stuff other than academics (like bringing in a dentist, addressing health and other issues). I'm not saying that those things shouldn't be done for those kids. But the problem is that nonFARMS parents worry that so much less time is spent on content/academics that it puts their kid behind others of the same means. And that is why they then decide that they wouldn't want their kid going to school with poor kids.

I don't know the solution. But sadly, while your post might make people feel bad for those children, it probably deters parents even more from sending their kids to high FARMS rate schools. And I think probably that wasn't your intention.

My intention was not to make people feel bad for these students. This is their reality and while they are poor, they are generally happy, well adjusted children. They have families who love them and do the best they can for them. Our school is overly academic IMO. A lot of high poverty schools like mine feel like they are playing catch-up from the minute the kids enter school (either in pre-K or K). Other than 2 assemblies per year, the rest of the time is spent on academics. The students come in to school like students did 30 years ago when I was in K. They might know a few letters in their name but that's it. Their parents don't have the money for many books so they aren't accustomed to being read to much. At our school, parent don't decide whether or not to send their kids to our school. They are zoned for our school so there is nobody having to decide whether or not to send their child to school with poor kids. Many are ELLs and most of them do quite well but they are at a disadvantage. Native speakers have 4 or 5 years of English under their belts before they get to school. The ELLs work extremely hard to learn English and end up fluent in 2 languages. Sadly, outsiders view them as a drag or a distraction in the classroom. The people that think this usually only speak one language. My original post was meant to enlighten folks who may not have any idea that schools and students like this exist in this area. Not for people to pity them. One of my students is graduating from 5th grade this year and she wrote me a poem in English and Spanish thanking me for being her first teacher. She is going to a magnet middle school that very few kids are accepted to. She gave a speech in English and Spanish to the bilingual speaking school board last year that knocked their socks off. She may be poor but it goes to show that money isn't everything.

I don't think people think of ESOL students as a drag or distraction, but I do think that they worry their english-only speaking child will suffer. And I think they might have a point. If a lot of Spanish is spoken in a classroom, that's going to create a situation where the English-only speaking child is, as you say, an outsider. No one wants their kid to be the odd man out in class.

That's why parents ask about the percentages, because they don't mind a certain percentage of ESOL students, but they worry that if their kid is in a 90 percent ESOL class, their kid either (a) isn't going to get as much attention as the other kids or (b) will be the outsider.

I think it's a reasonable concern.

No one said that the poor kids weren't smart or weren't capable of doing well. It's the issue of a limited amount of time, and so parents worried about their own kids are going to look at a classroom situation or the dynamics at a school and be worried about issues that may mean their child doesn't get as much appropriate academic instruction as a kid in a classroom where the teacher isn't trying to help other students catch up, learn english or deal with issues of poverty (i.e. healthcare).

This is what happened to my DD. Our base school is a Title I (67% FARMS) school. DD was teased by the Spanish-speaking kids because my she did not like the "popular" things (such as Hanna Montana, Justin Bieber, etc.). My daughter preferred to read, watch the ants on the playground, etc. Some of the Spanish-speaking kids pushed DD into the ground to the point where she ended up with mulch in her mouth. The Spanish-speaking kids would cover for each other so my DD had no one to back her up. Thankfully a teacher finally witnessed this behavior on the playground but the school did little to fix the problem.

Very typical, the farm kids parents don't raise the kids properly so they end up violent and are at risk to be criminals. Teachers most focus on keeping them fed , clothed and not fighting, just like a zoo. Sorry I am going to pass on that crap.

[Anonymous]

I've seen plenty of entitled white kids act the same way as a PP described. What's your point?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school I work at is 93% free/reduced price lunch. Only 2 of my 33 students brought in any school supplies and only one of them could afford to pay the $7 fee for our field trip. Only a handful of them have crayons, glue sticks, etc at home and only 3 or 4 of them have a family car. They don't go to the library b/c it is too far to walk and the bus fare is too much. We don't have a librarian at our school so nobody can check books out of the library. Everyone gets free breakfast. This is what makes kids show up to school on time/at all. We just had a dentist visit us and gave out free toothbrushes. Some of the kids didn't want to put them in their lockers because they were afraid they would lose them. Many of them don't have their "own" toothbrush. It is another world right here around us.

Dear DC teacher: on the last week of school, kids' desks, lockers and backpacks are overflowing with half-used supplies. And every August we parents buy all new supplies. Would you be appreciative or offended to receive boxes of year-end half used crayons, glue sticks, pencils, pens, paper packs, etc? One year the school did collect the used stuff to send to Haiti.

I am not farms, but I want back the scissors and unused glue sticks. I can't stand how our school never returns these items. If I want to send stuff to Haiti, I will, but please don't do it on my behalf.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it.
-- Greg Boyle, SJ

The exact opposite code of DCUM.

Here is what I seek: a day when parent responsibility can stand in awe at how much money we save when we are no longer responsible for feeding, clothing, and parenting others' children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The school I work at is 93% free/reduced price lunch. Only 2 of my 33 students brought in any school supplies and only one of them could afford to pay the $7 fee for our field trip. Only a handful of them have crayons, glue sticks, etc at home and only 3 or 4 of them have a family car. They don't go to the library b/c it is too far to walk and the bus fare is too much. We don't have a librarian at our school so nobody can check books out of the library. Everyone gets free breakfast. This is what makes kids show up to school on time/at all. We just had a dentist visit us and gave out free toothbrushes. Some of the kids didn't want to put them in their lockers because they were afraid they would lose them. Many of them don't have their "own" toothbrush. It is another world right here around us.

Dear DC teacher: on the last week of school, kids' desks, lockers and backpacks are overflowing with half-used supplies. And every August we parents buy all new supplies. Would you be appreciative or offended to receive boxes of year-end half used crayons, glue sticks, pencils, pens, paper packs, etc? One year the school did collect the used stuff to send to Haiti.

I am not farms, but I want back the scissors and unused glue sticks. I can't stand how our school never returns these items. If I want to send stuff to Haiti, I will, but please don't do it on my behalf.

Hoping DC teacher will come back and chime in. I take it you're a parent and want the supplies back that you sent in at the beginning of the yea? My guess is a teacher would happily give that stuff back if you asked for it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm curious about how many schools serve breakfast. Ours doesn't, and I wonder how many others don't serve it.

Virginia? Or JKLM?

I was thinking specifically about FFX County Schools.

What is JKLM?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Here is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it.
-- Greg Boyle, SJ

The exact opposite code of DCUM.

Here is what I seek: a day when parent responsibility can stand in awe at how much money we save when we are no longer responsible for feeding, clothing, and parenting others' children.

Who says a parent to two parents each working two jobs to make ends meet are not being responsible. I don't think anyone, myself included, who has never wanted for a damn thing in my life are in any position to judge those who are not as well off. I'd rather feed, clothe and educate a poor child today than pay to,put him in prison tomorrow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:20:03, how do you feel able to speak for all parents? Did you conduct a parent survey? Perhaps you are speaking for yourself and should say "I" instead of "parents."

I'm not speaking for all parents. I am also not speaking for myself. I have mixed views on the topic. I am merely repeating concerns seen on threads here and elsewhere.

Did you not read the HUGE thread about would you send your kid to a school where he/she is an "only," meaning in the minority? Or other threads about poor schools? In every thread, well-meaning parents raise the issue -- their primary concern is that their kid get enough instruction, attention, et cetera, to succeed. Because as much as a person cares about helping the poor or less fortunate, no one wants to sacrifice their kids' education, especially given how competitive college and everything else is.

I live in PG, by the way. And if I am fortunate enough to have a kid (hopefully soon), I am going to try public school. So, no, I'm not racist. No, I'm not afraid of poor people. But I have been following a lot of education threads recently, and these are the concerns that keep cropping up. I would add that in raising these concerns, most people are all for funds and resources being given to those schools with a high population of kids who need either language assistance or other kinds of help. The main concern parents have is whether sending their kid to those schools put their kid at an educational disadvantage because those schools are trying to tackle so many other issues.

If we can't talk honestly about these issues without unfounded accusations of racism, then there will always be a a divide.

[Anonymous]

16:24 again. sorry about the typos/errors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've seen plenty of entitled white kids act the same way as a PP described. What's your point?

BINGO. Mean girl behavior, bullying, excluding others, are equal opportunities for all races and socioeconomic groups. Does not excuse it, does not make it acceptable, but it can and will happen, yes, even in the homogenous, non/low free/reduced schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for reminding us in this thread that poverty and need exist in this area, and that we have to help our neighbors in the public schools.

It SHOCKS me that you need reminding of this. Where do you live that you don't see poverty? Under a rock? Most ignorant thing I've seen on DCUM, ever.

I am the post you criticize. I am a Latina mother to four very intelligent and accomplished children (my oldest DC is ranked #1 in their HS class). Based on previous posters' derogatory comments about the hispanics in FCPS (I think one person referred to the students as tv-addicted animals), you might understand why I feel that certain people turn their backs on problems in this area. I am encouraged to see that the issue of poverty in FCPS is being discussed, but I am not ignorant of the problem as you assumed. No offense taken, no offense meant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen plenty of entitled white kids act the same way as a PP described. What's your point?

BINGO. Mean girl behavior, bullying, excluding others, are equal opportunities for all races and socioeconomic groups. Does not excuse it, does not make it acceptable, but it can and will happen, yes, even in the homogenous, non/low free/reduced schools.

+1

And this was my point earlier -- if a student is a minority (including a non-Spanish speaker in an overwhelmingly ESL school), it could be the wrong place for a child. We opted to try it but it did not work well for us. We left for the AAP center where there is a different sort of mean girl/bullying behavior. Not as rampant and not as mean, but it still exists.