Is teacher overstepping bounds here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow my dd's are in FCPS, and we have never had food taken away. I try to pack healthy stuff, but my dd in 2nd grade is an extremely picky eater. For lunch today, I packed cheddar cheese, fruit roll up, chocolate chip cookies and potato chips. Gross right? If I pack healthy stuff like apples and oranges, she doesn't eat them. If she doesn't like what I send, she goes and buys a soft pretzel and a container of ice cream from the cafeteria. I guess the food police in Mont Co would have a problem with my dd. She would just sit there and not eat.

You are talking about lunch. OP is talking about optional snack that the teacher permits to happen in her classroom. Totally different things. No one cares what OP's kid is eating at lunch.

[Anonymous]

You are not entitled to a snack in public school. The school, if they decide to offer snack time, has every right to make rules for what is and is not considered snack. Should the teacher have to deal every day with the kids who brought carrots and apples complaining that they want their neighbor's Fritos and M&Ms?

[Anonymous]

Now I feel horrible about the blueberry/chocolate chip/oatmeal muffin that I pack for DS' snack in Kindergarten.

I have packed fritos for lunch when he had chili. Is that ok?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow my dd's are in FCPS, and we have never had food taken away. I try to pack healthy stuff, but my dd in 2nd grade is an extremely picky eater. For lunch today, I packed cheddar cheese, fruit roll up, chocolate chip cookies and potato chips. Gross right? If I pack healthy stuff like apples and oranges, she doesn't eat them. If she doesn't like what I send, she goes and buys a soft pretzel and a container of ice cream from the cafeteria. I guess the food police in Mont Co would have a problem with my dd. She would just sit there and not eat.

You are talking about lunch. OP is talking about optional snack that the teacher permits to happen in her classroom. Totally different things. No one cares what OP's kid is eating at lunch.

OP never clarified that. It may be part of the kid's lunch.

[Anonymous]

Is it a school rule or just her rule? If it's just her rule, then no, she has no say. MCPS I see K kids with oreos for snacks, and 1st graders with 12oz can of Mountain Dew. Is it healthy? no...is it my business, NO! if the teacher however finds that certain foods are making a particular child unteachable (ie, not listening, agitated, hyperactive), then I would change the diet. But I don't think Fritos generally causes behaviour issues. I send my K with Fritos sometimes. and a couple of cookies with an otherwise healthy lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow my dd's are in FCPS, and we have never had food taken away. I try to pack healthy stuff, but my dd in 2nd grade is an extremely picky eater. For lunch today, I packed cheddar cheese, fruit roll up, chocolate chip cookies and potato chips. Gross right? If I pack healthy stuff like apples and oranges, she doesn't eat them. If she doesn't like what I send, she goes and buys a soft pretzel and a container of ice cream from the cafeteria. I guess the food police in Mont Co would have a problem with my dd. She would just sit there and not eat.

You are talking about lunch. OP is talking about optional snack that the teacher permits to happen in her classroom. Totally different things. No one cares what OP's kid is eating at lunch.

OP never clarified that. It may be part of the kid's lunch.

OK, maybe you are not in MCPS. OP does say that it is his snack. OP also says her kid said teacher won't allow it. In MCPS, teachers have nothing to do with lunch. So, it is clearly snack. In MCPS, snack is optional and teachers set the rules.

[Anonymous]

I would've sent the fritos in anyway and dealt with the teacher if she actually did something. Would she take your DDs snack away and let her starve?

Yes, I think your teacher overstepped her bounds.

[Anonymous]

She's not necessarily trying to regulate your kid's nutrition. She's probably more interested in regulating the classroom environment. The teacher is making a snack is an option when the kids genuinely need food to sustain themselves rather than having a "treat time" which can be disruptive and take up class time. Fritos are also greasy and salty, which leads to kids licking their fingers and touching things with their spit covered fingers, which is gross. If you tell kids that they can only bring in healthy food, it discourages kids from bringing in a snack just for fun. Your kid is old enough to live without a snack so stop blaming the teacher for having limits on something that is optional.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She's not necessarily trying to regulate your kid's nutrition. She's probably more interested in regulating the classroom environment. The teacher is making a snack is an option when the kids genuinely need food to sustain themselves rather than having a "treat time" which can be disruptive and take up class time. Fritos are also greasy and salty, which leads to kids licking their fingers and touching things with their spit covered fingers, which is gross. If you tell kids that they can only bring in healthy food, it discourages kids from bringing in a snack just for fun. Your kid is old enough to live without a snack so stop blaming the teacher for having limits on something that is optional.

I'm going to make the positive assumption that your kid had a mini bag of fritos and not some 8 serving bag. BUT I have had such bad experiences with kids bringing in huge bags of chips and then doling them out to friends. It will start a mini begging/feeding frenzy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would've sent the fritos in anyway and dealt with the teacher if she actually did something. Would she take your DDs snack away and let her starve?

Yes, I think your teacher overstepped her bounds.

I think it's unlikely that the OP's child would have starved before lunchtime.

[Anonymous]

Why didn't you get easy thinks like pudding that doesn't need to be kept cold, pirate booty or even sun chips? I am feeling for your reno but seriously there are a lot of easy healthy options that are no muss no fuss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why didn't you get easy thinks like pudding that doesn't need to be kept cold, pirate booty or even sun chips? I am feeling for your reno but seriously there are a lot of easy healthy options that are no muss no fuss.

So what's the big difference between pirate booty, sun chips, and freetos? They all have sodium and fat. Pudding can have a lot of sugar. I is too hard to draw a line so the teacher should allow it all and concentrate on teaching

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why didn't you get easy thinks like pudding that doesn't need to be kept cold, pirate booty or even sun chips? I am feeling for your reno but seriously there are a lot of easy healthy options that are no muss no fuss.

So what's the big difference between pirate booty, sun chips, and freetos? They all have sodium and fat. Pudding can have a lot of sugar. I is too hard to draw a line so the teacher should allow it all and concentrate on teaching

Pudding cups are also against the rules, in my kid's class.

[Anonymous]

That Fritos are banned while goldfish are ok is hilarious. They are about the same, but less sodium and more fiber in Fritos. Also, in my kid's no/low sugar school, "flavored" yogurt is routinely on the menu for snacks. In the previous school, the teachers gave us a serious lecture about the problems with dried fruit while serving up yogurt that is practically candy in our view.

DC's diet is much more sugar, salt and process food loaded since he began school.

[Anonymous]

I always thought of Fritos as a healthy snack!

They are gluten free. They have no artificial preservatives or food dyes. They have 3 ingredients.

Yes, they have fat in them, but my kids need some fat in their diet.