Suspended lunch lady wants policy revisited
By Calvin Hennick, Globe Correspondent
A Newton food services manager who says she was suspended for feeding students other food after they refused to eat veggie burgers for lunch has asked the School Committee to clarify or change the policy that led to her suspension.
Kathleen Cunningham, a food services manager at the Angier Elementary School, said she had been told not to give students replacement meals when they refused to eat their lunch, but that the school has not informed parents that their children will go hungry if they don’t want their original lunch.
“Please put something in place to make this a corrective measure,” Cunningham told the School Committee at its meeting Tuesday night.
Cunningham said she was suspended after an incident that occurred May 4, when Angier Elementary School received veggie burgers instead of the grilled cheese sandwiches that were on the menu. She acknowledges that she had been reprimanded in the past for similar acts.
When about seven or eight students refused to eat the veggie burgers, she said, she let them choose other lunch items, including a bagel lunch or a breakfast lunch.
The bagel lunch includes a bagel, cream cheese, fruit, vegetables, and cheese sticks. The breakfast lunch has cereal, yogurt, fruit, vegetables, and cheese sticks.
School officials have not commented on the suspension, but have said that the food-ordering system is intended to give parents — rather than school employees — decision-making power over what children eat.
Cunningham told School Committee members, however, that she informs parents when she allows their children to substitute meals.
“Nobody’s doing anything underhanded or sneaky or dirty,” Cunningham said.
School Committee chairman Marc Laredo thanked Cunningham for her comments but did not address them. He said last week that the School Committee is unlikely to address the policy.
In an interview, Cunningham said children are sometimes surprised to see their lunches, even when they receive the correct order.
“Quite often when you order something for a child like spaghetti and meatballs, the child gets it and says, ‘What’s that?’” Cunningham said. In such cases, Cunningham said, she doesn’t see how she can let the child go without eating.
“That’s my problem,” Cunningham said. “How do you refuse a child a lunch when they tell you they’re hungry?”
“To me [the schools] just need to put a policy in place,” Cunningham added. “It can’t be straight, across the board, fine, the child doesn’t eat.”
Cunningham was scheduled to return to work Tuesday, but she said a family illness kept her home.
School committee members Tuesday voted to pave the way for the possible privatization of the schools’ food services operations by accepting a subcommittee report that calls for the superintendent to explore the option.
The subcommittee report shows that the schools expect to lose $905,000 on food service last year, up from $416,000 in 2006. Part of the deficit, according to the report, stems from low participation in the school lunch program – ranging from 25 percent at the city’s high schools to 60 percent at the Lincoln-Eliot elementary school.
Food service workers have expressed concern for the security of their jobs given the possible contracting out of the work. But school committee members have said the workers will be involved in discussions and voted Tuesday to work with their union pursuit of the goal of contracting out the program for the 2010-2011 school year.
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Ms. Cunningham just has too much sense to work in the public sector.
"“To me [the schools] just need to put a policy in place,” Cunningham added. “It can’t be straight, across the board, fine, the child doesn’t eat.”"
Actually, yes it can. You get what you get and you don't get upset -- even my kindergartner knows that. She is not doing anyone any favors by catering to the kids' lunch whimsy.
this woman is a hero!!!
that school district sounds like penny pinching dilettantes. all students everywhere should have at least a choice. veggie burgers should not be FORCED on anyone.
Props to Ms.Cunningham! Keep doing the right thing.
Sounds like Susan likes veggieburgers. I would also go hungry before eating those compost-burgers. I would be happy that Ms. Cunningham made sure my little one did not go without lunch. Maybe the person who delivered veggieburgers instead of the item that was supposed to be on the menu should be suspended.
I would want the likes of Ms. Cunningham in charge of my child's lunch program.. She has a lot of common sense and did the right thing.. The VEGGIE BURGERS were not on the menu, folks!!!
I'll bet she is a Mom and has had years of experience working with children.. And, it is clear she cares about them..
Sometimes the child experts should have a veggie burger for lunch, and chill !!
On a day where they were suppose to have Grilled Cheese and got a Veggie Burger instead I feel Ms Cunningham should have been afforded the righ to make the decision to change the meal. Even if they had spoke to her in the past about this..... If she told me that she did that for my child I would feel lucky to have her......!! What is wrong with this friggin country?
Also, i can just imagine the lawsuit when a parents finds out their child was suppose to get a grilled cheese and was forced to eat a veggie burger or went hungry .... Ms Cunningham is a class act.. she probably saved the town a buck or two on a settlement...
So the school menu distributed to parents says one thing, and the school can willy-nilly substitute items without informing parents?
Something's failing the logic test here.
"Black!" shouted the pot at the kettle.
The school district should be thankful they have a person like Ms. Cunningham. She deserves a bonus not a suspension.
Ms. Cunnigham is a compassionate school worker and she gets suspended? Kudos to her for making sure the children had food to give them the energy to endure the other tasks at hand in the public school system, namely, the teaching geared towards passing the MCAS (not actually learning, just regurgitating infomormation), the rules around around going to the bathroom, recess, gym (my son's school actually has a gym teacher that carries a whistle and barks at them to "change stations" when they have "free" time on the gym equipment), math, and literacy (apparently, we can't call it reading anymore). These kids are in a little people's army where individually or compassion are frowned upon.
Posted by Susan May 27, 09 09:51 AM
"Actually, yes it can. You get what you get and you don't get upset -- even my kindergartner knows that. She is not doing anyone any favors by catering to the kids' lunch whimsy."
No actually you can't Sue, now please drive to the nearest hospital and return all your children you are an unfit parent. The woman is doing her job of feeding children and if you had read the story you would have seen they got the wrong lunches in the first place. The fault is the town of Newton (as usual), not the employee.
The policy was going to be violated anyway if the purpose of the policy is to give parents control of what the kids eat. The menu was supposed to be Grilled Cheese. Giving them the veggie burgers was just as much a violation of the policy as the other choices she offered the kids.
First of all, no school should be telling or making any child eat what the school says. If the child does not want a veggie burger (which is just plain gross) and wants something else to eat that is the child's right. This is America not Russia! Freaking morons! Stop telling kids or anyone what they can & cannot eat!!!
My concern is why is only one lunch choice provided? When I was in school we regularly had 2 or 3 choices (all healthy). I don't see the school offering one Hot meal, and one cold (even prepackaged ) meal as catering to every kids whimsy. If you don't want any of the choices, then yes you go hungry (unless you brought your own lunch). It's not reasonable to expect 100+ kids to all eat the same thing; especially in this day of food allergies, etc.
Susan, you promote a child going hungry instead of eating what he or she doesnt like??? Glad your not my mom.
Here's your stupid sign, good day
pathetic...
I hope that some of the angier parents are speaking up in support of this worker. To me, the main issue here is the fact that the parents okayed grilled cheese, not veggie burgers!! The school is at fault, not the worker; she was just trying to make sure that the kids had something to eat. Ridiculous!
As a former resident of newton and a student in their school system I can't believe what I'm reading. Food service programs? We had lunches in High school but really this is overboard! Next Newton will offer kibutz living. All this over a substitute meal and a $200 million dollar High School. I'm glad I moved!
Glad she didn't let the kids go hungry - hard to learn when all you can think about is how hungry you are. And what she did feed them sounds nutritious and filling - certainly wasn't junk food. Seems as if she's being punished because she has a mind and can make a decision for the welfare of the children. Such a pity.
It's not like she gave them a mars bar here. A bagel and fruit and cheese? dear god I would love if my child would eat such a relatively balanced meal! lol! The lady sounds nice. Is this the whole story? because it makes zero sense from start to finish.
I wish **my** daughter's school had a Ms. Cunningham. The cafeteria aides won't let even the hungriest children have seconds, even when seconds are available - instead, the extras get thrown out. (Are you listening, blonde Cindy and blond Michael?). Our daughter's school starves its kids.
Why don't we just get rid of school lunch all togther and let the parents be responsible for their children? Why should the government have to feed children in school? just a thought
Suspended? What a farce. Ms. Cunningham: You are the best. I hope an outstanding job offer comes your way. You have a brain and a heart. School administration seems to have neither. Is there a lawyer out there that can help ? I certainly hope the suspension was with pay.
This is pathetic...Ms. Cunningham deserves an APOLOGY from the Newton school system and a BONUS for being smart enough to make the substitution for the child. If/when we move to Newton and our child enters the school system I would hope there are more people just like her so my little girl doesn't go hungry or be forced to eat something she doesn't want. I go out or bring my lunch to work every day and it is my choice what I eat, not my boss or bosses boss, MINE. Whoever gave her the suspension should be suspended without pay (give that persons pay to Ms Cunningham) for a week while they take courses in how to be a human being. If that doesn't work then fire that person and put Ms Cunningham in charge.
A lunch lady gets suspended for making sure a child is fed but the MBTA can do whatever they want and no one is left accountable???
Grabauskas, Pesaturo and the gang need to be FIRED!!!
Let's see if we have the facts here:
* Parents order lunch (grilled cheese)
* Students receive lunch (veggie burger, not grilled cheese)
* Some students express displeasure at receiving the wrong, unexpected item.
* Lunch lady makes a reasonable, healthy lunch substitution for these students.
Gee, how horrible. Imagine the problems if all employees were to exhibit such wanton initiative.
Well if they served grilled cheeses like they were supposed to, there probably would not be a problem.
If the kids don't like veggie burgers but do like grilled cheeses, then they didn't have the option of bringing their own lunch.
Just more public service employees acting like pure idiots.
As usual, there is probably more to this story. To some commenters, Ms. Cunningham is a "heroic", embattled employee fighting the "system". But, when the incorrect veggie burgers arrived at her school, did she contact the school administration to alert them and to obtain premission to substitute something else? If she did, and they told her not to make substitutes, then she is out of line. If they gave her permission to substitute, then they are out of line. But, if she didn't even contact them, and she went ahead and made her own decision, then she is in trouble. She has a history of ignoring administration's directives, and has been reprimanded before. (I learned that from a previous story.) She should know by now that she cannot flout the Newton administration, her employers. Some may consider her a hero or a rebel, but how many of us could continually go against our bosses without losing our jobs?
Marc Laredo should be the one suspended! If the menu says grilled cheese, you'd better damned-well serve grilled cheese. Who the hell likes veggie burgers anyway but vegetarians? If my kid went to this school, I would be calling and complaining about the fact that 'the school' substituted a good lunch for a crappy lunch and tried to force my kid to eat it. Who the hell decides what to feed these kids anyway? Don't force your vegan cxxx on my kids!
Schools have become increasingly unreasonable in acting as though they have partial (parental-like) custody of children. They have also suppressed individual decision making by teachers and staff. They have become risk averse in a litigious environment -- and surely that is behind some of this. Many schools trample parents' rights and take a leap from the concept of compulsory education to something much more domineering.
wow. As the Fonz would say "Nice work Mrs C!!"
I can tell you that if this were a regular meat burger that she allowed to be subbed out, there would be no issue. newton is a very libral town and it seems like they are pushing theor anti-meat / Peta agenda on children now.
This poor lady was in a lose-lose situation. If she'd let the kids go hungry, I'd bet my life the parents would have complained (rightfully so, IMHO) and the school would have suspended her for NOT feeding them just to shut the parents up.
However, kids SHOULD be strongly encouraged, but not forced, to try different foods. Having everyone say "ewww gross" at the idea of a veggie burger is part of the reason more than 50% of our kids are obese, and type II diabetes is no longer called "adult onset", since kids who eat nothing but junk all day are getting it at alarmingly high rates.
I for one am glad she did not let the kids go hungry. Really, that's just too much.
Maybe i am missing something did the children have an allergic reaction to what she had substituted the lunch for NOT.. Well then get over it. HOORAY for Ms. Cunninham. Where were you when i was forced to eat something or go hungry?
To feedyourownkids "Why don't we just get rid of school lunch all togther and let the parents be responsible for their children? Why should the government have to feed children in school? just a thought"
Not all Newton lunches are free. It is on some stupid pick out your lunch one month in advance method. I believe the cost is close to $5.00 a lunch. So, when you order a grilled cheese and get a veggie burger that most kids won't eat - the school should offer another item. This woman should not have been suspended. Newton is a joke.
If Grilled cheese was on the menu and the kids got vegie burgers then the parents should sew the school. What if one of the kids has an alergy to some weird vegetable or seeds that area present in the veggie burgers. This school is very lucky she did what she did! And there is always an option. And Susan i am going to say a prayer tonight that your kid gets a lunch they hate and the school says too bad no lunch. Lets see what you do then Mrs tough pants
The lunch lady wasn't feeding thse kids a bunch of lousy, unhealthy food. A Bagel, cream cheese, and yogurt?!? This lady deserves a medal.
There were probably more than a few veggie burgers left that day. They should have shipped them all to the school committee for taste testing. Although depending on the brand they're not bad covered with bacon, lettuce, onion, tomato and a little horse radish.
It strikes me funny that the woman who was suspended - really reprimanded - is asking them to revisit their policy, nicely, going before the school committee. Honestly, if I were in her school district, I'd be right there with her, demanding that she be reinstated with back pay and make sure that they remove all reference to this supension from her employee file. It's not like she had a bag full of sugar and she was doling it out by the tablespoon. Sounds to me that she has a huge heart.
Who eats veggies burgers anyway? My guess is 1 in 100 eat veggies burgers and kids should not be forced to eat something they do not like or is disgusting. Grilled cheese is a safe bet.
This is just nother typical idiotic thing that town government likes to do, especially Newton with how poorly they manage the town. Time to make some changes in Netwon Government. But first let's spend 200M on a school that plans to layoff more teachers..
My son has a nut allergy. Many veggie burgers contain nuts. If I sent him to school thinking he'd get the grilled cheese only to find the school had insisted he eat a veggie burger or go hungry, I'd be furious. Some of the children who refused the veggie burger may have been in the same situation. If so, I'm very glad they had a lunch lady who listened to them. And if not, well, it wasn't as if she offered pop tarts and cheetos from her purse. The choices she gave were healthy items that were most likely offered for lunch on other days. The school is in effect saying, "Well, it's okay to serve bagels for lunch on May 6 and May 21, but don't you dare offer them on May 4 because that is substitute veggie burger day!" What a load of nonsense.
On a happier note, I'm very glad that particular school is so free of serious behavior problems that they can spend their resources punishing out-of-control lunch ladies instead of having to deal with more serious issues.
Hey feedyourownkids....parents do pay for lunch. Its not free. Are you thick?
KUDOS for Mrs. Cunningham... Losing or NOT losing a job has NOTHING to do w/ hungry children or giving them a CHOICE - SHE ACTED ON COMPASSION. I for one do NOT like veggie burgers and if the parent did not choose a veggie burger for the child - WHY should the child have to eat it. For those that are responding negatively - WHY DON'T YOU HAVE YOUR CHILD GO HUNGRY (I'm sure you'll sue the school); WHY DON'T YOU EAT A VEGGIE BURGER; and WHY WOULD YOU FORCE YOUR CHILD TO EAT A VEGGIE BURGER WHEN IT WAS A GRILLED CHEESE THAT THEY CHOSE... SHAME ON THE SCHOOL BOARD AND SHAME ON THOSE PARENTS THAT ENFORCE THEM.
Who fired Mrs C and what is thier phone number and street address. They should be fired for cause and Mrs C should have thier job. The purpose of the school lunch program is primarily to feed the kids.
Whoever made this call, should be fired, or reassigned to a job more appropriate to thier intellectual level, like garbage collector or tolltaker.
How dare they take our tax money ment to feed kids and let them go hungry.
She should have known better to go above and beyond her duties to feed and accomodate young children. She's clearly too goog for the public sector and should be in private industry where excellence is rewarded, not punished. If I was a parent in Newton, I would personally THANK this woman if I found out that she had gone out of her way to make sure that MY child was fed.
Only in Newton. I bet it really has to do something with the American Flag she flies at her house or a relative who serves in the Armed Forces.
Helicoptrer parents...... how come no one has commented on the fact that these parents want to control every facet of their children's lives??? Imagine having the need to peruse the weekly menu and decide what the child will eat, in Boston, the kids have two to three options and they are free to select what they want. As for the cafeteria manager not contacting the parent or whomever... ever stood in a lunch line? It's really not a logical option. Give them their food, let them be.
The bagel and breakfast lunches were in the school cafeteria. If they couldn't be substituted, why were they there in the first place?
Whenever I find myself getting really upset about something I know little about, I come to these comment boards and immediately calm down.
Please please please leave Newton and get a new job. If you go back, they will make your life miserable for putting them in the spotlight (Not that Newton wasn't already in the spotlight!!!) Any school system will make room for you....you are what people want for their kids......
Makes me think of Loren and Wally's song...."B B B Baby you ain't seen Newton yet....BBB Baby you ain't seen Newton yet".....You know what, we've seen much too much of Newton lately.
To the poster who alluded to the fact that this controversy has been brewing since the "Yankee Swap" at the Christmas Party???? I would love to know what he or his wife was set up to open up at the party!! Or was he mad he didn't get #1???? he has "egg" all over his face now. I would advise him to be sure and BRING his lunch from now on!!!
As Howie Carr would say "No good deed goes unpunished".....who squealed? What kid told on her? They should have eaten the good stuff and kept quiet!
Unfortunately in the NewtonFoodService Dept, "good deeds" go un=noticed, its those that flaunt themselves, go against policy and the food service director that make their ways up the ladder , the rules as they go along or out to drinks with the Director, his Assistant and Mr Cronin, check down the Lake in any bar , any night after a School Committee Meeting I bet you'll find a few of them colluzing in the corner figuring out which one they go after next...in this instance they did'nt have to go out drinking Mrs Cunningham took part in a Yankee Swap @ a Food Service Employee Christmas party, she caused alot of laughs that night by doing what she did, unfortunate for her, she is 110% paying for it,,the veggie burger was NEVER the issue here, if it was the policy would of been changed and the school committe would have the audacity to address the issue with Mr Clickstein and Mr Cronin,,, the
issue was the Yankee Swap, the school committee is watching food services dwindle away day after day, they have no control over WHO they have running the program, the program was NEVER this much in debt (check that one out Mr Boston Globe) with the previous Director was employed or the private company that ran it before...
To my fellow employees,,,use up those days, you dont have long to hang onto them!
My son came home extra-hungry that day because he tried the veggie burger but didn't like it. I wish he had spoken up to our beloved Kathy and gotten a bagel instead. If I order a grilled-cheese sandwich for my son, I expect him to get a grilled-cheese sandwich. If something he doesn't like is delivered instead, I expect him to be offered, at the very least, a bagel to tide him over. Isn't that just common sense? Kathy was screwed no matter what she did: give the kids a veggie burger or give the kids a bagel, neither is what the parents ordered. She chose to at least make the kids happy. I commend her and am appalled at her suspension.
I am proud to be an American, but this is ridiculous.
Americans have no idea what it means to be HUNGRY, really hungry.
A child who thumbs their nose at a Veggie Burger, or Spaghetti & Meatballs is not going "hungry." Not even close.
It's time that the beauracrats stopped thinking so hard and just did their jobs. This woman made a decision based purely on common sense. And it's not surprising that those in charge didn't like it, after she made a decision on her own. Maybe the people that run that program ought to be suspended for a week or so, just to see how smooth the program runs without them.
Signed:
Glad we don't have to deal with that crap where I live.
I think the DOE needs to come in and do an audit
Watch what the children are NOT offered with their meals even though its part of the 5 components....the State of Mass and the Newton School Committee should have Joe DeNuccis office do a complete audit on the books of the food service dept as well, then everyone will REALLY know what is going on in there!
Like I said fellow workers, use up those days, your not gonna have them for much longer!
Susan-
If your kindergartener came home hungry and you asked the lunch manager why she didn't give him/her food and she said because beggers can't be choosers then I think you would want to have her fired anyway. So Susan......Just think about what you would do if you were in Ms. Cunninghams shoes.
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