CA Middle School Gives Boy Detention for Sharing Lunch With Hungry Friend

[Jazzy]

It’s not often parents can be proud of their children for getting detention, but Sandy Bradford has every reason to praise her son Kyle for the actions that landed him in the kid-slammer at school.

Kyle, a 13-year-old student at Weaverville Elementary School gave his chicken burrito to a friend who did not appear to be able to afford a full meal, and did not like the cheese sandwich given to him by the school. Bradford says he was not hungry at the time, so he gave the food to his hungry friend rather than waste it by throwing it out.

“It seemed like he couldn’t get a normal lunch so I just wanted to give mine to him because I wasn’t really that hungry and it was just going to go in the garbage if I didn’t eat it,” said Bradford.

However, the school saw his gesture of kindness as something that needed to be stamped out pronto! Citing a district policy that prohibits students from sharing meals –including, apparently, meals provided by the school — the school gave Bradford detention.

“We have a policy that prohibits students from exchanging meals,” said Superintendent Tom Barnett. “Of course if students are concerned about other students not having enough to eat we would definitely want to consider that, but because of safety and liability we cannot allow students to actually exchange meals.”

Despite the school administration’s apparent inability to exercise some modicum of judgment in punishing an 8th grade child for showing compassion for someone in need, Kyle’s mother believes her son did the right thing. She says that her son is being punished for his “good manners.”

“By all means the school can teach them math and the arithmetic and physical education, but when it comes to morals and manners and compassion, I believe it needs to start at home with the parent,” said Sandy Bradford.

Kyle Bradford says he will definitely do it again.

Source

Thoughts about him getting detention?

 

[Dee]

Thoughts about him getting detention?

My thoughts begin with a very long stream of obscenities.

Every single day I am shocked, floored, dumbfounded and staggered by what I see happening in this country when it comes to things like this.
Apparently, schools are now teaching the kids how to be uncaring, self-serving, ignorant assholes. How can it possibly be that the teachers in that school can't see an act of kindness for what it is? FUCK your stupid rules about sharing food; those rules are heartless, just like any of the people involved in punishing this child for doing the right thing. I'm just incensed. Utterly incensed.

*sigh* This.

The schools are teaching kids that it's bad to be good, that they need to take every precaution they can to keep their sharing, kind, caring, and thoughtful actions to themselves because--in the off chance something HORRIBLE will happen--it could be potentially dangerous. This is bullshit, plain and simple. None of this shit wend down when I was in school. We could share our lunches as much as we wanted, and no teacher or other member of the school staff every said anything about it. Why? Because it wasn't a big deal. Now, apparently, it is.

SMH

 

[Jazzy]

Instead of punishing the giving, caring and decent child they should have commended him then explained the dangers of giving food to a student without knowing if they might have an allergy or medical condition and why the rule is in place. I think they could have handled this in a better way that would have praised the child while correcting the “no, no”

 

[Dee]

Instead of punishing the giving, caring and decent child they should have commended him then explained the dangers of giving food to a student without knowing if they might have an allergy or medical condition and why the rule is in place. I think they could have handled this in a better way that would have praised the child while correcting the “no, no”

Exactly! This wasn't done out of malice, so why punish the child for doing something kind and generous? They could have easily explained why it was a bad idea without punishing him, and teaching him about the potential dangers instead. This school has a fucked up idea of how to teach children properly. >_>

 

[Webster]

Thoughts about him getting detention?

My thoughts begin with a very long stream of obscenities.

Every single day I am shocked, floored, dumbfounded and staggered by what I see happening in this country when it comes to things like this.
Apparently, schools are now teaching the kids how to be uncaring, self-serving, ignorant assholes. How can it possibly be that the teachers in that school can't see an act of kindness for what it is? FUCK your stupid rules about sharing food; those rules are heartless, just like any of the people involved in punishing this child for doing the right thing. I'm just incensed. Utterly incensed.

You and me both, Smooth...you and me both.

 

[DrLeftover]

I'm surprised the school didn't sound the alarm and have the place locked down until the SWAT team could make sure the sandwich wasn't an explosive.

 

[Evil Eye]

We used to share bags of crisps or whatever we bought in the supermarket across the street

This is just sad.

I'm surprised the school didn't sound the alarm and have the place locked down until the SWAT team could make sure the sandwich wasn't an explosive.

Maybe in a few years that'll be standard procedure.

 

[Nebulous]

because of safety and liability we cannot allow students to actually exchange meals

Uh... what?

I'm sure someone somewhere did something malicious to some food before giving it away ...and just because of one freak occurrence, they create unnecessary rules. But in an average everyday situation, giving away your lunch to a hungry friend is a commendable act in my book. Good for him!

 

[Webster]

I'm surprised the school didn't sound the alarm and have the place locked down until the SWAT team could make sure the sandwich wasn't an explosive.

Don't give 'em any more ideas, Doc...they might just do that next time.

 

[DrLeftover]

I'm surprised the school didn't sound the alarm and have the place locked down until the SWAT team could make sure the sandwich wasn't an explosive.

Don't give 'em any more ideas, Doc...they might just do that next time.

Point taken.