Withholding School Lunches Pass Students Lunch Period (Special Need Students)

First of all, corporal punishment is paddling by a school official as punishment, so what they're doing isn't corporal punishment, but it IS cruel and mean. Is this a regular public school? Regardless, this type of thing should be against the law. I understand, depending on the disability, that kids need to finish tasks and in a timely manner, but this sounds sadistic. I don't know if you work there or have a child there, but I would take any child of mine out immediately and I would report them to the local school board or the state's education department.

that is cruel and has no place in a classroom I would notify CPS, the school board, my local police department, all the other parents and anyone else you can think of right away!

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OMG! This is terrible! If this is true, and you know for sure that it is, then something needs to be done about it asap.

That poor kid!

Even students without "special needs" work at a slower pace than others in the classroom.......usually unfinished classwork becomes additional homework.......

Uggghhhh! This turns my stomach to know this is happening.

They can't with hold lunch. You need to complain to the school district

Good, Lord! This is horrid!.
Call CPS first thing in the morning!

This is totally inappropriate! However, PLEASE really make sure this is happening before you call in reinforcements. I recently had a student tell his guardian that I would not let him get lunch when he had to come in to finish work, which was completely untrue. I cannot imagine someone who has devoted their life to working with children acting this way.

If this is true, these teachers should be removed immediately, but please make sure to do a little research before making such an accusation.

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS!

Document everything... and report it.
This is demeaning, Bully-like, and mean... to say the least.
Taunting a child... is also, WAY out of line.
This is not the dark-ages....

You NEED to report this.... document it....
This is unbelievable....

You need to do something about it...

Im appalled and very upset to hear of this. Special needs or not, no student should be kept from eating or being taunted of having their food or any prop taken by an adult who they are in care of. I would so put in a formal complaint starting with the school and than the school system, etc. I dont even know what else to say, my first instinct is to react and that is not a good thing. Some kids get their best meal from schools. OMG I cant believe this is happening. I hope you take this further and hold people responsible for their action. This is disgusting to hear. Speacial needs children do not have the ability to complete their work ontime unless they have the assistance of someone helping them and teaching them how to do so for future. Im very saddened by this.

I would FLIP OUT!!!! Besides sounding completely ineffective (!) no one should touch or start to EAT a child's lunch...I would consider it contaminated, talk about germs or possible diseases being spread!!!!! I think you need to complain immediately.

The rule of thumb I use is, would I, as a Mom, allow that for my child? Using needed food and/or the break-time associated with lunch time, to manipulate behavior is torture. This is entirely different from the teacher who lets the class accumulate good-behavior points toward the promise of a pizza party at the end of the year, or a music teacher who rewards each correctly played piece with an M&M... This is withholding and taunting (your word). RUN! Don't walk, to your nearest reasonable authority--the principal, the superintendant, your local school board member... and report this. In some ways, this is worse than a carefully measured swat on the butt with a paddle, although that has gone out of fashion in most states. Particularly with a special needs child, this is unconscionable.

It sounds WRONG to me, & I am even thinking it just has to be illegal if they are not allowing a child to eat lunch!

Tho' not special ed, my son had a teacher last year that would hold them in the classroom and send them to lunch late as a punishment if the class was misbehaving. He was not getting enough time to eat a full meal. I emailed the teacher, principal, and copied the school district superintendent. Other parents complained also. She stopped holding them back during lunch time...oh, she made their life a living hell in class, but at least they got to eat.

If you have witnessed this behavior towards the children first hand, or if it is one of your children, then by all means put the school on notice that this type of punishment will not be tolerated. Go up the chain as far as you need to go. It is mean, petty, and cruel behavior.

I wouldn't call it "corporal punishment" because my understanding of that term is that you actually have to touch the person for it to be called that. However, I know that the rules for childcare is that you are not allowed to punish the children by withholding food. I'm sure it must be the same in regular school. And that is for any child, not just special needs children. I would think for a special needs child, it might be considered even more unacceptable. I would definitely contact someone in authority regarding this. If you can't get a satisfactory solution from the adminstrative dept. of the school, contact someone at the state level or call CPS regarding this type of punishment being given.

This is absolutely wrong, but not corporal punishment. Corporal punishment involves inflicting some kind of physical reprimand. If the child is not permitted to eat the lunch, it is illegal. If the child is not allowed to eat until they have completed their work, it's not a great motivator, but not "illegal".

Is this happening to your child or someone in your child's class? I would contact the building principal and the district Superintendent and schedule a meeting immediately to review what is happening.

Are you sure??? This isn't hear say? DO you have proof?
You know it's wrong do something about it. I can't believe this is happening but if it is as to your post what are you going to do to make sure it is investigated or is it already

Yes, you should definitely speak up about this. I would start off being calm and asking them some questions to see what they say. Are they sure this is an effective way to discipline? Does it get results or escalate the situation? Do they have the right training to work with special needs kids? Is this something they were told to do when they learned how to teach? Does it make the other students uncomfortable? Then if they don't have a good explanation, report them.
My son, who has Aspergers/ADHD, had lunch withheld until the bell rang at the end of the day at least once last year. He was supposed to be writing an apology letter, and could not have his lunch until he was done. I was there, in the principal's office, while this was happening! I was not comfortable with it, but on the other hand my son was so out of contol at that point that when they did put the lunch tray in front of him he tried to break up the styrofoam tray with his fork.
Things did change for the better after this incident. They stopped using writing as a punishment(after I and some of the teachers questioned whether it was effective), and I finally decided my son needed to take ADHD meds. He no longer spends hours in the office, and the teachers follow a behavior plan that spells out how they deal with problems, and what the goals really are.

I agree w/the others.....first make sure this all is really happening & then go straight to the prinicpal &/or the school district offices. It is not normal or acceptable behavior from adults & needs to be stopped IMMEDIATELY! It shouldn't happen to any kids....special needs or not!

WHAT? Who is this happening to? If this is your child, pull him/her out today and report this to the school board and CPS. This is unacceptable!

JoAnn, I have been an advocate for 26 years and the mother of children with Special Needs. I sued my own district to make public what I felt was an unfair practice and won. WAS NOT asking for money of any kind but for the right things to be done and accountablitiy to be had. With that information I suggest:
I would take a copy of these responses along with you as strength to meet with the Director of Special Services at your District office, write a letter to each School Board Member (they can be sent to the District office), send a copy to the County Superintendent as well as your own. I have learned that all those cc's at the bottom of the page mean something when each person gets a copy because they start talking about what to do before you make things more public. Write the editor of the local paper as well. I can promise that if only 1 letter is sent then it may get put in the trash but if many copies are out there then it's harder to do. I have also put a cc to the State School Superintendent over Special Education.
You also have the right to volunteer at the school and to document the cases and how often they happen. You will make a difference in the lives of many children and make changes that will bring the school and it's Principal who condones this into the current century.
PLEASE let me know how it turns out. I am sure in fact that many of us want to know. There is an organization called PARENTS HELPING PARENTS in San Jose, Ca. that you can contact that will help you with this as well and CASE that will be on it like melted butter if it is a continuious situation.
Good Luck and Thank You for not just brushing it aside as many parents might as they get overwhelmed and just don't have energy anylonger to fight. That is why schools get away with so many things.

I would report this to Community Care Licensing and or the local County Office of Education. This is abusive.

This sounds horrible to do to any child. I would report it immediately!!!

Corporal punishment is defined as physically striking a person. What this school is doing is worse. You need to report this behavior immediately to the administration, the school board and anyone else in authority to put an end to this cruel and humiliating practice. Withholding food from a child? Taunting and eating a child's lunch? That is not the behavior I would expect from an educator. This is bullying and unacceptable.