The Public School System

The schools have changed so much since I was in school. I can't keep all the rules straight anymore. For one, no peanut products are allowed at snack time or lunch time. This is in case another kid is allergic to peanut products. I can understand this but shouldn't this child that is allergic be taught what NOT to eat? Of course when I say this it comes back that some kids are highly allergic and even if a drop of peanut butter is left on a table, they can have a reaction so now every kid is banashed from eating it.

Then there's the cupcake and cookie issues. Nothing can be baked at home and sent in for the kids. The reason behind this is there may be a hidden allergy again, whether its peanuts, wheat germ, etc. In April when Logan's birthday arrives, if we take cupcakes for all the kids, I have to buy cupcakes from a store where it has a label attached of what all is in the cupcake.

Snack time - only healthy snacks allowed. I'm all for healthy eating but we're talking about kids here. We're being told we can not send a prepackaged bag of cookies or chips as a snack. Bananas, fruit cups, other fruit products are okay for a snack. This week some of the other five year olds got onto Logan for taking in a granola bar with chocolate chips. Logan told them it was healthy b/c it had low fat written on it - funny he's reading labels now. I told him if his teacher says he can't have granola we'll stop sending it but just hearing it from the kids was not keeping me from sending in a granola bar. What's the difference in the cafeteria serving a bowl of marshmallows, raisins and chocolate chips at lunch time? I've seen it the past two times I ate lunch with Logan at school.

The latest rule that Logan broke that took him to the principal's office was saying the word "shoot". It was taken in context that it was a threat to another kid b/c he said "I'll shoot you if (blah, blah)". He admits he says it. He was sent to the principal's office b/c he admitted it, not that an adult heard him say it. I grew up in the country and always had guns in the house. I knew what a gun could do. I know I said "I'll shoot you" several times but meant it in the way someone else might say "I'm gonna getcha." It's just a saying and I believe Logan said it in that context b/c he doesn't realize why that was wrong b/c a five year old probably isn't going to understand what death means and how shooting could cause death. I guess the schools have to take this serious now with all the shootings that have occurred in schools. What's next? Will he be suspended if he goes to school and says he's going to use his lightsaber to chop off someone's arm? It's pretend. Logan's going to pick up sayings and probably repeat. He's five. How can I make sure his mouth doesn't get him into more trouble? Keep him locked up? No friends? No family? Just recently the playgroup I'm involved in did a survey asking if we had guns in our house. Even our pediatrician's office asks this on their forms now. When I was in high school, there were kids riding around with shotguns in their trucks on a rack but now my kid can't even say anything related to shooting amongst his classmates. Logan would never hurt someone. Yes, he has a temper but he's not a bad kid but his mouth can get him into trouble.

In three more years I'll have three more in school. Ugh! What will the rules/restrictions be by then?