A Colorado mom says she was the victim of “lunch shaming” for sending oreos in her daughter’s lunch last week.
Leeza Pearson said the lunch shaming came on a day when she realized she was out of fruit and vegetables. Not wanting her daughter to go hungry, Pearson added a pack of Oreos to daughter Natalee’s lunch and sent her off to school at the Children’s Academy in Aurora, Colorado.
Bad move.
Pearson said she was dumbfounded to find a lunch shaming note in her 4-year-old’s lunch container when she came home later in the day. The cookies were untouched, and a lunch shaming note came along with the oreos.
“Dear Parents, it is very important that all students have a nutritious lunch. This is a public school setting and all children are required to have a fruit, a vegetable and a healthy snack from home, along with a milk. If they have potatoes, the child will also need bread to go along with it. Lunchables, chips, fruit snacks, and peanut butter are not considered to be a healthy snack. This is a very important part of our program and we need everyone’s participation.
Best mom in the world packs Oreos in daughter’s lunch, gets this shaming note from school. http://t.co/bk1sTPDgPQ pic.twitter.com/hOArdnnWHG
— someecards (@someecards) April 30, 2015
Pearson told ABC News she was shocked by the lunch shaming note.
“I think it is definitely over the top, especially because they told her she can’t eat what is in her lunch. They should have at least allowed to eat her food and contacted me to explain the policy and tell me not to pack them again.”
The director of the Children’s Academy told KUSA-TV she’s investigating the note, adding that it should not have gone out to any parent. The director said it is not school policy to tell parents what children can or can’t eat for lunch.
Patty Moon, a spokeswoman for the Aurora Public Schools, said the messages sent out by the school are meant to be helpful and are not meant to be lunch shaming.
Pearson said she understands, but condemns the school for being inconsistent. Pearson told ABC News that during this year’s Easter holiday, the school asked students to bring in candy for the celebration, and her daughter sometimes receives jelly beans as a snack when she stays for after-school care.
Colorado mom says @aurorak12 school engaged in “Lunch Shaming” over her kid’s Oreos. http://t.co/3mVhNTOZEC @GMA pic.twitter.com/dmHMlxx7wD
— Clayton Sandell (@Clayton_Sandell) April 30, 2015
“They say I can’t decide what to feed her but then they sometimes feed her junk food. Why am I being punished for Oreos when at other times I am asked to bring candy?”
Pearson said her daughter’s lunch included a sandwich and string cheese, and she should not have been subjected to lunch shaming.
4-year-old returns home with her uneaten Oreos and a note from school reprimanding her mother: http://t.co/veydeLMEuS pic.twitter.com/pBC8VCaL7I
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 30, 2015
“She is not overweight by any means and I usually try to feed her healthy. It’s not like I was offering cookies to the entire class and it’s not like that was the only thing in her lunch.”
What do you think of the lunch shaming? Was the school right in calling Pearson out?
[Photo via ABC News ]