Education

Teacher Behind ‘Food Police’ Incident in N.C. Suspended Indefinitely

The Raeford, N.C. teacher behind at least one incident where a four-year-old’s lunch was replaced for not being healthy enough has been suspended indefinitely, according to a letter sent home to parents.

Last month, The Blaze reported on the initial incident and also a separate incident brought to our attention by a second mother. Both lunches included meat-and-cheese sandwiches and apple juice. They were replaced with school meals involving chicken nuggets.

The letter, sent from Hoke County Assistant Superintendent Robert Barnes and dated Feb. 28,  does not mention the teacher by name, but rather references her replacement:

“As I am sure you are aware, we recently experienced an unfortunate situation where a failure to follow district policy resulted in the substitution of a Pre-K student’s lunch at West Hoke Elementary School.This letter is to inform you that Ms. Emma Thomas will be a substitute in [your child’s] classroom until we can bring resolution to this issue. We are pleased that [your child] is enrolled in our Pre-K program and we are confident that Ms. Thomas will continue to provide [him or her] with a very positive educational experience.”

But according to email exchanges between the Carolina Journal and the state agency responsible for policing students’ food, the teacher didn’t do anything wrong, raising the question of why she was suspended:

Giving the girl a full cafeteria tray, which included chicken nuggets and milk, was not a violation of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ policy, according to DHHS spokeswoman Lori Walston.

“The rules require that the provider at least ensure the missing items are offered,” Walston wrote in an earlier email exchange with CJ. “It would not be a violation for a child to be provided more than what was needed. It is the provider’s choice as to their specific process.”

It is unclear why giving the girl the cafeteria tray violated “district policy.”

That has the mother behind the incident confused. According to her, it’s the government food policing that should be suspended, not the teacher.

“We are concerned for Ms. Maynor [the teacher] and want her back in the classroom, as she was only following guidelines,” she wrote in an email to her state representative, Republican G.L. Pridgen of Robeson County, according to the Journal. “It’s the government that needs to be reprimanded and changed. Teachers should not be put in a situation to overrule the parent’s lunch of choice.”

DHHS has defended its program, and explained to the Journal how it works:

The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the N.C. Division of Health and Human Services supervises the NC Pre-K program. If a parent sends a child to school with a lunch that lacks any of the listed items, “The rules require that the provider supplement a lunch with any missing components. How a provider chooses to do that is up to them,” DHHS spokeswoman Lori Walston wrote in an email.

[...]

The Jan. 26 infraction was noted by Cecelia Ellerbe, a child care consultant who works for the DHHS division. Walston told CJ Ellerbe “observed the lunch routine” at the preschool, which “would typically include walking through the cafeteria area. She could have seen any items that had been placed on tables, but might not have seen all lunches,” Walston said.

According to Pridgen (via the Journal and WTVD-TV), the lunch replacing on Jan. 30 involved several students and could have included all the students in that class on that day.

And to cap it all off, the school continued to give the first little girl milk everyday to supplement her lunch, despite directions from her mother not to do so. It‘s unclear if that has now stopped as a result of the teacher’s suspension.

School officials declined to comment to the Journal and WTVD-TV.

(H/T: Daily Caller)

Comments (103)

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  • GrayPanther
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:56am

    North Carolina is in the hands of Democrats. Everyone in the state should be fed up with such top down dictates from government. We the People must exercise our rights and elect better school boards and other public officials or this is the government you deserve! WAKE UP PEOPLE!

    Report Post » GrayPanther  
    • IntheKnowOG
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 9:44am

      I wonder who Ms. Emma voted for in 2008?

      Report Post » IntheKnowOG  
    • Techster64
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 10:21am

      North Carolina is currently run by Gov. Bev Perdue. Remember her? She is the one that thought that Congress was so busy solving our problems that we should suspend elections this year. She has seen the light and will not run for re-election this year. It is likely that the Republican that she defeated in 2008 will be elected. Republicans took control of the legislature in 2010, so it is hopeful that reason will surface in North Carolina soon.

      Report Post »  
    • Jaycen
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 10:41am

      Notice that DHHS doesn’t bother defending anything, they just re-explain their policy.

      DHHS – We don’t need to defend what we do. You‘re just too dumb to understand why it’s important. We’ll explain it again, and maybe you’ll get it this time.

      Report Post » Jaycen  
    • RabidPatriot
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:47pm

      There are some parents that are completely ignorant of nutrition and DHHS should be trying to help them with some nutritional education. If they want to give away fruit to some kids in need that is fine. DHHS in many states uses these sort of situations to hijack parental power and freedom from parents. Most of the time, school lunch is not more healthy then even the worst bagged lunch. Who cares if it meets all the food group categories if it is high in fat, calories, fried, processed foods.

      Report Post » RabidPatriot  
    • dominke
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 1:50pm

      The liberal democrats and some republicans want the role of dictator. When they can control every single hour of your life they will be happy. Total enslavement by these fools. Voters are nothing more than sheep being lead to slaughter. The people are getting what they voted for.

      Report Post » dominke  
    • no_more_harkin
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 2:28pm

      The government knows what’s best for your children. Might as well face what so many progressives already firmly believe.

      Report Post »  
    • blackyb
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 3:36pm

      If somone swapped my child’s lunch I would mop the floors up with them. These are our children and this attempt to slowly indoctrinate people that the child belongs to the government will stop or there will be those who stop it. Take your children out of public schools until they respect the rights of the students and parents above that of the government. There are not enough jails to arrest everyone. Stand up now while you still can.

      Report Post » blackyb  
    • AvengerK
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 3:40pm

      Michelle Obama’s “good intentions”.

      Report Post »  
  • hempstead1944
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:51am

    To all……find an alternative to public school…..they no longer teach, they indocrinate !

    Report Post »  
    • USPATRIOT101
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 9:41am

      I agree. Why do you think most politicians kids go to private school? Everyone knows private school is superior to public. Public schools are nothing but camps for lazy parents to dump their ill behaved bast@rds to be taught the proper way to sponge off of the government.

      Report Post » USPATRIOT101  
    • USAMama
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 9:51am

      Amen! My 3 year old daughter is allergic to peanuts, eggs, wheat, soy and oats. I have to put a lot of thought into what she eats, in the case of peanuts and eggs it could be deadly, and the rest will give her a terrible itchy rash or break out of hives. If I packed her a lunch and had some “teacher” take it away and give her something that could make her sick I would be livid. I homeschool my 8 year old and plan to do the same with her.

      Report Post » USAMama  
    • lukerw
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 10:23am

      True!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • Taquoshi
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 11:44am

      I’m amazed that the school would do this. If the kid was eating cheezy-wheezies for lunch, that’s one thing, but to substitute a meat and cheese sandwich with chicken nuggets??

      There are many children who are allergic to peanuts or eggs. There would be no way to protect the child from exposure to those items if the server did not know who had handled the food previously.

      I happen to be lactose intolerant. Giving me milk would have been totally counter productive.

      Report Post » Taquoshi  
    • 9111315
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 4:28pm

      Are you saying we should always vote NO on school tax millages?

      Report Post »  
  • alrunner58
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:44am

    @SKIZ
    I couldn’t agree with you more. I live in Ohio and I am very vigilant as to what goes on in my Grandchildren’s school. I gave them things to watch out for and quiz them regularly. I “will” not put up with politics interfering with their education and if they do, they have a fight.

    Report Post » alrunner58  
  • kapu
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:05am

    *deep sigh* sorry, but i strongly feel that it is the DHHS, and those that push this pathetic ‘rule’ that overrides parental RIGHTS that should be looked at and ‘over-ridened’—preferably with a rail…ANYWAYS….and seriously examined under a microscope, then stripped in a very major way. true, they do SOME smart things–MAYBE, BUT this mindset that is seemingly with this pack of vultures by ‘knowing what is in the best interest of a child coz parents know nothing’ is a bit over the top, you know? a glaring example here is continuing to give a child milk EVEN THO THE CHILDS PARENT HAS REPEATEDLY SAID DON’T.
    i’m sorry, ok, only a tiny bit maybe, but whenever i see things like this mentality by this ‘feel good/for the kids’ group, i am, yet again, reminded of a quote by A. Hitler–’give me your children and i will rule the world.’
    then there is the oh-so wise *cough, cough* crap from that darling, A. Gore regarding how much smarter kids are than their parents….and others have been pounding on this same tinny, vile, disgusting drum. this ‘belief’ of an agenda item has had others reinforce it by various words and/or deeds. my bets are if you look around in any number of things you will get what i mean.
    in my time in nursing, as well with friends or just general observation, i have seen that type of mindset/ authority up close and personal, and it has been pretty sad, and a huge mess at times, the kids being ‘collateral damage,’ sometimes real good

    Report Post » kapu  
  • skiz
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:03am

    Somehow we need to disconnect every government agency we have and start from scratch with the constitution as the template for the rules. Unless we do something NOW it will change our country forever. Well, until new patriots with some balls show up!

    Report Post » skiz  
  • One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:01am

    Typical lefties at the top of that school food chain playing CYA and using the teacher as their sacrifice when they couldn‘t get away with stealing even children’s civil rights from under their feet hoping the parents were too stupid to care or realize it.

    They take us all for flyover rubes and fools and it will be their downfall ‘misunderestimating’ our ballz and resolve.

    Report Post » One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew  
    • wboehmer
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 10:08am

      Not so fast.

      Doesn’t the teacher have a responsibility to step back & say “these rules are RIDICULOUS!”

      Report Post »  
    • SamIamTwo
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 10:36am

      wboehmer
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 10:08am

      Not so fast.

      Doesn’t the teacher have a responsibility to step back & say “these rules are RIDICULOUS!”

      _______________________________________________________________________________

      Yes they do and should but look who educated those that teach…liberal nut case professors are ruining the nation. It’s prolific and they take a child and turn them out like a cookie making machine…these sort of teachers are everywhere. imho

      Report Post » SamIamTwo  
  • TomFerrari
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:00am

    Exactly.
    Throwing her under the bus, rather than admit their fault of fascist intrusion into personal lives.
    This crap gets started by well-ontentuoned people, then bureaucrats run with it.
    Govt jobs are highly specialized. One man is only allowed to use a shovel. Another is only allowed to use a rake. (same is true for unions) The result is the old adage, when you give a man a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
    I understand wanting a law that attempts to address poor children who cannot afford food.
    But, instead of dictating how people live and eat, we should be getting government out of the way so we have JOBS and parents can then afford to feed THEIR children whatever THEY choose.
    Also, public schooling is a miserable failure. (I am not dismissing parental responsibility)
    We need many, many more private schools, curriculum that PARENTS choose, streamlined curriculum that doesnt spent valuable time teaching 13th century art, while speeding through U.S.history. Likewise, customize class time to the subject. Finger painting gets an hour of classroom time, just as reading or arithmetic.
    Let’s return schools to EDUCATION; sports, arts, music, cheer-leading, etc., can all be AFTER school.
    Schools no longer need months off on the summer. We are no longer farmers who need kids home for planting and harvesting.

    I want to develop NEW, INTERACTIVE, MULTI-MEDIA, WEB/TABLET-CENTRIC content and curriculum for home-/private-school. Who is with me?

    Report Post » TomFerrari  
    • smokie
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:52pm

      Can the Blaze contact the laid off teacher, and get her viewpoint of the deal?

      All this talk about lunches makes me wish my sister‘s kids were still young enough so I can make those Bento lunches I’ve see on the net; bentos are little edible artworks. Her kids went to a school in a farming district. The parents and teachers were infected with too much common sense and reality based views to pull silly stunts like this.

      Report Post »  
  • 80mesh
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:59am

    sound familiar ? ….. i vas just following orders

    Report Post » 80mesh  
  • Windwalker
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:56am

    Suspended? Another way of saying the teacher is no longer showing up for work, but kept on the district payroll.

    Report Post »  
    • Baddoggy
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:06am

      I assure you…she is being paid.

      Report Post » Baddoggy  
    • TAXEVERYONE
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:13am

      Obama is making his tenth trip campaigning here. His fingerprints are on many things going on here including stopping the voter ID bill.
      Our clueless governor, Dumplins Perdue is his biggest supporter. Wait till you see what else they have planned for you and your children.

      Report Post » TAXEVERYONE  
    • jens63
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 9:48am

      So that is like suspended with pay for how long? 10 years, 15 years, ? until retirement? Thank you ncaa and nea

       
  • Yaeli
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:52am

    Let me get this straight. After reading their food guidelines, it appears that children raised in vegetarian households cannot attend public school without having meat forced upon them against the wishes of the parents. I was raised in a vegetarian household (due primarily to several of us kids having an actual life-threatening allergy to meat and, in the case of myself and half-sister, also an allergy to dairy –my brother on the other hand practically subsisted on milk–and secondarily on a do no harm to little critters philosophy my parents consoled themselves with when meat had to be struck off the menu. For some parents though that is primary and they should have that right). The third generation is being raised vegetarian but I guess our families wouldn’t be welcome in North Carolina. They’ll be inspecting your home for regulation style toothbrushes next, I guess.

    Report Post »  
    • Baddoggy
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:10am

      Do you eat vegetarian because of animal cruelty? If you do, you should not eat vegetables either. More deer, possum, squirrels, racoons, rabbits and bugs are killed by farmers than any meat packing plant could ever do. Oh the humanity!!! Yea vegans…you are killers too. You kill bunny rabbits by the billions.

      Report Post » Baddoggy  
  • Hickory
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:51am

    Keep your eyes on the teachers. They are a part of Obama’s army. Their union has said that, not me.

    Report Post » Hickory  
    • One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:02am

      Absolutely right. His stealth army.

      Report Post » One Man Progressive Wrecking Crew  
    • AJAYW
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:14am

      @Hickory
      Sad to say I used to have a lot of respect for teachers – Years back they did their dammest to teach even us hard headed ones. Now they have became the bottum feeders of our communities, Their goal is to futher the progressive adgenda not teach.-

      Report Post »  
    • angeleyes63
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 4:59pm

      @Hickory
      Fundamental Change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I say keep the change and throw away the President Opos.

      Report Post »  
  • AJAYW
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:50am

    What right does anyone have to even touch my kids food, let alone taking it away> Then making them eat something that they don’t know if the child is allowed to eat. If the child gets sick or dies from what they give them are they gonna be charged with atempted murder or murder. I seen a young collage kid die by eating food that was cooked in peanut oil. No One Should Touch a Childs Lunch. If you would have touched one of my kids lunchs you would never touch another one.

    Report Post »  
  • No Quarter
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:49am

    Home school your kids. At least private school. This food police thing should be the least of your concerns.

    Report Post » No Quarter  
  • oldsoldier10
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:41am

    What is the P0S teachers name? I know “Hoke County Assistant Superintendent Robert Barnes,” is a waste of human tissue, but what is the name of the jerk0ff teacher food naz1? Any adult that would willfully separate a child from a parent via the gubment gestapo should be put down as a rabid animal! And the p0s “teacher,” should be rendered for soap!

    Report Post » oldsoldier10  
  • conservativejon
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:41am

    This is how govenment bureaucrats work. If there is an outrage, fire the person that enforced the rule dont change the rule. Hows that government control working out for you now.

    ♫This is what bureaucracy looks like! This is what bureaucracy looks like!♫

    Report Post »  
  • iac
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:35am

    The policy calls for the child’s lunch to be SUPPLEMENTED by cafeteria food.
    Why was the teacher REPLACING the child‘s lunch with the school’s cafeteria food?

    Report Post »  
    • friedwatermellon
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 8:32am

      If the teacher did that to my daughters food he would go home toothless and with a hernia

      Report Post » friedwatermellon  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:32am

    .
    If they could at least teach them to Read, Write, and do some Math. The teachers I mean, them maybe our kids could learn something……..

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • Kevin The Elder
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:23am

    Good for the mother for coming to the defense of the beleagued teacher. How right she is to write that “It’s the government that needs to be reprimanded and changed.” This is a fact in this case, as it is in Washington DC, at most (if not all) state levels, and even down into our community levels. Government wasn’t invented to run our lives; that is our God given right. Government’s power should be limited. I recently heard someone on Fox mock Ron Paul, claiming the congressman has voted ‘no’ on every bill he voted on. I’m sure that was an exaggeration, but even so, any candidate in my state who said that they would vote no to 98% of all bills that spent additional monies, he or she would be guaranteed at least one vote.

    Report Post »  
    • qpwillie
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:36am

      I think you missed an important part of what the report on Ron Paul said. What Ron Paul did was to INTRODUCE the bills and then vote against them. That way, he could get the pork bills passed and boast that he didn’t vote for them at the same time.

      Ron Paul is a politician. He has been one for many years and he knows how to work the system to make himself look better than he is.

      Report Post » qpwillie  
    • Razorhunters
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 12:04pm

      qp…bs. prove it.

      Report Post » Razorhunters  
  • RJJinGadsden
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:20am

    More of that continued ‘co-parenting’ policy from the top, not the teacher herself. The teacher is more than likely a left wing union troll and it might be considered nothing more than a good start, but the suspensions and firings need to run up the chain of command like a wild fire.

    Report Post » RJJinGadsden  
  • endgamer
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:16am

    To the parent! MOVE OUT OF THE DISTRICT!

    Report Post » endgamer  
    • conservativejon
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:35am

      and go where. This kinda thing happening all over the country. Is your answer to government intrusion to just run away or “MOVE OUT OF THE DISTRICT!”. You shame yourself.

      Report Post »  
  • dissentnow
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:14am

    As the mother has said, addressing the individual teacher instead of the actual policy is not going to fix the problem. This story has been a real black eye for us here in N.C.

    Report Post »  
  • BetterNTexas
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:12am

    This latest news makes me as mad as the original story. Dear North Carolina: It‘s not the teacher that created the ’national incident.’ The teacher is not the problem. It’s YOU. You and your insane policy of having “food inspectors” who paw through children‘s lunches and ignore parents’ concerns regarding the meals they provide for their lunches. YOU are the problem. Sincerely, The American People

    Honestly.

    Report Post »  
  • RepubliCorp
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:07am

    Michelle Obama isn’t going to be happy… here comes the DOJ

    Report Post » RepubliCorp  
  • kentuckypatriot
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:05am

    The govt needs to stay out of families’ business, end of discussion.

    Report Post » kentuckypatriot  
    • smithclar3nc3
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:19am

      Exactly, Too many gottdam liberal regulations. More over the USDA has no right interefering in the eduction system in any way. All these over reaching Government authoritarian regulations come from agencies that pass them without congressional approval! That’s taxation without representation…..HGaving someone from your state and local district in Congress MEANS NOTHING IF AGENCIES CAN PASS REGULATIONS WITHOUT PASSING IT THROUGH CONGRESS.
      Time to remove all these agencies and their dictatorships out.

      Report Post »  
  • blanco5
    Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:03am

    But the people who put her there and the policoes still exist? Thrown under the bus?

    Report Post »  
    • blanco5
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:12am

      “policies” (for the grammar police)

      Report Post »  
    • qpwillie
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:14am

      Yep – Thrown under the bus. That’s why I try to tell people like the “occupiers” not to expect any brownie points from their puppet masters when it all comes down. They’ll be among the first to go.

      Report Post » qpwillie  
    • RightUnite
      Posted on March 7, 2012 at 7:16am

      Just a tad….

      Report Post »  
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