I have been on a little hiatus because of a beast called Influenza A, the backlog of work caused by the destructive powers of said beast, and a sort of Lenten fast from blogging. I know that it is Good Friday now, but I read a few things today that were so catastrophic that I could not keep my mouth shut. Easter joy is breaking out early here.

If you need a little comedy, try this story out from the Lancaster papers today:

Manheim Township limits student-parent lunches
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/831808_Manheim-Township-limits-student-parent-lunches.html

That's right! School security concerns have led to the banning of parents coming in to eat lunch with their children. The parents, you see, are a danger. Let this sink in... We are protecting the children in general from the parents in general by banning each parent from having lunch with their specific child.

I read this story and sort of exploded. By this principle, students should also be banned from having lunch with other students (or with lunch ladies or teachers). So, here is the deal, the public schools take (by law) our tax dollars and then will not let parents eat with their children. Just a few thoughts:

1. Any parent who stands for this is crazy. This should cause a shut down or a mass protest. If you will not fight at this level of absurdity when will you ever be fed up?

2. School security is a real concern (keeps people like me up at night), but banning everything that everyone because someone could be dangerous is pernicious and must be more closely examined. On average would children be less or more likely to be harmed if there were more parents in the lunch room. On average, I would think that the presence of adults diminishes rather than causes violence. If so, this is not about keeping kids safe. Also, even if parents were dangerous why not set up a room for parents to eat with their children and put up "Dine at your own risk signs" (I am giggling while writing this, but it would be better than what is happening).

3. The audacity of people receiving tax dollars is breath-taking here. This is why, as crazy as it sounds, the only way forward for public education is to renounce its main funding source (tax revenue). This "fake" support keeps them from actually listening to their customers, being prudent, and correcting mistakes.

4. Finally, I guess Conestoga Valley should get a little kudo. They actually have a "Parent Student Lunch Coordinator." All I can say is that the bar is getting very low if this gets you a kudo.

Ok, depending on how you reacted to the first part of this post, I have either a warning or a inducement. If you are angry now, just stop here and move on. If you are shocked by the first part, get ready for more. If you can not stop laughing, lets move forward together. My favorite part of the article was not about the ban of parents from lunch. It was a throw away aside about the food allowed at lunch if you are allowed to come and eat with your child. Here is the note:

"Food brought to schools by visitors is restricted to control nutrition and protect against allergens –– and jealousy."