fbpx
Breaking Campus News. Launching Media Careers.
Dad’s epic response to school’s Big Brother-ish note about kid’s lunch

Kirksville, Missouri dad Dr. Justin Puckett’s response to a ridiculously invasive note from a substitute teacher is simply marvelous.

The substitute, a “N. Krueger,” wrote a note to Dr. Puckett and his wife stating that their daughter’s lunch was unacceptable: “Please see that she packs a proper lunch tomorrow.”

To add insult to injury, the note requested a parent’s signature.

Dr. Puckett would have none of it, and posted about it on Facebook.

WATE.com TV-6 reports:

The substitute teacher wrote in the note sent home on Tuesday that a cafeteria employee said that her lunch consisted of four chocolate bars, a bag of marshmallows, Ritz crackers and a pickle.

“Please see that she packs a proper lunch tomorrow,” the teacher wrote. An attempt to reach the teacher for comment wasn’t immediately successful.

Puckett told ABC News that, since the note was addressed to “Dr. and Mrs. Puckett,” it was clear that the teacher knew he was a physician which he said “just adds to the irony of it all.”

puckett-letter
What the cafeteria worker and the substitute missed, however, was that the 8-year-old also had four pieces of ham and a low fat string cheese rather than a sandwich, since “we don’t eat a lot of bread,” said Puckett, who is double board certified in osteopathic family medicine and obesity medicine.

“We leave it up to her and she looks at the school menu and she packs her own lunch and she’s a very independent second grader,” he told ABC News.

“Sure, I’d liked her to pack a few more veggies and maybe a piece of fruit, but we compromise on pickles occasionally,” he wrote in his original Facebook post.

Apparently, the story has gotten a bit out of hand since the doctor wrote about it. In response, Puckett writes in part:

Set the Story Straight: The post I made a few days ago went viral today, and like a game of telephone, the story has morphed, and may not represent the facts, just as the initial letter was not based on facts.

1) Without a doubt, the letter was poorly worded, and a poor choice by the teacher. I know this teacher personally, and she has the children best interest in mind.

2) The school took responsibility, as I received a personal apology from the principal and the district superintendent, both people of whom I have a great relationship! I value them both, as well as all educators, greatly.

3) It is absolutely inexcusable what some have done from afar, sending faxes and emails to the school. You action and choice of words far exceeds anything done in the letter of discussion (completely indecent). Stop this non-productive action immediately.

Indeed, the teacher/school should have handled this a lot differently. First, they already knew Puckett is a physician — it’s probably fairly safe to assume he knows a little about nutrition. But if they were still concerned about the nutritional value of the girl’s lunch, why not just call the home to inquire if such a meal was the norm?

Read the full story.

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter

IMAGES: DC Central Kitchen/Flickr, Facebook screencap

Please join the conversation about our stories on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, MeWe, Rumble, Gab, Minds and Gettr.

About the Author
Associate Editor
Dave has been writing about education, politics, and entertainment for over 20 years, including a stint at the popular media bias site Newsbusters. He is a retired educator with over 25 years of service and is a member of the National Association of Scholars. Dave holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Delaware.