School Physically Marks Kids Who Are Low on Lunch Money

It is not uncommon for a child to run low on lunch money. The normal procedure would be to send the parents an email or send the child home with a note. However, mom Tara Chavez was slightly disturbed when she saw big, bold letters stamped on her son's arm that stated, "Lunch Money". She asked her son why there was a stamp on his wrist and if he has the option to have it put on. Her son said that he was low on lunch money and the lunch lady grabbed his wrist without asking and marked him with a stamp.

Tara was confused because she normally gets a note sent home if her child needs more lunch money. Being stamped may not seem like it is a big deal, but it was to her son. He came home crying from the incident. "My kid's really weird about stuff like that...He was humiliated, didn't even want me to take a picture of it," Tara told Buzzfeed. When you are working with children, it is important to know that they get embarrassed very easily. Something small, like a stamp, can really disrupt a child's day. We have to remember that it may not seem like a big deal to us, but to a vulnerable child, it may mean a lot.

"I think there's a better way to communicate the message than stamping a child with the word 'Lunch Money,'" Tara said. "There's a billion other ways you could do it that would be better than that."

Tara ended up sending the school an email expressing her concern about kids being embarrassed in the lunchroom. The school stated that they should be giving the kids an option and will do their best to implement that going forward. This is just a reminder to not only stay aware of your child's life in school, but to also speak up when it's necessary.