Really??

[Vicki]

This has been bugging me for a while now, and I just had to share to get other opinions. The school my daughter attends is a good school, but they often piss me off. They have a form that families must fill out if they qualify for free/reduced lunches. We do not qualify for this, so I have no intention of filling out this form. However, the school says we need to do this, and have sent a blank form home with our daughter 3 times this year.

The cafeteria manager says that all households must fill out the form so that the school can qualify for certain programs. This makes no sense to me, and seems like an invasion of privacy. This form wants everyone's social security numbers and household income, etc. It's almost like filling out a credit application, but I have completed credit forms that required a lot less info.

What would you do if you were in my situation?

 

[Purple-Days]

Tell' em to Eff Off. Your income is between you, your employer and the IRS. If you are trying to get something such as a loan or a free lunch, sure those people have a right to info, but you are not asking for anything. What right do they have to know?

SS numbers? Screw that, how secure is this info? Not very, I bet. Oh sure they will say nobody has access. Nobody but the entire school system and anybody who cares to look.

Just ask for their SS#s and incomes, bet they say it's none of your business. Tell them you won't reveal the info to anybody. You promise...

 

[CombustionJunction]

I'm with you. As a child, my family never qualified for free lunch. They used to do the same thing to me and my parents never filled out a single form. You don't have to and they can't make you. Stick to your guns!

 

[Vicki]

Tell' em to Eff Off. Your income is between you, your employer and the IRS. If you are trying to get something such as a loan or a free lunch, sure those people have a right to info, but you are not asking for anything. What right do they have to know?

SS numbers? Screw that, how secure is this info? Not very, I bet. Oh sure they will say nobody has access. Nobody but the entire school system and anybody who cares to look.

Just ask for their SS#s and incomes, bet they say it's none of your business. Tell them you won't reveal the info to anybody. You promise...

I didn't tell them to eff off, but I thought I made it clear when I called them that we were not going to complete the form. Yet, they have sent the form home again, twice, since then. I just keep throwing it in the trash.

I know how secure this info is, and that's another reason I don't want to do it.

 

[Vicki]

I'm with you. As a child, my family never qualified for free lunch. They used to do the same thing to me and my parents never filled out a single form. You don't have to and they can't make you. Stick to your guns!

I don't understand why they want this information from families that do not qualify. Purple-Days is right, what makes them think they have a right to this info anyway? This is a rhetorical question because I don't expect anyone to know the answer. It's just getting old from my perspective. I always thought no meant no. Silly me. :/

 

[Hippie Dickie]

they may need to get a certain percentage of submitted forms to fulfill the government mandated paperwork -- just write N/A (not available) in the blanks you consider private.

 

[Vicki]

they may need to get a certain percentage of submitted forms to fulfill the government mandated paperwork -- just write N/A (not available) in the blanks you consider private.

Maybe, but they should say so if that is the case. I might take the "N/A" route next time they send home a form.

 

[AGBeer]

I honestly think the N/A portion is more than enough to satisfy the requirements of the form. Id be willing to believe the reason the school is so insistent that you provide this information is because Federal funding depends on it. Its not really the schools fault per se.

Currently (at least in my neck of the woods) the state is doing quite a bit more (technology wise) to catch up and get everyone on the same page when it comes to situations like this. I cant tell you how many times we have added an application here and there (which all links back to a huge database - now shared with the state) for tracking purposes and $$$ allocation as well.

Yes its frustrating (I agree). Hopefully your IT department is allotted the funds to make some of these state based mandates a little more streamlined and easier to gather pertinent data.

(Bet ya cant guess where I work huh?)

 

[Vicki]

I honestly think the N/A portion is more than enough to satisfy the requirements of the form. Id be willing to believe the reason the school is so insistent that you provide this information is because Federal funding depends on it. Its not really the schools fault per se.

Currently (at least in my neck of the woods) the state is doing quite a bit more (technology wise) to catch up and get everyone on the same page when it comes to situations like this. I cant tell you how many times we have added an application here and there (which all links back to a huge database - now shared with the state) for tracking purposes and $$$ allocation as well.

Yes its frustrating (I agree). Hopefully your IT department is allotted the funds to make some of these state based mandates a little more streamlined and easier to gather pertinent data.

(Bet ya cant guess where I work huh?)

Thanks.

 

[Brother Brigham]

Its funny how people, organizations in particular, have an idea (that may be good, or bad, or whatever) but fight so hard to push their way of thinking on everyone within their bubble. They are no more right or wrong then you. I'll see if I can't send a plague or two their way, they must be humbled.

 

[Flyer]

per capata it is easy to figure the feds needs for income assistance. You have 4,000 kids in school 2,000 have forms, 2,000 do not, next question, politly f-m

 

[reece]

It could be a funding thing.

It could be that many people who do qualify don't apply. So they are trying to make sure as few people as possible fall through the cracks.

It could be something we haven't thought of.

Either way, why can't they explain it to you? That doesn't make sense.

If they can't take the time to answer your question, why expect you to take the time to fill out the form (N/A or otherwise)?

 

[Vicki]

Either way, why can't they explain it to you? That doesn't make sense.

If they can't take the time to answer your question, why expect you to take the time to fill out the form (N/A or otherwise)?

I agree 100%.

That's why I keep throwing them in the trash.

 

[shantytown007]

I just write 'private,' 'n/a,' or 11111/123456 (the last one mostly for online forms that check to make sure that you are writing numbers).

 

[aesthyrian]

Just hit the MFLB and ignore it. They can't force you to give them personal information, they probably just know that if they're persistent enough that most parent's will do whatever they're told to do by the school. Or do what Shanty said, put N/A

 

[djonkoman]

sounds very weird to me...
a school has nothing to do with how much the parents earn, and I never heard of a school asking this kind of information before
altough, maybe they just can't get a reason here, no school lunches here (in elementary you just go home for lunch, in high school you'll have to bring your own lunch or buy it at the supermarket or school canteen)

 

[jeffp]

Its funny how people, organizations in particular, have an idea (that may be good, or bad, or whatever) but fight so hard to push their way of thinking on everyone within their bubble. They are no more right or wrong then you. I'll see if I can't send a plague or two their way, they must be humbled.

It's that damn Nixon. Ever since he was elected nothing's gone right.

 

[Pappy]

I feel for you Vicki. Bureaucratic red tape would be hilarious if it wasn't so pathetic. A dimwit with even less info could steal the IDs of every respondent and victimize them countless ways. When the Census Bureau(cracy) sent a friend of mine the long form after he dutifully filed the short form it mysteriously got lost. Hardy har har har

 

[Vicki]

Thanks guys.

I'll let you know if/when they send another form home. I'll probably use the "N/A" route next time.

 

[vapirtoo]

Yeh I work in a school and its a funding thing.
The feds cut the food budget if a specific percentage of the population
does not comply by returning the form.
Some kids in my lunch room have delinquent
accounts of over $200.00. Their parents
make too much for their kids to get a totally free lunch. The weird thing
is that the school will pay all accounts when school is over .
The 'ffin feds should allow everyone to eat free. IMO

 

[Vicki]

The feds cut the food budget if a specific percentage of the population
does not comply by returning the form.

Does putting "N/A" in certain areas count as complying?

 

[OO]

Tell' em to Eff Off. Your income is between you, your employer and the IRS. If you are trying to get something such as a loan or a free lunch, sure those people have a right to info, but you are not asking for anything. What right do they have to know?

SS numbers? Screw that, how secure is this info? Not very, I bet. Oh sure they will say nobody has access. Nobody but the entire school system and anybody who cares to look.

Just ask for their SS#s and incomes, bet they say it's none of your business. Tell them you won't reveal the info to anybody. You promise...

Its funny how people, organizations in particular, have an idea (that may be good, or bad, or whatever) but fight so hard to push their way of thinking on everyone within their bubble. They are no more right or wrong then you. I'll see if I can't send a plague or two their way, they must be humbled.

all hail brothers tom and brigham

Yeh I work in a school and its a funding thing.
The feds cut the food budget if a specific percentage of the population
does not comply by returning the form.
Some kids in my lunch room have delinquent
accounts of over $200.00. Their parents
make too much for their kids to get a totally free lunch. The weird thing
is that the school will pay all accounts when school is over .
The 'ffin feds should allow everyone to eat free. IMO

so where are the feds gonna find all this free food?

 

[Brother Brigham]

Its funny how people, organizations in particular, have an idea (that may be good, or bad, or whatever) but fight so hard to push their way of thinking on everyone within their bubble. They are no more right or wrong then you. I'll see if I can't send a plague or two their way, they must be humbled.

It's that damn Nixon. Ever since he was elected nothing's gone right.

I know! I was talking with god the other day and I asked if he had anything to do with Nixon's election and he was like "Phhff-seesh, No!"

 

[herbgirl]

Vicki,
Definitely funding. Title one i think. They need to find out if 50% or more of the students are qualified for free or reduced lunches for federal funding reasons.
We are consistently badgered with these forms despite the fact that my son rarely eats school lunches. and it is a huge difference in price - free, 20 cents or full price is 2.20, so it is admittedly tempting to sign up for it - except for the fact that it is all processed crap and pretty much devoid of nutrition. DH & I also feel that it is a major invasion of our privacy.
I will venture a guess that 90% of my son's school is eligible for free or reduced lunches and takes advantage of that fact.

we are probably eligible because i don't work outside of the home right now, but my son rarely eats school lunches (but they push universal breakfast that i can't opt out of - such healthy items as donuts and pastries, but that's another post). He sees his friends eating school lunches and the fact that all the lunch buyers (but not the packers WTF??) get free ice cream on Fridays, i have to give occasionally and let him do a school lunch.

Bottom line is that the school's funding is almost fully based on the incomes of the parents of the students attending - the best way to gather this info is with the comprehensive forms. I still haven't filled it out and don't want to, but if times get hard I may have to. We have never been told that we HAVE to fill out the forms, but the school makes it very clear that funding is dependent on these forms and they pretty much BEG you to fill them out. In my neighborhood school, i can see why they do - the school is overcrowded from bus-ins (22 kids in my son's kindergarten!!!) and scrounging for funds.

 

[Vicki]

That makes sense, but I still refuse to put our social security numbers and income on the form. Along with "N/A," I will also probably write "we make too much money to qualify."