Thread: My kids complain about 3 minute lunches where the principal makes them throw

there food away what do i do? there in elementary

I doubt that the kids have 3 minutes to eat. I'm a teacher in elementary school and my kids have 30 minutes for Kindergarten. 1st through 6th grade has 20 minutes to eat. It is a requirement in Washington that they have so many minutes of lunch. I would definitely call and find out what is going on. I think it's more miscommunication. Lunch turns into a social time and often kiddos talk the whole time instead of eating and they run out of time. I can see the principal trying to get kids to clean up their food before the next group comes into the cafeteria. I tell my kids after 25 minutes to start cleaning up. If something doesn't store well (like a cup of yogurt) they need to throw it away, if it does store well they can put it back into their backpack. Call your elementary, they will help you understand what is going on, and if there is an issue than you can work with the principal or teacher to give your kiddos more time to eat. Be calm when you call and you will be much more likely to get an appointment to talk sooner than later. But also realize when you call the principal most likely he won't be there to talk. Principals don't sit in their offices waiting for phone calls so you'll most likely have to wait for a call back.