Case
Lost lunch boxes

A mother comes in ranting for the third time this week stating that their child's lunch box. You as the teacher should be looking into this and that they are not going to send their child to school with a lunch box anymore as they can't afford to replace it.
Parent : I am sick of this. This is the third time I have had to look for my child's lunch box. I am not going to replace this one.
Continue this scenario to resolve the issue.

Posted on: 03/02/13 | Views: 1362
Solution #1
Top Solution
I would let the parent know that there is a designated lunch box area and that I will observe why the lunch box is misplaced. There may be a bigger issue at hand. Perhaps the lunchboxes aren't lost, but rather taken. In order to solve this problem, I must observe my classroom very carefully. If I do see a problem, I must address it immediately. If the student still needs a new lunchbox, I may be able to reach to the school for funding to purchase a new one and monitor the situation.

I agree with this solution. The parent was able to address the situation and you provided a possible solution.

This was a genuine and professional response. Looking into the situation shows that you, the teacher, care about solving this problem. Great solution to this case study.

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Solution #2
Because theft is involved, it's time to get administration and a school resource officer (if present at school) involved to open an investigation. It's likely that the student might have an idea as to who is stealing, that other students might have seen something, and that school video surveillance is available to look at too. With admin. and a SRO involved, it's really out of the teachers hands. I do not feel that the school should offer to replace the lunch box, as this would open a can of worms in having to replace any child's lunchbox that might go missing.

I like this solution and can agree with it.

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Solution #3
As the teacher I would suggest that instead of using a lunch box, they could try using a brown bag, or plastic bag that can be thrown away at the end of lunch. This will help because I won't be responsible for anything, and the student won't be able to lose anything. If the parent insists on having a lunch box, I can suggest having the parent give small rewards for everyday that the student brings home the lunchbox. This will motivate the student to care more about the lunchbox.

I do not agree. This just put the blame on the parnet and student for a lunchbox that could be being stolen from school. I would have suggested that the student bring his lunch box to me in the morning and after lunch so I could see where the problem was.

I like this solution, but there is also another reason to why the lunch box may be missing. The student may not be losing it, but someone can be taking it from them. All those ideas that you listed are good solution if the lunch box is being legit lost.

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Solution #4
I would let the parent know how sorry I am that the lunchbox keeps being misplaced. I would let her know where the lunchboxes are kept before and after lunch. I would keep my eye out for the student to see where the lunchbox could be going and check lost and found. If the parent is still that mad I would offer that I buy the student a new lunchbox or maybe see if the school can do something about it.
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Solution #5
I would advise the parent that if they do not wish to replace the lunchbox, that is their choice. If they were implying that I was responsible for the loss of the lunchbox and should therefore pay to replace it, I would inform them that I am not obligated to keep track of student's personal belongings and we advise them to not bring valuables to school. Misplacing a lunchbox three times does seem excessive so I would sit down with the student to figure out what might be happening to it, whether it is accidentally or purposely thrown away or the result of bullying, or being left on the bus. These would then need to be addressed accordingly.
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