But in this case I am grateful the story was told and then retold on various social networks. Changing the system is a good move for the district. Whether Ms. Bowden returns to her job or not is totally up to her. The awareness and population won this time.

They still seem to be suggesting that what she did was wrong, and that they were right to fire her.

for their own horrible policies. Just try to find and elected person who cops to passing the Throw The Kid's Lunch Away In Front of Them Act.

Maybe before we give every kid free college tuition, we can maybe try to give every kid a free $2 lunch.

We could even maybe improve and expand access to pre-k, or fund k-12 adequately in order to recruit and retain teachers who have actually been trained in the subjects they teach etc etc

I don't like them. What keeps Idaho afloat are extractive industries like mining, timber harvest, ranching, sugar beets, spuds, some grains and then there's Stinkpot (J. R. Simplot) the largest landowner and employers in the state who has been poisoning several counties and at least one Indian Reservation for decades with their elemental phosphate production. But J. R. is also the producer of Krusteaz pancake mix as well as the batter for KFC... and I'm sure a whole lot of other products.

Idaho has too many social issues to be my favorite state and if it had not been for Sen. Frank Church and some others (including my graduate advisor) there would be now large wilderness area in the middle of the state in some of the most beautiful wild territory in the lower 48... Frank Church Wilderness River of No Return is a little over 2 million acres of wilderness, and something like 68% of the state is public land (BLM, NF, etc.) which is it's saving grace. If it weren't for the public lands and wilderness protections, that whole place would be nothing but ranches, clear cut forests and mining tracts.

We should provide adequate funding for public school from pre-k through undergraduate degree.

PILT tands available for funding schools but somehow that gets squandered by the state.

The Boston Public Schools will serve free meals – both lunch and breakfast -- to all students, regardless of their income status this year. Boston becomes one of the largest cities in the nation to join a program aimed at serving healthy meals to more children and save families money.

http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/site/Default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=4&PageID=1&ViewID=047e6be3-6d87-4130-8424-d8e4e9ed6c2a&FlexDataID=3160

Fantastic.

And decent playground equipment and enriching classes in elementary and junior high.

Might go a long way to improving kids' ability to operate effectively in the world as they grow older.

Technically, the child "stole" the lunch when s/he ordered the food and took the tray to the cashier. The lunch lady merely refused to report him/her. The school board lawyers probably advised the board to reinstate the lunch lady in order to avoid more embarrassment later in a civil suit.

There's no way the district ever looks good in this situation. And the lunch lady's immediate supervisor and the entire board need training in being decent human beings. There's no way a judge would agree that reprimanding and/or firing a worker for offering to pay for a child's cookie or hot lunch is acceptable policy.

That person needs to be fired, or at the very least 'retrained'.

So in cases like this we often get only the fired employee's version of events. I'm please that the current incident is apparently going to be resolved relatively painlessly, but we simply can't know what else might have been going on in the background of this or other similar stories.

Or at least a job with a better place of employment, since that school district seems Dickensian.

Cuz that's how assholes roll.

they probably did the math and realized just how stupid they looked and there wasn't a chance in hell they would get away with this without a lawsuit or a settlement.

so they through her a bone and keep paying her the 70% on the dollar that men make.

This was a political action born out of an extreme conservative ideology. This is exactly where it leads.

There is a sickness that is prevailing at the local political level.School boards and local elections are going to extremists. The Democratic Party is failing to counter balance the nut jobs who want slavery, poor houses, debtors prisons and church twice a day. We won't make progress unless we stop promoting conservative candidates like Hillary who are not in tune and avoiding the uncomfortable reality on the ground. There is so much injustice at this point in our history yet our major political organizations are keeping their mouths shut and distancing themselves from every controversy no matter how small or large.

That it even came to this is a major embarassment.

You don't fire someone right before the holidays and offer to rehire her "in the spirit of the holidays." But you might do it "in the spirit of not looking like a schmuck."

Pocatello residents told school board to hire her back. ...I read some of the letters to ed at a Pocatello new outlet, and the people there were outraged (at least those that commented)...She offered to pay for it. That was not enough, so they fired her. Got to follow the "rules".....

What does that say about government/school boards is Idaho? (Pocatello that is)..not much. actually much worse..

so..they hire her back 2 days before Christmas

"...in the spirit of not looking like a schmuck." ...sums up Pocatello Idaho.....

From the linked article:
“District wishes to let the public know that it does not and has not ever taken
negative employment action against any food service worker due to a singular event ...”

So, she’s done other naughty things, about which you’ll tell Santa?”

“District wishes to let the public know that it does not and has not ever taken
negative employment action against any food service worker due to a singular event ...”

so, that wants everyone to know that this lady, was a "bad employee" with more than one .."singular event"...

Yes, that is truly great for the school board in Pocatello Idaho
.Like you said.."...other naughty events.." but we cannot tell you what they are, but there are more....."events"...

Yes, let us hear it again for Pocatello Idaho school board..
great press release................for the holiday season....hit her again...then offer her job back...(not just offer job back)

Isn't Idaho Tea Party territory?

prove the smear.

"" the District wishes to let the public know that it does not and has not ever taken negative employment action against any food service worker due to a singular event of this nature ""

that the good lady has morethan once acted in a kind and, dare I say it, Christian fashion.