Teacher's cruel policy says kids who don't bring food to Christmas party don't get to eat at all

When a child brings home a note from school, every parent experiences a momentary pang of apprehension before reading its contents. Did they get into some kind of trouble or is it simply about some new activity in class? While a million pleasant and unpleasant possibilities race through their mind in just a few seconds, the last thing they'd expect to read is a school teacher's ridiculous policy that could potentially leave their child hungry. However, this is exactly what Takaria Scott read in the note her daughter's teacher sent home.

Baffled and understandably upset by the contents of the note, Scott took to Facebook to share a photo of the teacher's note. At first glance, the note appears quite innocent. Just a standard notice about the school's Christmas party, for which she was requested to contribute either chips or cheese balls. However, a line highlighted in bold stood out from the rest. "My philosophy is: if they don’t bring anything they don’t eat anything," the line stated. Outraged by the school teacher enforcing such a cut-throat policy, Scott, wrote, "Now for these kids to be between 6-7yrs this should not be a philosophy. Kids are kids man. This is definitely not acceptable in my eyes."

Scott wasn't the only one to find the policy problematic and soon the school was flooded with complaints from other concerned parents. The Meridian Public School District addressed their concerns in a letter sent to parents, in which MPSD superintendent Dr. Amy Carter assured them that no child would be left out from the party. "We want our students to view school as a safe space. Our students should know that the moment they come to school, they are in an environment where they are nurtured by their teacher," said Carter.

"I can't publically speak to specifics regarding the teacher, however, I want to assure our families and students that all students will participate and no students will be made to feel uncomfortable if they don’t bring refreshments. We know that so many of our teachers go above and beyond to make the holiday season a joy for so many," Dr. Carter added. Speaking to Scary Mommy, Scott revealed that she wasn't fully satisfied with the school's half-baked response. "I’m not completely satisfied about the [school’s] response because I’m not sure something happened to the teacher. I appreciate everyone who reached out in this matter. I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone else’s child," she said.

Scott's original post sparked outrage from other Facebook users who criticized the educator's severe lack of compassion. "What kind of monster doesn’t feed a child because they don’t contribute to a party?! They are children. They don’t have access to the family’s finances nor can they drive to the store. If they don’t contribute, it is not their fault. This is horrible and I hope whoever has this policy is shamed into a major personality reflection," commented Autumn Chapman.

"What a terrible “philosophy.” What does that teach the other children? I hope there is a room mom or someone else there who will make sure every child gets to enjoy the party with their classmates. It’s one thing to say 'please contribute what you can, even if it’s something small' but it should not be required. And especially not taken out on the kids who aren’t the ones responsible for buying said items. Most kids would be excited for just a couple finger sandwiches and Christmas cookies. The smallest things bring joy to kids and we put way too much thought into things sometimes when they really could be very simple," Sharon Impastato Cole chimed in.