Lunch is the highlight of any school day unless you’re Natalee. When Natalee’s mom found something strange in her daughter’s lunch box, she knew there was something going on at school, and the story behind the mystery will shock you…
Leeza and Natalee
Leeza Pearson lived with her daughter Natalee and husband Nate Biersack in Aurora, Colorado. Leeza is studying political science today, but this story started in 2015…
Packing Lunch
Leeza Pearson and her daughter had a good, healthy relationship. The child’s school lunches were just as good and healthy, and Leeza made them for Natalee every day. Until one day…
School Days
Natalee was a student at the Children’s Academy and Childcare Center, along with 150 other students. She was prepping to start going to school with the older kids next year. Seemingly, everything was fine at school…
Everything Changes
Leeza and Nate had no problem with the school. Everyone was very kind to the parents and seemed to want the best for Natalee, but some people’s intentions went a bit too far…
Lacking Lunch
Well, it all goes back to those healthy lunches Leeza packed for her daughter. Usually, they were protein packed and overflowing with greens. But a healthy lunch is easier said than done!
Something Missing
One day, Leeza forgot to run to the grocery store and realized she didn’t have any healthy snacks to give Natalee. She decided to throw in a few Oreo cookies. That was the wrong move…
Eating Right
Even though she included a few cookies, Natalie’s lunch wasn’t all sugar. She also had a ham-and-cheese sandwich and cheese string. However, it wouldn’t be enough to stop the oncoming storm…
Hungry For More
When Natalee came home from school that fateful day, she asked her mom for a snack. She was still hungry since she wasn’t allowed to eat all of her lunch. Wait, what?
NBD
Were the cookies a big deal? Leeza didn’t think so. She said “We’re not the parents that send junk food every day. She has a full, healthy lunch.” Apparently, though, it wasn’t enough…
Teachers Orders
Upon hearing the news that she didn’t eat, Leeza went to check the lunchbox. Sure enough, inside of Natalee’s lunchbox sat an unopened package of the chocolate cookies and a note…
Inside the Note
The note read: “Dear Parents, it is very important that all students have a nutritious lunch. This is a public school setting, and all children are required to have a fruit, a vegetable, and a healthy snack from home, along with a milk. If they have potatoes, the child will also need bread to go along with it.†Leeza didn’t understand…
Hunger-Free Kids Act
This mindfulness for eating right isn’t new. In 2010, the government launched a Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act that promoted healthy eating for kids…
First Lady
Back when Barack Obama was in office as President, then First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded the healthy eating initiative with games, commercials, and appearances…
Local Influence
With Michelle Obama’s help, schools drastically helped low-income families who had difficulty feeding their kids healthy foods for lunch. It was a huge success but maybe worked too well in Leeza’s case…
Bountiful Benefits
There are also many intelligence benefits to eating healthy. Students with a healthy, balanced diet tend to sleep better, are more attentive in class, and retain information easier…
Reacting to It
Pearson was completely shocked by the note. The cookies were a one time deal, and the reaction from the school was so quick! She knew something was up…
Something’s Up
Leeza knew this wasn’t okay to send to a parent. It just was too aggressive, and there was no way this was approved by the board. She decided to inquire from a higher up. And the answers poured out…
Reaching Out
The director of the Children’s Academy promised that she would investigate the note. This was certainly not policy to send home such a note dictating what children could eat. But Leeza wasn’t satisfied…
Online Outcry
Leeza decided this was ridiculously out of line, and wanted other parents to be aware of the circumstances. The response only was something she could have never expected…
Commenter Community
Online, hundreds of users related to her story with their own. Teachers getting over-involved in the child’s wellbeing. People were outraged. But there was more to come…
Fighting Back
People flooded to school’s Facebook page asking for an explanation. Why would this teacher be able to dictate what a mother wanted for her child to eat? But that wasn’t the weirdest part…
Holiday Hijinks
The note was even stranger when Leeza considered that the class had recently had a party. Students brought in candy and sweets, and the celebration was filled with treats. Leeza had something to say about that…
Candy on the Clock
“They say I can’t decide what to feed her but then they sometimes feed her junk food.” It just didn’t add up, and things were going to get worse…
Jelly Belly
She was also confused about why the school offered Natalee jelly beans for good behavior in her after-school care program. It seemed that the school was very inconsistent in what was and wasn’t okay…
Shameful Story
Leeza said the worst part by far was the shame she felt after reading the note. She knew she was a good mother who provided for her family, but the cookies represented something terrible. She was so sad…
Looking Good
Leeza was also quick to note that her daughter was by no means unhealthy. She wasn’t sickly or overweight. She was just a normal little girl…
Cookies For All!
She was further upset at the implications. “It’s not like I was offering cookies to the entire class, and it’s not like that was the only thing in her lunch.”
Over the Moon
Patti Moon, as the chief communications officer of the Public School System in Aurora, CO, agreed with the Dean’s initial statement. Although, she had some corrections to make to Leeza’s complaints…
Snack Attack
“From our end, we want to inform parents but never want it to be anything punitive,” said Patti Moon. Clearly, this was a PR disaster. She reassured the public that even though the child didn’t get her full lunch, she was offered a healthier snack.
An End To It
In the end, the school didn’t really apologize for much after the misunderstanding. Though Natalee was unaffected overall, Leeza will certainly never forget the ordeal!