The Bull locked horns with the Mobile County School System today. Folks, our government, at all levels, is so dysfunctional that a simple paperwork issue turns in to this:
Mobile Co. Schools are informing parents that their children that qualify for the free lunch program MUST complete the paperwork on the day of registration - like today. This would not be such a major issue without the fact that THE SCHOOLS HAVE NOT BEEN SUPPLIED WITH THE PAPERWORK!
Moreover, parents are being told that their children will NOT be fed lunch if they can not afford to pay for it! What is up with that?
One would think school officials could figure something out, I'm assuming they're all educated. Here's an idea. Maybe they could come up with a substitute form, copy it on the copy machine, have parents fill it out, file it and feed the kids. At some point down the road when the actual forms come in, have the parents fill them out and get them approved. If one or two children who don't qualify get a free meal in the meantime, big deal. Sometimes you just have to improvise. The Bull did find out the children would be fed...peanut butter sandwiches:
After a rather heated discussion with the Mobile Co. School District I was instructed that the lower income children in the district will indeed get fed. However, they will only be fed a simple peanut butter sandwich, (what happens to the kids with peanut allergies?), rather than the complete meal the other children will be offered. Unless, of course, their parents can come up with the cash out-of-pocket until our elected school board gets off its collective duff and gets the paperwork to the schools - and then gets the forms approved. I think NOT!
On top of all that, the parents had already filled out paperwork at pre-regisration. Don't know what happened with that. The Bull has a request:
If this bothers you as much as it bothers The Bull, then contact the Mobile County cafeteria elves at 251-221-4617 and let them know just how you feel about how your Federal tax dollars are being spent.
As of this writing, Mobile County thinks that this Bull’s horns won’t hook. I think they are about to learn a hard lesson! Send this to everyone you know as well as every newspaper you can find until someone pays attention!
Hats off to Bull for confronting Mobile County School District officials. The money is there to feed these children. A paperwork snafu is no excuse for not doing it.
Many thanks for helping get out the news! This type of failure effects us all and America needs to know.
Bull, out!
Posted by: Bull Jones | July 31, 2007 at 08:44 PM