Pennygate

Last week 29 seventh and eighth graders in Readington Middle School in New Jersey were threatened with detention for trying to buy their lunch using $2 of pennies. The students were objecting to the 30-minute lunch period. During this time, the students leave last morning class, go to lockers, drop off AM books, get PM books, use the bathroom, get on line for lunch, eat lunch, wash hands, and return to class for their PM classes. After the national media spotlight on the school and its administrators, school official stepped back from the punishment and asked the parent to decide whether detention was the proper route to take. The parents of five agreed that their children should go for two days and three took a single day for this prank.

I feel this was a form of nonviolent protest. When I was in high school, I couldn’t buy lunch. The limited number of attendants prolonged the buyer’s stay on that lunch line. I’m sure this occurs in many schools. When Pennygate occurred, the administration should have sat down with students in groups to work on a mutually agreeable conclusion. When I first read this article on March 1, 2008 in the Star Ledger, I felt empathy for these students. I knew what drove them to such lengths – dissatisfaction, hungry and indigestion. Aren’t educators supposed to work on problems and help students reach their potential? Clearly, this administration wasn’t listening to their students and the students felt this was their only outlet to effect change!