Fuming
Her hands balled into tight fists as she tightly held the lunch bag while standing in the middle of her kitchen. She couldn't believe what was going on.
Her daughter was sobbing loudly as she picked at her after-school lunch. She couldn't understand why the school had done what they'd done. They crossed the line, and she was going to make sure they would regret it.
Always Busy
Her hands were shaking ever so slightly as she poured her third cup of coffee that morning. She took a sip and immediately started working on preparing her daughter's lunch.
Leeza's mornings were always rushed and chaotic, but it didn't stop there. Even though she was always extremely busy, she still loved every second of it, and it was all thanks to one thing.
Wanting The Best
Her children. Leeza felt like they made everything in life worth it, no matter how difficult things got.
Leeza would stop at nothing to give her daughter the best future, just like her brother had. She was motivated to provide her kids with all of the opportunities she never got growing up. She didn't know that life was about to throw a curveball her way.
Bright Future
Leeza had heard from other mothers in Aurora, Colorado that if she wanted her daughter to have a bright future, she would have to enroll her into Aurora's Children's Academy.
Leeza had a hard time being a single mom, yet she still managed to juggle motherhood while studying law enforcement. She saved every penny for Natalee's schooling fees, and things seemed to balance themselves out. But a problem was brewing in the background.
Health Fanatics
At the new school, the staff all seemed to be health fanatics. They took their fascination with health to the extreme and to the point where they were a little weird about it.
Even though it was a bit weird, Leeza understood where the staff were coming from. Child obesity had been a problem for many years now and it seemed to be on the rise. Leeza was sure the school was just doing its part to minimize to curb child obesity. But there was about to be a big problem and it all started with one food component that was missing from her daughter's lunchbox.
Tight Schedule
Leeza had a busy schedule, sometimes she was so busy that she couldn't find the time to go shopping. This was one of those times. So that morning she decided to put something else in her daughter's lunchbox before taking her to school.
She didn't know that just a few hours later, her daughter would return from school with tears in her eyes and the reason behind her tears would be in her lunchbox.
Untouched
When she removed the lunchbox from her daughter's bag and looked inside, her eyes grew wide. She couldn't believe what she saw.
Nothing in her lunchbox had been eaten, not even her favorite foods. She then saw a note from her teacher that would leave her speechless.
Upsetting Notes
The note outlined the school's lunch policy. It was typed out and written with the intention of belittling her. The second note, however, is what got Leeza fuming.
The problem wasn't that there was nothing healthy in the lunchbox, the problem was that Leeza hadn't included enough fruit. They were overreacted about two Oreos in her daughter's lunchbox.
No Food
They confiscated her daughter's food and only gave it back to her at the end of the day. She hadn't eaten anything for the entire day! How could they punish her like this?
Leeza couldn't contain her anger anymore. Something had to be done about this.
Fuming
The school had no idea what was coming their way.
She had chosen war. She immediately posted about the incident on every social media app she had. She included why it was so hypocritical of the school to do it in the first place.
Just Two Cookies
“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,” Leeza said.
And she wasn’t the kind of mom to shove junk food in every day. On top of it all, her daughter was a healthy weight. But it was the school’s candies that tipped Leeza over the edge.
Teachers Do It Too
More than once, the preschool teachers had handed out little candies, such as jellybeans. They were rewards for winning games or being good.
So, why could a school hand out candy at their discretion (and without telling the parents) but putting in a cookie was ground for making a kid starve?!
Worldwide Support
Messages came pouring in and her story spread through the internet like wildfire.
Some agreed with the school, but most agreed with her – and they sent their own angry responses directly to the Academy. But when the news outlets got wind, that’s when the preschool finally said something.
Finally An Answer
It was the standard PR nonsense that anyone would expect.
But they did state that the notes were not part of the school’s policy, and denying food altogether was deplorable. They would “look into things immediately.”
Trying To Move On
Even though the months passed, and it was time to send her daughter to grade school, the issue stills at heavy with Leeza.
Still, it was a fresh start. She would continue to pack healthy things. But if anyone tried to pull a stunt like that again, they would regret it.
Waiting Game
You see, her daughter’s time at the school was on a count down.
Since it wouldn’t be much longer until her girl would be moving onto grade school, Leeza wondered if the staff was just waiting down the clock and they could sweep the remnants under the rug.
Bringing In Reinforcements
The good news was that the chat group Leeza belonged to (with many of the other parents from the school) was still going strong – and they were just as horrified with the teacher’s actions and school’s indifference.
So, one day, they all planned a simple “reminder” for the school – one that would be impossible to ignore, but even more insane to try and enforce.
Show Of Solidarity
On the agreed upon day, all the parents packed a tiny satchel of mini Oreo cookies in the lunch – ones that were conveniently on sale at the local supermarket!
They would also be putting notes along the lines of “If you give them treats, we can to. We will know if you starve our children.”
Not A Peep
It was glorious.
Lunches came back eaten and no insulting letters or threats accompanied them. It was clear the school had got the message. However, there was still no word about the teacher in question or the administration’s final word from their investigation.
Time Runs Out
Weeks turned into months, and it seemed the waiting game was going to work out in the school’s favor.
Leeza, however, was going to keep an eye on things. She would also make very sure the new school wasn’t going to pull the same stunt. After all, Natalee was going to be there for years ... and they didn’t want to make an enemy of Leeze.