North Lewis Needs to Catch It's Head

By disappointed parent
Published/Last Modified on Friday, October 9, 2009 5:14 AM CDT

Students are required by law to be in school 365 minutes per day. At North Lewis, they are being forced to be in class for 378 minutes. I know it is only 13 minutes a day, but when multiplied it totals 65 minutes per week, 260 minutes per month, and 2340 minutes per year. If you do the math, that totals 39 hours extra, which breaks down to approximately 5 1/2 extra days per year.

In 2006 they changed the morning bell from 8:30 to 8:27. I didn't say anything about it even though that change put them at eight minutes over the required time. Last year, due to hurricanes, they lost another five minutes of a recess and were told they would get it back in the spring. Well, that didn't happen. With the new school year, I thought for sure they'd give them back their 15 minute snack recess, but that didn't happen. That is how I arrived at 13 minutes over each day. Please allow me to explain a few of my major complaints.

Complaint #1--North Lewis sells snacks for recess. I am not exaggerating when I say that some students literally spend seven minutes in line, waiting to purchase a snack, and then have only three minutes to gobble it down. Some have to throw it away before it's finished and some bring it to class. These students probably don't go to the restroom because they're too afraid to be at the end of the snack line. I urge anyone to visit during that time to witness this mad rush in the halls. One suggestion was to let the older students peddle the snacks door-to-door before recess begins. Do you think teachers really want their classes interrupted for a snack sale? Besides,

they often sell popsicles that would literally melt on their desks while they wait for lessons to wrap up.

Complaint #2--Students only get 20 minutes for lunch. They have an assigned

time to enter the cafeteria and a time in which to leave. Their class is supposed to be entering the cafeteria at the beginning time and getting up from the table by the ending time. That amounts to five or more minutes in line for washing hands and getting served, then only about ten minutes to eat. That is very difficult and most students don't complete their meals. Some are still eating as they walk to the dumping station. It's really pathetic. Parents who go eat with their kids would be shocked.

I ask you to put yourselves in the place of these poor kids. They only get a 20 minute break in the WHOLE day and have to take some of those minutes to go to the restroom. Is this even legal? How many of you work all day long with only a 20 minute break and no time to let your food settle after lunch? Wait…those teachers at North Lewis do that every day. Good grief!

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Comments

Acadiana Atheist wrote on Oct 24, 2009 8:24 PM:

" I am so glad that I am not a child in school these days. I'm against no child left behind because all the teachers do is teach to the test. NLE doesn't even allow the kids to talk during lunch!!! When I was a boy we would cut up at luch time. If a kid forgets their belt, Darth Vader will call you and expects you to leave your job and bring one to your kid, or they tie a piece of rope around the child which I think is humiliating to the student. "

knows wrote on Oct 14, 2009 10:31 PM:

" NLE is not the only school in the parish where this is happenig. I know of several schools who only have one recess (15 min). When are these studentts and teachers suppossed to talk, use the restroom, etc... ? Until parents step up and complain, nothing is going to change. "

me wrote on Oct 12, 2009 6:31 PM:

" I heard that a Dr. in town is going to be a avaocate for our children. They wonder why many of our children are ADD or ADHD. The children dont have enought time to get there energy out. Look back at when we were in school. How many kids were labeled add or adhd? Hardly any!! We had time to play, eat, and have p.e! They need time to get it out of there system. Maybe they could get some of these kids off of medicine they may not need. Lets help our children!!! "

Correct me if Im wrong but... wrote on Oct 11, 2009 2:58 PM:

" Wasn't this started by a parent?
Who are you to call a teacher miserable? Did you ever think that maybe it's the children who are miserable? Go on and live in your perfect world. "

love private schools wrote on Oct 11, 2009 11:01 AM:

" to thaknful. Not my children, they don't attend public school. Don't you think the principal already knows what happens in the school? The forum is a great place to inform the people who are paying for the schools. Lack of money isnt the problem with our schools. New school board memebers next election. "

thankful wrote on Oct 10, 2009 5:37 PM:

" No school is perfect and if these complaints are valid they should be taken to the principals and school board not the forum, where nothing will happen to benefit the children. Quit complaining about everything that is wrong and look at what is right with our schools. Iberia Parish schools had the highest leap scores out of all school districts in Acadiana. Look at the top notch facilities that our public school children are attending. Vote as you wish, but if you vote against renewing taxes you are hurting the education of the children. "

wrote on Oct 10, 2009 4:08 PM:

" It sure sounds like there is a miserable teacher at North Lewis Elem. If you have that much time on your hands to spread new about NLE on the forum maybe you should go work for the newspaper and retire from the school system. "

abc123s got ignored wrote on Oct 10, 2009 12:28 PM:

" I know for a fact that the teachers and staff signed a petition and were ignored by Mrs. Breaux. The higher ups at the school board, Dale Henderson, Michael Judice, and Carrie Laviolette, ignored them too. One teacher even wrote to Dan LeBlanc and Ed Buford and never got a response. The teachers will definitely remember this come election time. Come on parents...stand up for what is right. Your children are just kids and need to be treated in that manner. Besides, kids are supposed to have 60 minutes of exercise a day anyhow. "

I know... wrote on Oct 9, 2009 8:59 PM:

" I know for a fact that teachers from North Lewis have written to the superintendant and assistant superintendants and nothing was done. They (the teachers) also passed around and signed a petition to get their recess back, and that was ignored as well. Maybe it will take that bond election to make the administrators wake up. Better yet, parents can check out their kids early every week and make up that hour. That will get the school where it hurts...in the SCHOOL SCORE. "

love private schools wrote on Oct 9, 2009 6:10 PM:

" Private schools . That is the answer. If you dont like the ones here, drive your kids to Broussard or Lafayette. Until enough people boycott the public school system nothing will change. "

DI Reader wrote on Oct 9, 2009 8:38 AM:

" A friend of mine has a child at North Lewis and from what I hear the bathroom breaks are pathetic. The teacher literally times them. They have 3 minutes from the time they get in the stall to do their business. She has had to get a doctors excuse because her child has overactive bladder syndrome and the teacher was constantly giving her demerits for going to the restroom too often. As a person with this same condition I can say it is no fun to hold it! "

RG_New Iberia wrote on Oct 9, 2009 8:19 AM:

" It's not just going on at North Lewis. It happens at the school my son attends as well. I'm not sure about th snack line or so forth but I know for lunch they only have 20 minutes and it's the same routine although they don't wash there hands in the lunch line they use germex in class before they get in the cafeteria. I asked why they don't use the water stalls and they said because the kids make a mess. Are you kidding me? It's ridiculous how lazy the schools are getting. "

Say What wrote on Oct 9, 2009 8:19 AM:

" Home school them if you have a problem with the way the school is doing things. "

been there wrote on Oct 9, 2009 6:13 AM:

" If they don't listen to you @ the school board office they will have to listen to you at the voting poles. They are trying to renew a hefty school tax. If it passes it won't cost the taxpayer any additional money. What they are not saying to the public is that if it doesn't pass each household and business will see a significant drop in sales tax. This could mean anywhere from $6oo -$1000 per entity depending on how much that person buys per year. Maybe its time the IPSB does like everyone else and live within their means. "

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North Lewis Needs to Catch It's Head

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