When commerce cripples the hot lunch line

29 N.J. Students Punished After Using Pennies To Pay For Lunch
Some Parents Think Detention Went Too Far; Others Think It Wasn't Enough

READINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Sometimes a penny for your thoughts isn't a good thing.

Readington Township school officials gave 29 students detention after they used pennies to pay for their $2 lunches.

Superintendent Jorden Schiff said it started out as a prank. But as the eighth-graders began to get in trouble for taking up so much time, it turned into a protest about Thursday's shortened lunch period.

Schiff said the students were punished for holding up their peers and disrespecting lunch aides.

Schiff said some parents think a two-day detention went too far and others think it wasn't enough.

The school, which is located in Hunterdon County, said it wants students to know they can express themselves without disrupting other people.
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Is Monday D-Day?

The Baraboo School Board will be meeting Monday night, possibly to discuss Lance Alwin's future. Read about it here.

If, in fact, the topic is Alwin, it's worth mentioning the open meeting law. The rules are: while discussion can take place in closed session, action by a governmental body must take place in open session. (I'm open for rebuttal on this topic if you read something I don't.)

What this means is that the board can visit all they want in closed session, but when it comes to making a decision (aka: taking action) such as buying out Alwin's contract or firing him, such action must take place in open session. Labor agreements are hashed out in closed session, but when it comes to the actual changing or acceptance of them, action is consistently taken in open session. No exception here.

We will find out what happens.