DS having school lunch sat on the floor, AIBU?

[Honeybadgerdontgiveashit]

Long story short, building work as DS school has over run massively during summer holidays. Class rooms and hall remain unfinished.
Fair enough, no surprise, but these things happen.

School dinner pupils are eating in the halls, packed lunch pupils are eating packed lunch sat on the classroom floor.
This could go on until christmas.

His teacher was unable to offer an explanation as to why they could not sit at tables and chairs in the classroom. I suspect just so it saves them wiping them afterwards.

AIBU in thinking this is a bit off? He is in year 1, I'm not usually a germ freak, but this doesn't seem right to me. When I asked his teacher if she would eat her lunch sat on the floor everyday she said Yes! Of course I would and looked at me like I was mad!

Please tell me if I am being unreasonable, as I have PMT, and I am really not sure.

Thanks

[cardibach]

Suitable? SOrry, Neo, not getting it. THe children sit at them the rest of the time, it isn't a value judgement, it's a procedural decision, which I can see you might not agree with, but it isn't demeaning!
Anyway I'm off to the pub in a mo, so I'll stop commenting on this now.

[NeoMaxiZoomDweebie]

It is demeaning....they're children not animals. Why make them eat on a dirty floor when there are tables?

[cardibach]

Just one more comment then! ON the floor, not OFF it. There is a difference! And yes, sometimes I do. Sometimes in my own house, sometimes on picnics.

[somersethouse]

Frankly, I would report the school.
No WAY my DD would be eating on the floor for 4 months. No bloody way.

[MrsOakenshield]

well, I'm very slovenly but I think it's a bit grim, and for 4 months! Not the school's fault works have overrun but they need to make alternative arrangements. A few minutes wiping up (surely the children could help with this?) is hardly asking the earth. I don't think eating on the floor as such is demeaning, but eating on any surface that hasn't been prepared for eating is.

[NeoMaxiZoomDweebie]

I wouldn't eat my lunch sitting on the floor of a public building. Gross. OP complain again... one of my DDs friends stepped in dog shit yesterday...wiped on the grass and then went inside the school. Into her classroom....

[MrsOakenshield]

I don't eat OFF a table but I wouldn't be happy to eat AT a table that's as dirty as a classroom floor.

[NeoMaxiZoomDweebie]

Agree...the children can help wipe the tables. All muck in together while things are not as they should be.

[HeadfirstForHalos]

There isn't enough room in our school's hall for all of the children to eat in there, so KS2 children with packed lunches eat them in the classrooms. They eat at the tables though, they are supervised by lunchtime staff too so any mess is cleaned away. I'm all for picnics but this would piss me off tbh, especially with tables available.

[DontmindifIdo]

Hmm, they are eating on the carpet without anything put down to collect bits of food? The carpet will be disgusting for the other DCs to sit on later. Complain, they could eat at the tables.

[Smartiepants79]

Demeaning? Really? I know my DC Would think it was brilliant fun.
I would suspect it is to cut down on cleaning. The school will only be thinking about the practicalities. We do this at my school occasionally and the kids love it. We do use mats though.
It's not an ideal solution to a long term problem although it probably wouldn't bother me that much for just one term.

[Fresh01]

Although it was many years ago we sat on the floor to eat packed lunches throughout primary school. Didn't do us any harm.

[littlemisswise]

I wouldn't like it,tbh. I'm just thinking about the colour my kids feet used to get when they did PE with bare feet. The floors are bloody minging. All sorts gets dragged in on the bottom of shoes.

YANBU OP.

[quoteunquote]

I would ask the school to have a rethink, there is always a solution, could they bring in a tea towel and eat at their desks on it.

Sitting on the floor to eat once maybe, but as their plan all the way up to christmas, not acceptable.

Where do the children eating school lunches eat?

[nextphase]

We've ended up with staggered lunch to get everyone in the hall.

If they've got that much of a delay, any chance of phasing it? N, R and Y1 go in about 10 mins earlier, and then the oldest couple of years go in 15 mins late, after the little ones have gone outside.

It also staggers in the playground, as that is half blocked off with truck access.

[claraschu]

I wouldn't mind this at all.

[annie987]

As a teacher I spend a good 30 minutes during lunchtime setting up tables ready for the afternoon sessions. Of children were eating at them all lunchtime I couldn't set up and would have nothing ready.
Our children often picnic on the floor.

[annie987]

*if not of

[curlew]

But they sit on the floor for circle time usually- what's the difference?

[Retropear]

Yanbu

My class used to eat packed lunches in my classroom for years.

Anti bac spray before and after it took minutes which the dinner lady did.

Kids will constantly put their hands on the floor which has constant shoe traffic(which in turn will have dog/ cat poo germs on).

Sorry not on.Lazy school.

[Retropear]

Kids were out of the classroom in half an hour so I had half an hour in the class room myself.

Pencil monitors etc set up tables anyway,they had a box each with resources for each lesson

[soorploom]

dirty shoes on the carpet, crumbs on the carpet, all that mashed in together with a few splashes of juice. yeuch not sure we should be letting the dcs go to school at all. anti bac them all down before they are sent home please.......... oh no another I hate germs meltdown coming on...........

[Retropear]

Sorry I 'm no neat freak but having lived with school carpets for years and seen the dog shit,vomit and wee trodden into them I have to say a school carpet is the last place I 'd want to et my lunch.

The smell alone would put me off- they reek!

[Tiggygirl]

All the kids in the school my ds attended whilst we lived in Nz ate their lunch on the floor .Itwas a real social occasion and I never gave it a second thought .All the mess got sweeped up afterwards and the kids really enjoyed it ,even the teachers sat with them sometimes and had their lunch .

[Tiggygirl]

This was outside though !