Teacher Refuses To Provide Snacks For Students Who Don’t Bring Their Own
Unfortunately, many teachers simply can't afford to bring in extra snacks for their students.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock Posting about her dilemma online, a teacher lamented the fact that her financial limitations prevented her from providing extra classroom snacks that would ensure all her students had something to eat during snack time. In fact, she got to the point where she simply had to refuse to provide snacks for any kids who didn't bring their own from home.
The sad reality is, not all families have the means to provide snacks for their kids to bring to school. That doesn't change the fact that teachers are often facing similar financial burdens. Even if they weren't, is it really fair to ask teachers to spend their own money on classroom resources, including snacks?
A teacher said she refuses to provide snacks for students who don't bring their own.
Hero Images Inc | Shutterstock
"I just saw a post on a moms' group where they said in their child’s class there are kids who come without a snack and how terrible it is that the teacher 'just watches them eat; and doesn’t provide a snack. So many parents chimed in bashing the teacher and how horrible this is," the teacher began in her Reddit post.
She explained that while she understands the mom's perspective, what many fail to realize is the financial burden placed on teachers to pick up the slack when the school budget simply doesn't. For her personally, she admitted that she works in a high-poverty district, and there are some days when a good majority of the kids in her class don't have a snack, and she doesn't have the financial means to provide them with snacks in case they don't bring their own.
She wrote, "I actually bought a pack of snacks from Sam’s Club one week for $15 and it was gone by Friday. I have one parent who sends in snacks from time to time for the kids who can’t afford which is super generous but I don’t love the idea of asking parents to do this when I know many cannot afford it. Additionally, it’s an issue because sometimes I have extra snacks to offer and sometimes I don’t."
Teachers are already facing low pay.
Given that they have to provide their own classroom supplies and resources, teachers are definitely not in a position to constantly spend their own money on snacks, either. According to the National Education Association, in 2023–2024, the national average public school teacher salary rose by 3.8% to $72,030, with a projected 3.0% increase for 2024–2025. Despite these increases, average teacher pay has not kept up with inflation over the last decade, resulting in a 5% decrease in real earnings.
"I find some kids getting upset when I don’t have snacks. I put reminders in my newsletter to send in snack. We have free morning breakfast with a grab and go table with Nutri-Grain bars, crackers and dry cereal and I always tell kids to grab from the table from snack if they don’t have anything but most of them don’t," she continued in her Reddit post.
The real issue at hand is the fact that schools don't have enough funding or proper budgeting in place to make sure their students aren't going without. The issue really shouldn't be whether teachers can afford to provide extras for their classrooms and students; it's whether they should, even if they can.
It's not a teacher's fault, but a systemic problem. It's obvious that the school this teacher works for has the means to provide snacks, since it offers grab-and-go options at breakfast. Why can't the same be offered at snack time? This teacher has enough on her plate without having to stress about providing snacks for her students while also balancing her own personal budget.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
