Did you ever buy school lunch with pennies? I remember having to pay twice in elementary with pennies for lunch (back then it was $1.10). It made the lunch cashier so mad.

link (http://www.click2houston.com/education/15472249/detail.html)

Students Pardoned After Paying With Pennies
29 Students Pay For $2 Lunches With Pennies

POSTED: 8:38 am CST March 3, 2008
UPDATED: 9:59 am CST March 3, 2008

READINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Some New Jersey middle school students who were punished for a lunchroom prank are off the hook.

The school superintendent in Readington told parents he is rescinding after-school detentions given to 29 students who paid for their $2 lunches in pennies.

Officials said the students were upset over their shortened lunch period.

Officials said the students slowed down the lunch line and disrespected cafeteria workers.

Several parents had complained the punishment was too harsh, while some thought it too lenient.

In his e-mail to parents, the superintendent said the students described their actions as a prank and that news reports inaccurately called it a protest.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Well geez...pennies are legal tender.

And besides...I have never been to a school where you paid for your lunch in the lunch line anyway. Back when I was in school (in the mid 80s), we had tickets that someone punched. At the school I work for, it's all on computer. We always had to pay the school secretary, who gave us a ticket/put the money toward your account. Perhaps this school ought to look into that...they seem a few decades behind.

Well geez...pennies are legal tender

So are $50 and $100 bills but several places around here will not accept them including gas stations and convenience stores.

Punk kids, nothing better to do than drive some poor lunch ladies crazy. That's one of the most unimaginative, cowardly, and nastiest pranks I've heard of in a while.

well, I admit when I have lots of loose change (but not $2 worth in pennies), I'll use as much of that as I can instead of wasting a bill.

well, I admit when I have lots of loose change (but not $2 worth in pennies), I'll use as much of that as I can instead of wasting a bill.
Same here, but this was a deliberate act by 29 students. I swear if my mother had worked there, and had to put up with that crap, I'd shove the pennies down their throats, and that's just for starters. :lol:

I would have taken my sweet ass time counting them too and make those kids lose out on eating...PERIOD. :lol: I mean, who was really suffering here? Those kids were mad at their lunches being shortened. So, on top of the lunch break being shortened, how abt I take my sweet time counting your pennies and make you STARVE! :rofl:

This sounds like something that I would have done back in Middle School.

I would have taken my sweet ass time counting them too and make those kids lose out on eating...PERIOD. :lol:

:lol: Same here. I mean, 5,800 pennies? That is ridiculous!

I think it was $1 .25 when i was in middle school. then in high school it as $1.50

I would have taken my sweet ass time counting them too and make those kids lose out on eating...PERIOD. :lol: I mean, who was really suffering here? Those kids were mad at their lunches being shortened. So, on top of the lunch break being shortened, how abt I take my sweet time counting your pennies and make you STARVE! :rofl:
:lol: that's true. waiting while the lunch cashiers counted thousands of pennies couldn't have been fun.

sounds like something i would have done in middle school though. i hated the staff and i was always pissing them off in any way i could get away with.

What the hell, why would this even be in the newspaper? Kids used to try and do this to me all of the time at my old job. I'd just tell them to go away.

LOL the principal was trying to give them detention for that? Man I did ALOT worse pranks in school, and thats all it was...pranks that didn't hurt anyone.

On the other hand, I wonder how long their lunch period was if they were complaining about it. I remember in elementry school we had an hour lunch, by the time I got to high school we had 25 minutes. We complained alot too, but we just had food delivered to the back door and didn't have to worry about standing in line :) .

D

I raise my daughters to be respectful of their elders, and making lunch staff count out pennies, is rude and shows disgusting manners. What were these kids raised by a pack of wolves or what.

Thank you Brian, that's what I say. RESPECT YOUR ELDERS. Like those lunch ladies were at fault for the lunch period being shortened. :rolleyes: Disgusting! Like I said, if that had been me, I would have taken my time counting those pennies...

one..............................................................two..................................three...................................................four...............................................five...;)

I'm shocked the Lunch people accepted it.

Thank you Brian, that's what I say. RESPECT YOUR ELDERS. Like those lunch ladies were at fault for the lunch period being shortened. :rolleyes: Disgusting! Like I said, if that had been me, I would have taken my time counting those pennies...

one..............................................................two..................................three...................................................four...............................................five...;)
And when I got to a hundred and eighty five, I'd screw up, and say, sorry, I'm going to have to start over. One.....two....three....four.....:lol:

My grandma was a cafeteria worker for years, and if those lunch ladies were anything like the ones my grandma worked with, i'd laugh them in the face for having to count those pennies. But of course, if these are nice ones, then yeah that is pretty messed up. If i were the line attendent, I would get someone else to be in charge of the line and move to another table with the kids who have pennies. If you are paying with all pennies, you must come to my line. I'll count slowly, like Irene said. After spending their lunch/social hour in the cafeteria, bet they'll think twice before pulling that prank again. Even though pennies are legal tender, the fact these kids only did it as a prank is what's messed up.

And when I got to a hundred and eighty five, I'd screw up, and say, sorry, I'm going to have to start over. One.....two....three....four.....:lol:
:rofl: :lol:

"Oh wait, that's a canadian penny. That threw me off. Oh, here's another, sorry, we can't accept canadian pennies." ;)