Sorry, Dad. I think I might be a Republican now.

I've started volunteering at Jack's school in addition to what I do at Natalie's preschool. I think it's important to be involved with the kids' schools. Doing so shows them that their education is important to me. It also gives me access to insider information which can be helpful (not to mention titillating.)

This morning, I worked at Jack's school store. He stayed with me for a bit until it was time to go to class. He sat and watched me with a big smile on his face and kept coming over to hug me or hold my hand while I helped the other children. It was so sweet to see how proud he was to have his Mom there on his turf. I hope he always feels that happy to have me around (but I'll settle for not cursing and running away.)

So while I was there, one of the other mothers mentioned that we're now a Title 1 school as a result of the redistricting process. Although I had heard that the purpose of redefining which areas feed into which schools was to spread out the number of students eligible for the "free lunch" program, I didn't really know what this meant.

I saw it in action this morning.

Right before the bell rang to start school, several busses rolled up and kids poured into the cafeteria for breakfast. It was organized chaos while all the little boys and girls dropped their bags, grabbed their food and scarfed it down under the watchful eye of school officials. Meanwhile, the bell rang and school started while these kids were still eating. They were rushed through their meal and then sent scurrying off to their classrooms.

Okay, wow.

First thought -- what a rough way to begin your morning! Eating breakfast like it's a race, late to class each day, that seems so stressful to me. It made me sad to see these kids herded around like cattle, even sadder to think that they never get to sit at the table and leisurely eat breakfast in their kitchens with their moms or dads like my kids do.

Next thought -- School has been in session for 10 minutes now and these guys are going to go tromping into the classroom, disrupting everyone (including and especially my kid) who has already settled into the rhythm of the morning. That sucks. Why can't the breakfast kids get there earlier? It would be to everyone's benefit. That led to...

We live in a pretty expensive area. Where are these kids coming from? Why did we have to take so many that we are now a Title 1 school? What the heck is a Title 1 school anyway?

So, I came home and looked it up on the internet.

Yikes.

Apparently, Title 1 has nothing to do with the breakfast program. A school is classified as Title 1 based on how many students qualify for the free lunch program. 40% or more gets you a Title 1 designation.

It's the type of kids that are served by Title 1 funds that gives me pause: "Types of students that might be served by Title 1 funds include migrant students, students with limited English proficiency, homeless students, students with disabilities, neglected students, delinquent students, at-risk students or any student in need. Students can be classified as at-risk for numerous reasons. A few reasons they might be classified as at-risk students include: high number of absences, single-parent home, low academic performance or low-income family."

Double Yikes.

Okay, that right there is why I'm pissed about the redistricting, not that officials give a shit what I think. They changed everything around and put my kid in class with kids that are "delinquent" or "at-risk"? What the FUCK, people?

My father is rolling over in his grave that I am upset over this. Too damn bad, Daddy-o.

Now some of the listed reasons for at-risk are bullshit. Single parent home? That's a puritanical notion if ever there was one. And low-income doesn't automatically equal low-performance. But neglected and delinquent? I am NOT cool with that.

Good schools have bad kids. Rich people have kids with serious behavior problems. There is no getting away from the bad apples unless you homeschool.

But why you gotta import problems? That's using a bus to borrow the proverbial trouble.

The district wanted to spread around the free lunch program population since some schools had a ton and some had none, thereby spreading the burden. Why not just give the schools who had lots of lunch kids more money? Just because they are spread out doesn't lessen what the district has to support. Am I missing something here?

Oh yeah, I guess I am. The values I was raised to hold. Oops.

My Dad was a bleeding heart. He did a lot of good. He believed in the greater good. I did, too. Until I had kids. Now I believe in what is best for them being of greatest importance as long as it doesn't actively hurt someone else. Leaving the lunchers in their schools, that would have been for MY greater good.

Maybe I'm wrong. ( I hope so.) Maybe I'm economically profiling. (I am.) Maybe I sound racist. (I'm not.) Maybe nothing but positives will come out of the changes to the school population. (It's possible.) Maybe I'll start listening to Rush Limbaugh and supporting Sarah Palin.

Or maybe not. Yeah, I'll buy the lunches and cook them myself before the latter two ever happen.

I'm protective of my children, not insane.