BY PAM LOBLEY

WWW. NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

NOW THAT'S FUNNY

If you are a student in Summit, don’t forget your lunch!  Or your homework!  Mom and Dad are not allowed to bring it to you anymore.

As reported on NJ.com, the Summit school districts are changing their policy of allowing parents in and out of the schools during the day.   Apparently, as many as 400 “unannounced” visitors have been coming and going to Summit High School on a typical school day.

Four hundred visitors a day?  I’ve heard of helicopter parents before, but this sounds like a fleet from the British Royal Air Force.

Summit High School is a very highly ranked school:  #25 in New Jersey and #425 in the nation, according to US News and World Report Magazine.  I guess micromanaging has its benefits.

The schools are concerned with safety – after all, that many visitors each day makes it difficult to enforce security rules.  Furthermore, they want to change the “culture” of the school.  In order words – parents, bug off!

I’m surprised that the town of Summit has allowed this behavior for so long.  I have school age children, and every time I visit, I need to be buzzed in to the school and sign in at the office.  The door is locked to all those who don’t have a swipe card.  There is no such thing as casually coming and going.

In our town, if you forget your lunch, the school gives you a cafeteria lunch and you take home an IOU, which you are expected to pay back the next day.   Summit is going to employ this system.  I must admit though, that it’s not exactly a punishment for my kids, because they would rather eat the pizza at the school than the turkey sandwich and banana I packed them.

The two reasons for the new rules are safety and accountability.   Reaction to the new rules is mixed.  You can read some of the comments here.  Many people applaud making the children accountable for remembering their own belongings, others feel that parents should be able to see their kids when they need to.

Like, um, when they forget their book report and will lose a full grade if Mom doesn’t bring it over RIGHT NOW.

Another rule Summit might consider:  parents are not allowed to DO the homework for their children.

Pam Lobley writes the “Now That’s Funny” column.  Check out her blog:  Better Living Through Chaos! Follow her on twitter @plobley.