PARENTS ANGRY OVER BAN FROM SCHOOLS’ LUNCH

DARIEN, CONN. Parents in Darien, a town where the median household income exceeds US$200,000, are upset after being told they are no longer welcome to visit their children during lunch at the town’s schools.

So many parents had begun attending lunch that principals felt they were affecting the day-to-day running of the elementary schools, according to Tara Ochman, chairman of the Darien Board of Education.

The decision has stirred strong emotions in Darien, a community that prides itself on its high-performing public schools. While some parents said it was time to stop a disruptive practice, others have protested at town meetings and in online forums that the change has deprived them of cherished time to check in on their children and model good social behaviour.

“It feels like a punch in the gut,” parent Jessica Xu, whose oldest child is in first grade, said in an interview.