Anyway, a brief summary.

Several people expressed opinions that I was perhaps being a little hasty,
a little over protective and unaware of the purpose of kindergarten.

Most of the people (how do you like these precise amounts?) indicated that
this is the way it is and learn to live with it.  Some offered advice to
cope and supplement Jeremy's education.

My thoughts and actions thus far:

As for lunch - I went and had lunch with Jeremy.  It was indeed an eye-opening
experience.  It almost appears that kindergarten lunch was designed to
frustrate the five-year old.

I will try not to use inflammatory language, but it will be a struggle.

The children are scheduled for lunch from 11:15 to 11:45.  At 11:15 they line
up in their classroom and must stay that way until everyone is quiet.  Then
they walk down the hall and line up outside the lunchroom until they are
quiet again.  They go into the lunchroom.  Every child must go through the
cafeteria line irrespective of their needs.  When they come out they must
tell the lunch aide (who does the computer billing) their name and whether
they purchased a tray, milk or nothing.  They go to their tables and sit
down.

A couple of asides here:

     The trays used are full-sized which require fully stretched arms for
     little bodies to carry.  A real physical feat to carry, balance and
     then lean over to set on the table so as not to trip over the built-
     in bench on the table.

     The children buying hot lunch the day I was there - received a
     beige hamburger with onion, stewed prune shortcake and decent
     looking french fries.  I'm not kidding the hamburger was indeed
     beige.  They were also given catsup in little plastic pouches
     (like at fast food places).

Back to lunch.

After they sit down, the cafeteria aides came over and told all the
children to try to open their milk first.  If they couldn't do it they
were to raise their hands for help.  0 for 17.  If I had things to do
over again, we would have spent the summer learning how to open milk
cartons.  

It is now 11:22 and the children are starting to eat.  We have mass
pandemonium when the hot lunch children learn that they have onions
on their hamburgers.  Frenzied removal of said onion.  Some discussion
followed regarding the identity of the stewed prune shortcake.

Children are now trying to open the catsup.  Not very successfully.  One
little boy was admonished for using his teeth (not considered polite he
was told).  Little hands in the air waiting for grown-up help to open
the catsup.

The lunch box children did a little better.  One little girl was completely
unable to liberate her sandwich from very uncooperative plastic wrap.

Thermos bottles were quite a challenge.  More little hands in their air.

Individual servings of applesauce and pudding with pull-back tops are not
designed for five year olds to open. (I'm guilty of this one too.)

At 11:40 the children had cleaned up the table, gone through the line to
empty their trays and throw lunch box trash away and were line up against
the wall waiting for it to be 11:45 so they could go to the playground.

I estimate that the children had a maximum of sixteen minutes to eat.  I
saw almost whole trays of food thrown away.  Lunch boxes were re-packed
almost in their entirety.  Cartons of milk were thrown away.  It was
a vision from hell.  Nutritionally void for children, environmentally
unsound and oblivious to world hunger.

As for the curriculum, I did talk to Jeremy's teacher after the PTA meeting.
I was able to be charming and witty and successfully disarmed her.  I had
called the board of Ed. and gotten the outcomes expected for kindergarten.
Kindergarten is indeed designed to socialize the child and get them all
at the same level.

We talked about red for three days.  They are teaching to the lowest common
denominator, but in this case that is also the majority.  (How sad.)  She
told that among the seventeen children in Jeremy's class most of the
children do not know their colors, numbers or letters.  MOST OF THE CHILDREN.
They don't know their address, phone number and sometime last names. (HOW
DANGEROUS).

She assured me that Jeremy's needs would be met.  He would not be allowed
to be bored and that I should continue our learning activites at home.

So there.

The lunch matter (if pursued) must be taken up with the Board of Ed.  I
have taken to packing Jeremy lunches that do not require chewing.  Soup
in his thermos, applesauce, mushy cookies, etc.  I pre-open everything
and re-wrap so that he can handle it.  He is getting more of his lunch
eaten.  So, my child is taken care of - what about the rest of them.
What about the wide-scale waste of food?  I don't know.  I'm still
pondering.  I've been warned by a lot of people on the net that my
actions with the Board of Ed. will be taken out on my child.

The curriculum is meeting the needs of the majority of the children.
I think responsible parenting classes are needed.  I can't imagine
sending my child to school without his knowing his address, phone
number, last name, etc.

Private school is not an option.  We only have two.  One is Catholic
and one is Fundamental Baptist.  The Catholic school has a very good
academic reputation and the stats to back it up, but daily mass is
mandatory.  The other is simply out of the question.

I do think Jeremy will have a boredom problem.  Maybe not for a few
years, but he will.  He still loves school, loves his teacher and
enjoys his new best friend - Joey.

Yes it is a ridiculous school system, but only because of our
ridiculous society.  Which came first the chicken or the egg?