Subway Bans Homeschooled Kids from Essay Contest

American Thinker ^ | May 27, 2008 | Ned Barnett

[Mrs. P]

Subway -- the multi-national fast-food sub-shop giant -- has shot themselves in the foot. Again. The goal of their latest promotion was to win the loyalty of parents of grade school-aged kids -- to increase market share, revenue and profits. It was supposed to be a simple exercise in business marketing and promotion.

[ConfidentConservative]

Thank you for this thread. I have already sent an email! I am steaming angry! I home schooled my 3 children all went on to college receiving their degrees.

This is an outrage!

[bereanway]

I’ve never much cared for Subway, thought their sandwiches were substandard at best. After eating North Village subs in Columbia (during the 70’s) while attending MU Subway’s product tastes like cardboard (the low-fat deal prolly being the reason).

Besides their national spokesman Jarrod sounds like a real clown. A sport’s based AM station in KC wanted to interview him while he was in KC a couple years ago just for grins (I mean it’s not like the guy split the atom or even hit a walkoff home-run in some church softball league game) But Jarrod wanted some unbelievable sum per minute just for this goofy interview. The station told him to take a hike.

[SuziQ]

I believe one of the reasons for the exclusion of homeschooled kids is because the Grand Prize is $5000 in Athletic Eqpt. for the student's school. Obviously, it was designed for the prize to be shared by the whole school body, which they probably thought wouldn't be appropriate for a homeschooled kid.

We homeschooled our two younger kids, but I'm not getting my knickers in a twist about this. Some folks on our State message group have e-mailed the companies and expressed their displeasure. One received an e-mail stating that they won't exclude homeschoolers in the future. I'm guessing they must have gotten a boat load of angry e-mails!

[Mrs. P]

This just came in the regular HSLDA email:

Open Letter to Subway: Let Homeschoolers Enter Contest

May 27, 2008

Subway Restaurant Headquarters
325 Bic Drive
Milford, CT 06461-3059

Dear Sir/Madam,

By way of introduction, I am the President of Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) and we represent 83,000 member families nationwide. This letter is to draw attention to your “Every Sandwich Tells a Story Contest,” and the unfortunate fact that homeschoolers are not allowed to participate.

The rules clearly state: “Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States who are currently over the age of 18 and have children who attend elementary, private or parochial schools that serve grades PreK-6. No home schools will be accepted (emphasis added).

It is extremely disappointing that Subway would choose to exclude the estimated 2 million homeschooled students.

We understand that the competition is focused on traditional public and private schools because the grand prize of $5,000 of athletic equipment is designed to be used by a traditional school and not an individual family. A potential homeschool winner, however, could simply donate the grand prize to a public or private school of their choice or to a homeschool sports league.

Homeschooling is a thriving educational option. All the available research shows that homeschoolers are excelling academically and socially. We do not deserve to be overlooked.

We hope that you will reconsider the rules of your competition and choose to amend them to include homeschoolers.

Sincerely,

J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President

[rabidralph]

Jared has aides.

[proxy_user]

So you don’t think they meant residents of the Untied States?

I would think they would have to get a corporate sing-off on that.

[mnehring]

...and here is the rest of the story...

http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com/kids/contest.aspx

1 Grand Prize Winner
Athletic equipment for your child's school ($5,000 value).

Maybe this was just promoted by lawyers wanting to ensure that the prize actually goes to help kids versus someone's home where there isn't necessarily an actual home school.

[humblegunner]

Makes sense to me.

It's a contest for school kids, after all.

[Mrs. P]

The athletic equipment could be given to the local homeschool association. I know the one we belong to would appreciate it!

I’m guessing they got overwhelmed with angry emails. They got a nice one from me, though, politely telling them that if they reversed this policy and let homeschoolers participate we would continue to patronize their restaurants. We used to eat at the one by us regularly, our boys love their individual pizzas. It doesn’t sound like they are in the habit of making quick decisions though, when they stick their foot in a cow pie.

I’m going to check to see if there is a Quiznos around here. At least in our town there is a Jimmy John’s, which I like WAY better than Subway.

[ConfidentConservative]

Sorry but home schoolers have to register to their state. So it would be EASY to know IF their kids are really being home schooled.

AND it has been pointed out that there could be the choice of donating the Sports equipment to a school of their choice.

[luckystarmom]

My guess is that the donation to a school is a tax write off as a charitable donation, but they couldn’t do that with a homeschool.

[mnehring]

Not saying the choice was right, just pointing out the fault may be with a bunch of lawyers.

[deport]

We homeschooled our two younger kids, but I’m not getting my knickers in a twist about this.

---

I guess I don’t see the reason to be upset with a company that has the right to promote their business as they see fit. I see it more as whinning than anything else. I think you are correct in that it was meant as a donation to a school rather than someone’s home thus the exclusion of the homeschoolers.

I do think they need to pay closer attention to which ever entity they have hired to do their website promotions. They may need to hire a homeschooler for that chore....

[Mrs. P]

Lawyers that can’t spell.

[chainsaw]

Contest is open only to legal residents of the United States

Originally it was: Contest is open only to legal residents of the Untied States, but they changed it fast after FR got on them.

[trumandogz]

My guess is that the donation to a school is a tax write off as a charitable donation, but they couldn’t do that with a homeschool.

I think we have a winner!

[Eddie01]

Look. It’s the same reason you box others in your weight class. The homeschoolers would pummel the public school kids. It’s just not fair.

[chainsaw]

Lawyers that can’t spell.

Indian Lawyers that can’t spell.

Fixed.

[CindyDawg]

I think that might be why home schools were excluded . It would be a good save face for Subway anyway. They aren’t thinking out of the box though.A winning home schooler could donate the equipment to a local Y, boy scouts etc.

[P8riot]

I got that letter in today's update as well. Here is my submission:

First let me say that I and my office colleagues (normally about twelve to fifteen of us) typically place a large order from our local Subway about three times a week. We find that the food is fresh, and like the fact that they are made to order in order to accommodate a variety of tastes and diets.

However it saddens me that you have chosen to be less than accommodating to a rapidly growing segment of our society that is endeavoring to better themselves academically in order to provide a better future. I of course am writing concerning your explicit exclusion of Home-schoolers from your "Every Sandwich Tells a Story" essay contest. It would almost be understandable if it were an oversight, but to specifically state that "No home schools will be accepted." Is a flagrant swipe at a group that, due to the miserable state of public education, WILL be our nations brain trust for the future.

Sadly however, since I am the general manager, our office will no longer be placing our lunch orders from Subway, there are a Quizno's and a Jersey Mike's Subs within the same driving distance, and I am sure that we will enjoy their sandwiches as much as we used to enjoy yours.

Sincerely,