Principal Knows Best: A Ban on Home Packed School Lunches

Home Baked Treats

I vividly remember my mother baking cakes, cookies and other treats to take to school for birthdays and holiday parties. They were never store-bought. They were lovingly made from scratch baked goods and often topped with luscious homemade, bright white icing that was whipped into stiff shiny peaks {my mom's favorite}. But gone are the days that sugary, home baked confections are welcome in a classroom.

I suppose I can understand and go along with the reasoning for doing away with homemade Valentines' Day cupcakes, for instance, but only begrudgingly and with much muttering under my breath about the {lack of any} nutritional value of grocery store made cookies and mini cupcakes with greasy icing and store bought alternatives-to-sweet-treats rainbow "cheese" crackers and so-called "fruit" snacks that have taken the place of home baked treats.

Memories of Bygone Days

When it came to school lunches, I rarely ate in the cafeteria in grade school and junior high, but when I did it was tacos or pizza. Generally, I brown-bagged it {OK, not literally a brown bag; it was a lunch box, something cute like Hello Kitty®, Barbie® or Strawberry Shortcake®} with pb&j, turkey or tuna, chips and fruit. I'm happy to say that I made it through all of high school and college without ever eating a meal in the respective cafeterias.

I was highly selective about what I ate then and now, but the why and what of my selectiveness have changed. Then, I was not eating meat; now I am. Then and now, I won't eat food that is not aesthetically pleasing; much of the cafeteria food I have come in contact with did not look fresh or tasty, and much of the time the food was not identifiable. If I had been told I had no other choice than to eat the cafeteria food, I would have revolted.

Food Trends

I realize that my home-packed lunches may have contained some items that were not of optimal nutritional value, but for the most part, my parents did pretty well when it came serving us nutritional foods. Of course, it was also a different era. No one used the terms "organic" or "locally sourced" or "free range" in terms of food; at least no one in my neck of the woods. Baked potato chips didn't even exist yet!  {not that they're organic, local or free range}

These days many people are more conscious of nutritional choices; checking labels, opting for in-season, locally grown, less processed options. And yet, the hard truth is that processed, canned, junky foods are cheaper; and scores of people are forced to live on tight budgets and buy these cheaper, less nutritional foods for their families.

No Choices

This is unfortunate for many reasons, but it doesn't give the city, state or federal government license to ban home-packed lunches or legislate what can and cannot be brought from home in a lunch box. I'm generally not conservative in my views, but I was taken aback when I read an article about a school in Chicago that has done just that.

At the Little Village Academy, a public school on the West Side of Chicago, lunches must be bought from the cafeteria and no one is allowed to bring lunch from home with exception to those with food allergies.

I can appreciate that the school Principal is trying to ensure that the children in her charge are fed nutritional food with fewer calories, but I don't think it's the schools place to choose what a child is fed. I believe it's the parents' responsibility and right to pick what goes into the child's lunch. Alternatively, the parent has the right to choose to pay for school lunches every day, a few days a week or once a month; regardless, it's the parents' prerogative. With that said, I have a few thoughts on this subject.

Better Nutrition?

According to the Chicago Tribune article Chicago Public Schools allow the principals to decide such policies concerning meals and nutrition. After observing lunches sent from home filled with sodas and unhealthy snacks, Little Village Academy Principal, Elsa Carmona, decided that such a policy was needed to provide her students with nutritional lunches served in the cafeteria. Carmona instituted this lunch policy six years ago, but it's just recently received media attention.

The food in the cafeteria is provided by Chartwells Dining Services. Chartwells serves a large number of school districts in many states including the District of Colombia, St. Louis, MO and Chicago, IL schools. There was no discussion of the meals being offered at Little Village, and I could not find any lunch menus listed for the Chicago Public Schools, but I did find Chartwells menus for DC and St Louis schools.

The DC menus looked to be very nutritious, but not necessarily appealing to younger students; while the St. Louis menu I found was more traditional school lunch fare complete with pepperoni pizzas, nuggets and cheeseburgers, but with sides of veggies and fruit.

A Question of Money

The Chicago Tribune makes a good point that "Any school that bans homemade lunches also puts more money in the pockets of the district's food provider." Additionally, schools received federal money for the free and reduced-cost meals it serves each day.

The school is located in the Little Village community on the West Side of Chicago. The median household income of residents in that area is $32,320. A lunch at Little Village Academy costs $2.25 per day. That may not sound like much, but it adds up if you have several kids and a tight budget.

I would guess that many of the school lunches are paid by the federal government, at least in part. And it could be that many of the parents with kids enrolled at Little Village qualified for and chose the free or reduced meal option anyway; even before the home-packed lunch ban was put into place. Regardless, I think it should be left up to the parents to decide what their child eats.

The Scoop

A few schools in the Chicago area and other parts of the country don't allow for certain sugary snacks, fatty, salty and processed foods, etc. in lunches and will take them from lunch boxes if they are spotted. Will this policing of school lunches continue to spread to other schools? How do you feel about this issue?

I should add that the articles on this subject stated that it was observed that much of the food was thrown out because the kids did not like the food they were given. This begs the question: Is it better for a child to have eaten a meal, regardless of the nutritional value, rather than go hungry at school because he or she doesn't like the food offered?

On Thursday, I'll be taking an in-depth look at the recently enacted Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 {school lunch nutrition bill} and offering parents some tips on packing nutritionally balanced, interesting lunches that receive rave reviews from the kiddos and the school administration. Over and out...

Anna

You might also like:

Licking the Bowl: Tips for Safe Food Preparation and Storage

The Organic, Sustainable, Grass-Fed, All-Natural, Free-Range, Fair Trade Grocery List: What Do All These Adjectives Mean??

Family Day: The Family that Eats Together Stays off Drugs

Comments

[Maryanne Taylor]

Oh my word! This is shocking! I would revolt if my child's school enacted a policy like this!

I have two children and I'm an educator. I have seen both sides of this argument, but I strongly believe that what a child eats is a parent's decision. How dare a school dictate what I am going to give my child for lunch!

I have been in many school cafeterias and wouldn't dare touch what is being served myself, much less expect my children to eat it. And it often pales in comparison to the nutritional value of the lunches I pack for my children.

And worse, the majority of school lunches often end up in the trash. I was in one school where the children were made to take their milk whether they wanted it or not so that the cafeteria's "numbers" wouldn't be off. If the children didn't drink it, the carton had to go in the trash. It was heart-wrenching to watch carton after carton of unopened milk land in the trash can. What a ridiculous policy and waste of nutrition and money!

I understand that scores of children are not fed properly. However, this issues goes deeper than school lunch. It really requires education for a society that thinks that pre-packaged processed food is nutritious. I wonder if this school is providing education/training to its students or parents about nutrition?

[Missy Krouth]

Requiring school lunches is outrageous! Because of cost and simply the right to choose, I think that is terrible!

Though healthy lunches are extremely important, I disagree with a "no junk food," policy. Let me explain. I eat a healthy lunch of salad, chicken, and an apple and want to have a small piece of chocolate for dessert. I think most people would agree that's a pretty healthy meal. So, is it fair to take a child's treat after he's eaten a healthy meal? I think not. However is it acceptable for a child to bring hostess cupcakes, an "uncrustables" sandwich, "fruit" snacks, and a soda for lunch? Obviously, no.

I think the best policy is to educate student and families on healthy foods that school staff expects to see in lunches from home. Kids with unhealthy lunches get them taken away, then are given a nutritious school lunch with a note home to parents explaining what a healthy lunch is and requesting payment for said lunch. Kids need healthy lunches to perform well in school, as well as to remain healthy and learn good habits for lifetime.

[connie]

My daughter, who's nine, packs her own lunch almost everyday. She does it and does a much more well balanced job then I would do. Still I guarantee that the lunch that she packs each day is much more nutritional then the lunch served at her school.
Typical lunch that she packs includes a salad with meat and cheese. Small bottle of juice or pelligrino. crackers and a hershey kiss or other bite size candy.
Some days it's leftovers if we've had a good dinner that reheats well. But she always has some variety of fruit or veggie.

I would be furious if my school felt it needed to require her to eat chicken nuggets, tator tots, peas, milk and a dessert rather then the lunch she would choose on her own.

I really feel that schools would be overstepping their boundries by dictating what children will eat.

[Anna]

Maryanne,

Thanks so much for the comment! I can see you feel passionately about this issues, just as I do!

Thanks for reading!
Anna

[Anna]

Missy,

Education is key to better eating! I agree with you! Thanks for your passionate comment on this topic! & thanks for reading!

Anna

[Anna]

Connie

Thanks for your comment! I'm impressed that your daughter packs her own lunch! & clearly she's doing a good job of eating nutritious foods!

Thanks for your opinion on this issue!
Anna