Kathianne
07-06-2014, 05:15 PM
They are not abandoning the feeding of kids, they are doing it to actually FEED the kids and save money!
Some districts balk at latest serving of school lunch rules (http://www.jsonline.com/news/health/some-districts-balk-at-latest-serving-of-school-lunch-rules-b99288269z1-265421821.html)
Salty chips. Candy bars. Full-calorie sodas.
Don't expect to find any of this in schools anymore — not in hot lunches, not in vending machines, not even in high school snack bars.
Schools across the nation are preparing to work with stricter standards for nutrition from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as part of a nationwide campaign championed by first lady Michelle Obama to eliminate empty calories. The new standards took effect Tuesday for all schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and will build off previously implemented standards that limited serving sizes and restricted what food was healthy enough for the program.
What can students expect to find? Wheat bread, low-calorie drinks, meals with limited sugar, fat and salt.
Some district officials are saying they're all for healthy food, but they have to sell enough hot lunches to break even on their program — and that won't work if the kids shun the food. They also are a little prickly about federal officials telling them what to do.
"We believe that proper food nutrition and meal portion guidelines are best decided at a local level," said Rick Petfalski, School Board president for the Muskego-Norway School District.
Opting out of the program means Muskego-Norway will no longer receive federal money for its meals, but it also means the district is free to serve whatever it wants.
Already losing money because fewer kids were buying the meals, the district will now have to cover the cost of free and reduced lunches on its own. It will do this partly by spending less on foods that students don't eat and — they believe — increasing the number of kids buying lunches by providing tastier meals.
Under the school lunch program regulations, Petfalski said, the district's food service was projected to be headed toward a $54,000 deficit. By opting out — and presumably selling more food — he expects about a $7,100 surplus.
"By leaving the program we will not be required to follow these onerous guidelines, pushed by and large by Michelle Obama, who last I checked has been elected by no one," Petfalski said.
Muskego-Norway is not alone. The Waterford Graded School District and Waterford Union High School, which operate as two separate districts, and the Central High School District of Westosha also decided to leave the lunch program this spring.
For Waterford Graded, the decision was more than just financial. About 20% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, with lunches costing about $2.50 each. The district's superintendent, Christopher Joch, said it will have to absorb about $21,000 in costs to cover its loss of federal funds, and will be raising its paid lunch fees by a dime.
But Joch said the decision was strongly supported by parents and means there should be less food thrown away.
"There was a lot of waste," he said. "The food ended up in the garbage instead of the kids' mouths."
The Central High School School Board decided to opt out to avoid operating at a projected $80,000 in the red. The district's administrator, Scott Pierce, said he is confident that the school will be able to totally make up lost federal funds through a private vendor called Taher Food Service.
"We're not trying to fatten up our kids," Pierce said. "We're trying to give them food they like."
...
Now in school districts famous for waste and graft:
Starting this fall, free breakfasts, lunches available for all CPS students - chicagotribune.com (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-starting-this-fall-free-breakfasts-lunches-available-for-all-cps-students-20140703,0,6007059.story)
Starting this fall, free breakfasts, lunches available for all CPS students
Starting this fall, all Chicago Public Schools students will be able to get free breakfast and lunch at school.
The high number of students living at the poverty level in the district qualified CPS to meet the required threshold for full reimbursement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to CPS officials.
In the past school year, lunch at a typical elementary school for students who didn’t qualify for assistance cost an average of about $2.45. High schools charges slightly more.
The district expects to serve 72 million meals to students in the coming year, two million more than during the last school year.
“If a student eats that day, the district gets reimbursed,” said Leslie Fowler, executive director of CPS’ nutritional support services. “But if they don’t eat, then CPS doesn’t get reimbursed and there’s no cost associated with that meal. We can’t predict what they do or don’t do, but we hope we can encourage them to participate.”
...
Now keeping in mind, Chicago Public Schools have a record on 'encouraging participation...'
Chicago Public School Bans Home-Packed Lunches (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/11/chicago-public-school-ban_n_847581.html)
Chicago Public School Bans Home-Packed Lunches
School lunches aren't what they used to be. At some city schools, ham and cheese sandwiches have been replaced with greasy pizza, burgers and french fries. While some schools have tried to add healthier options to their lunch menus, one Chicago school has taken a controversial approach: it banned home-packed lunches altogether.
The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that the principal of Little Village Academy decided to ban home-packed lunches at the West Side school after watching students bring lunches consisting of "bottles of soda and flaming hot chips" on field trips.
From the Tribune:
Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.
"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," Carmona said. "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception."
The Tribune spoke to several students and parents who opposed the policy, saying children don't like the cafeteria food, and that much of it gets thrown away. Other parents said the cafeteria food, supplied by caterer Chartwells-Thompson, is a healthy option and they are happy to have it available.
Though Carmona says the Chartwells-Thompson options are healthy, others disagree.
"It's rare that I see a school, especially a public school, that actually serves food that's good," Susan Rubin, a nutritionist and founder of the Better School Food program, told AOL News. "I get physically sick just looking at it, because it makes me sick that kids are eating this processed crap."
The home-packed lunch ban was put in place six years ago, but the Tribune's Monday story sparked outrage among some conservatives.
"This is problematic for a number of reasons, least of which is probably that a one-size-fits all government brainchild is destined to fail at solving a complicated problem," ChicagoNow blogger Emily Zanotti wrote Monday. " Anyone who's ever met a kid knows that kids are weird. It's a full time job, sometimes, for parents, to figure out how to ensure a child gets necessary nutrition while skirting a number of irrational food phobias. ... A public school, with hundreds of children, could never adequately address the needs of it's bizarre little population of dietary exceptions (not to mention, she clearly foils parents who would send their children to school with certifiably organic or home-cooked lunches)."
While an outright ban may be unpopular with students at Little Village, some Chicago Public School students do want more options when it comes to cafeteria food. Last year, a group of CPS high schoolers addressed the Chicago Board of Education after realizing that a typical lunch in a CPS cafeteria clocked in at 800 calories.
"Parents rely on schools to give their children nutritious meals, not tan-colored slop," one student told the Board.
The Chicago Public School system as a whole does not ban home-packed lunches, but does allow its principals to make such decisions.
"While there is no formal policy, principals use common sense judgment based on their individual school environments," CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond told the Tribune. "In this case, this principal is encouraging the healthier choices and attempting to make an impact that extends beyond the classroom."
Some Little Village students said they would make healthy choices if given the chance.
"They're afraid that we'll all bring in greasy food instead of healthy food and it won't be as good as what they give us at school," student Yesenia Gutierrez told the paper. "It's really lame. If we could bring in our own lunches, everyone knows what they'd bring. For example, the vegetarians could bring in their own veggie food."
My kids always had their choice of buying the school lunch or packing one, (once they were in 3rd grade they made their own. Yes, there were rules. They had to have an entree and fruit. I wasn't fighting over carrots and celery-if they didn't want it I knew they'd throw it away. I never had to make them take chips or trail mix. ;) ) Even with the task on them, they packed their own lunch nearly every day. When they were in grammar school they'd sometimes buy 'pizza day,' but that seemed the only challenge. No, they did not get to keep the money saved-we were on a strict budget.
In HS their packed lunches got expensive, the darling daughter wanted sushi and such. The youngest wanted 'high carb' as he was running cross country. The middle child, well he was easy. ;)
Some districts balk at latest serving of school lunch rules (http://www.jsonline.com/news/health/some-districts-balk-at-latest-serving-of-school-lunch-rules-b99288269z1-265421821.html)
Salty chips. Candy bars. Full-calorie sodas.
Don't expect to find any of this in schools anymore — not in hot lunches, not in vending machines, not even in high school snack bars.
Schools across the nation are preparing to work with stricter standards for nutrition from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as part of a nationwide campaign championed by first lady Michelle Obama to eliminate empty calories. The new standards took effect Tuesday for all schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and will build off previously implemented standards that limited serving sizes and restricted what food was healthy enough for the program.
What can students expect to find? Wheat bread, low-calorie drinks, meals with limited sugar, fat and salt.
Some district officials are saying they're all for healthy food, but they have to sell enough hot lunches to break even on their program — and that won't work if the kids shun the food. They also are a little prickly about federal officials telling them what to do.
"We believe that proper food nutrition and meal portion guidelines are best decided at a local level," said Rick Petfalski, School Board president for the Muskego-Norway School District.
Opting out of the program means Muskego-Norway will no longer receive federal money for its meals, but it also means the district is free to serve whatever it wants.
Already losing money because fewer kids were buying the meals, the district will now have to cover the cost of free and reduced lunches on its own. It will do this partly by spending less on foods that students don't eat and — they believe — increasing the number of kids buying lunches by providing tastier meals.
Under the school lunch program regulations, Petfalski said, the district's food service was projected to be headed toward a $54,000 deficit. By opting out — and presumably selling more food — he expects about a $7,100 surplus.
"By leaving the program we will not be required to follow these onerous guidelines, pushed by and large by Michelle Obama, who last I checked has been elected by no one," Petfalski said.
Muskego-Norway is not alone. The Waterford Graded School District and Waterford Union High School, which operate as two separate districts, and the Central High School District of Westosha also decided to leave the lunch program this spring.
For Waterford Graded, the decision was more than just financial. About 20% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches, with lunches costing about $2.50 each. The district's superintendent, Christopher Joch, said it will have to absorb about $21,000 in costs to cover its loss of federal funds, and will be raising its paid lunch fees by a dime.
But Joch said the decision was strongly supported by parents and means there should be less food thrown away.
"There was a lot of waste," he said. "The food ended up in the garbage instead of the kids' mouths."
The Central High School School Board decided to opt out to avoid operating at a projected $80,000 in the red. The district's administrator, Scott Pierce, said he is confident that the school will be able to totally make up lost federal funds through a private vendor called Taher Food Service.
"We're not trying to fatten up our kids," Pierce said. "We're trying to give them food they like."
...
Now in school districts famous for waste and graft:
Starting this fall, free breakfasts, lunches available for all CPS students - chicagotribune.com (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-starting-this-fall-free-breakfasts-lunches-available-for-all-cps-students-20140703,0,6007059.story)
Starting this fall, free breakfasts, lunches available for all CPS students
Starting this fall, all Chicago Public Schools students will be able to get free breakfast and lunch at school.
The high number of students living at the poverty level in the district qualified CPS to meet the required threshold for full reimbursement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to CPS officials.
In the past school year, lunch at a typical elementary school for students who didn’t qualify for assistance cost an average of about $2.45. High schools charges slightly more.
The district expects to serve 72 million meals to students in the coming year, two million more than during the last school year.
“If a student eats that day, the district gets reimbursed,” said Leslie Fowler, executive director of CPS’ nutritional support services. “But if they don’t eat, then CPS doesn’t get reimbursed and there’s no cost associated with that meal. We can’t predict what they do or don’t do, but we hope we can encourage them to participate.”
...
Now keeping in mind, Chicago Public Schools have a record on 'encouraging participation...'
Chicago Public School Bans Home-Packed Lunches (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/11/chicago-public-school-ban_n_847581.html)
Chicago Public School Bans Home-Packed Lunches
School lunches aren't what they used to be. At some city schools, ham and cheese sandwiches have been replaced with greasy pizza, burgers and french fries. While some schools have tried to add healthier options to their lunch menus, one Chicago school has taken a controversial approach: it banned home-packed lunches altogether.
The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that the principal of Little Village Academy decided to ban home-packed lunches at the West Side school after watching students bring lunches consisting of "bottles of soda and flaming hot chips" on field trips.
From the Tribune:
Principal Elsa Carmona said her intention is to protect students from their own unhealthful food choices.
"Nutrition wise, it is better for the children to eat at the school," Carmona said. "It's about the nutrition and the excellent quality food that they are able to serve (in the lunchroom). It's milk versus a Coke. But with allergies and any medical issue, of course, we would make an exception."
The Tribune spoke to several students and parents who opposed the policy, saying children don't like the cafeteria food, and that much of it gets thrown away. Other parents said the cafeteria food, supplied by caterer Chartwells-Thompson, is a healthy option and they are happy to have it available.
Though Carmona says the Chartwells-Thompson options are healthy, others disagree.
"It's rare that I see a school, especially a public school, that actually serves food that's good," Susan Rubin, a nutritionist and founder of the Better School Food program, told AOL News. "I get physically sick just looking at it, because it makes me sick that kids are eating this processed crap."
The home-packed lunch ban was put in place six years ago, but the Tribune's Monday story sparked outrage among some conservatives.
"This is problematic for a number of reasons, least of which is probably that a one-size-fits all government brainchild is destined to fail at solving a complicated problem," ChicagoNow blogger Emily Zanotti wrote Monday. " Anyone who's ever met a kid knows that kids are weird. It's a full time job, sometimes, for parents, to figure out how to ensure a child gets necessary nutrition while skirting a number of irrational food phobias. ... A public school, with hundreds of children, could never adequately address the needs of it's bizarre little population of dietary exceptions (not to mention, she clearly foils parents who would send their children to school with certifiably organic or home-cooked lunches)."
While an outright ban may be unpopular with students at Little Village, some Chicago Public School students do want more options when it comes to cafeteria food. Last year, a group of CPS high schoolers addressed the Chicago Board of Education after realizing that a typical lunch in a CPS cafeteria clocked in at 800 calories.
"Parents rely on schools to give their children nutritious meals, not tan-colored slop," one student told the Board.
The Chicago Public School system as a whole does not ban home-packed lunches, but does allow its principals to make such decisions.
"While there is no formal policy, principals use common sense judgment based on their individual school environments," CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond told the Tribune. "In this case, this principal is encouraging the healthier choices and attempting to make an impact that extends beyond the classroom."
Some Little Village students said they would make healthy choices if given the chance.
"They're afraid that we'll all bring in greasy food instead of healthy food and it won't be as good as what they give us at school," student Yesenia Gutierrez told the paper. "It's really lame. If we could bring in our own lunches, everyone knows what they'd bring. For example, the vegetarians could bring in their own veggie food."
My kids always had their choice of buying the school lunch or packing one, (once they were in 3rd grade they made their own. Yes, there were rules. They had to have an entree and fruit. I wasn't fighting over carrots and celery-if they didn't want it I knew they'd throw it away. I never had to make them take chips or trail mix. ;) ) Even with the task on them, they packed their own lunch nearly every day. When they were in grammar school they'd sometimes buy 'pizza day,' but that seemed the only challenge. No, they did not get to keep the money saved-we were on a strict budget.
In HS their packed lunches got expensive, the darling daughter wanted sushi and such. The youngest wanted 'high carb' as he was running cross country. The middle child, well he was easy. ;)