School Lunch Debate

I am writing today from high atop my soap box. "Why?" you ask. Well, today it is because I read an article from The Chicago Tribune about a public school in Chicago in which the principal has decided to ban lunches from home. Yes, really. When I first decided to write this blog I literally didn't know where to begin. There are so many issues with this I had to narrow it down to just a couple. So, let's begin with the first and, in my opinion, the biggest reason  this will not work. Principal Elsa Carmona said she was tired of seeing "bottles of soda and flaming hot chips" brought to school in childrens' lunches, so she decided children were not allowed to bring lunches from home. This week alone, in my childrens' school cafeteria, they have the possibility of eating hamburgers, tacos, breaded chicken chunks, and pizza. None of these scream health to me. My children are allowed to eat one day a week in the cafeteria because what I, or MOTH, pack them is healthier than school lunch. They get nuts, fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, and occasionally a sweet treat.  Their drink is typically water or fruit juice. Not the chocolate milk they have the option of drinking in the cafeteria. Now, I am very aware that all childrens' home lunches are not brimming over with healthy food choices. The obesity rate among children in the U.S. proves it. This situation, however, is not teaching these children to make healthy choices. It is teaching them that you should eat what others tell you is healthy, and to eat what you are told to eat. When those children arrive home from eating these school lunches they will promptly begin to eat chips and drink coke. This school's funding and time would be better spent on nutrition classes for these students so they can make their own healthy choices as they get older. Make a no soda rule. Make a no chips rule. Don't punish the parents who are doing the right thing.

Now let's think of the cost of this mandate for the parents of these children. My childrens' school lunch costs $2.10 per child, per day. For one day that means $6.30. For the week that's $31.50. For the month, $126.00. Now let's factor in my eldest child. He is a thin child (never been over the 15th percentile on weight), but eats like a horse. When he does eat school lunch he brings an extra snack because the school lunch is not adequate in size for him. We had to start sending a snack because 2 years ago, every time the child ate at school he was spending $4.10. He was getting his lunch, then going back for another main course which added another $2.00. That puts us well over the $150 mark for 3 kids. How can parents possibly afford this?

These are by no means the only considerations. What about allergies? What about picky eaters who would choose to eat nothing rather than have to eat school "mystery meat"? What about a parent's right to choose what their child eats? I just hope no other schools get any wild ideas.