https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:53:17 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723742 Thu, 13 Apr 2017 06:16:01 +0000 looch 2723742@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sunny: good question, i would have to look it up to get a firm answer. </p> <p>Where I live, school is full day, campuses are closed and lunch and breakfast is served. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723665 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 19:27:03 +0000 JennyD 2723665@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I thought we were maybe more laid back here in the Great White North, but apparently not. </p> <p><a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/autistic-boy-snack-shamed-for-bringing-banana-bread-to-school-calgary-mom-says" rel="nofollow">http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/autistic-boy-snack-shamed-for-bringing-banana-bread-to-school-calgary-mom-says</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723649 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 18:56:35 +0000 sunny 2723649@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Can I ask a dumb question--do all public schools serve lunches? I went to public school in Canada and we brought our own food from home until highschool. At that point there was a cafeteria with some "fast food" type vendors and we had the option to purchase. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723599 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 16:31:24 +0000 looch 2723599@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: I think the public has already decided. I mean, we are where we are and there are people that think we're spending way too much money in the education space as it is and they don't believe in investing in the future. I don't know what has to happen to change it.</p> <p>I've long said the issue that needs to be addressed is poverty. If that is addressed, then only can we see real gains in closing the achievement gap. Meals at school only partly solve the problem. </p> <p>I think it's also worth looking at what happens around the globe. I can only speak to Europe, where most children attend public schools and don't even eat lunch there. They go home, but society is set up to support that. My MIL is a lunch lady, but it's only for a small subset of kids that don't go home during the lunch hour. She buys all the food locally and prepares everything. The government has strict guidelines about what she can serve and how many times a week. Everyone eats the exact same thing, there is no choice. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723549 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 14:36:29 +0000 snowjewelz 2723549@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Sketchbook: Ahh, I see! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723548 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 14:34:08 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723548@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@snowjewelz: if you attended a school with universal lunch you could still get that stuff now if it were on the menu. The lunch room doesn't look different if you have universal lunch, you aren't required to go through the hot line if there is one, etc., it is still pretty much a la carte. Which is why at least in my experience the "hot line" options are a lot more like fast food than cafeteria food. More like buffalo chicken wraps, grilled cheese, etc., not the chicken fried steak or spaghetti, etc., that used to be on the menu. The difference is just the amount of sodium in the buffalo sauce, the whole wheat wrap instead of the white bread wrap, sweet potato fries instead of white potato fries, the cheese might be 2% instead of full fat, etc. That's the nutritional difference. At our school the vending machines had all been outfitted with low cal snacks, and school fundraisers couldn't sell food for an hour before, through, and after lunch to cut down on access to other food. One bizarre thing I saw was that parents would sometimes pick their kids up lunch out and deliver it to school and the main office got so backed up with lunch delivery that they had to make a policy against lunch delivery. I don't think that was a consequence of any particular school lunch policies, but just supports the idea that if kids want junk food, they'll somehow get it, and it becomes a PITA for the school to manage student access to junk food. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723528 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 14:12:21 +0000 snowjewelz 2723528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@gingerbebe: I mean, thinking back to when I was in middle/high school, if my parents gave me money to buy lunch, I'm obviously getting pizza/fries/fried items! So a universal lunch would probably be a healthier option for me at least! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723520 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 14:07:26 +0000 gingerbebe 2723520@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I used to work in federal nutrition policy and the food stamp program. Universal free breakfast and lunch and free summer lunch programs are generally better for the school population as a whole - meaning overall the kids are going to be better behaved, learn better, be healthier, etc. But essentially we are striving for some kind of average or median. Whether it's the best option for your kid or the best option possible is not the objective of the programming. It's to give access to a meal that meets government standards. </p> <p>I agree that making it universal would probably push some parents to agitate for better meals, but I think it's something policy wise the public has to decide - cater to a mean/average or have this tiered situation many places have now. </p> <p>Furthermore, there ARE schools with salad bars and fresh fruit and hot fresh meals, but often the kids won't eat them and the food waste is tremendous. Tremendous. Any parent of a toddler who has to scrape uneaten veggies into the garbage at night understands this reality and pain. Is it worth offering the option and throw it away, like we do for toddlers? Or is the a la carte packaged option better for efficiency/cost/waste sake? Again, a policy decision the public will have to decide. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming/page/2#post-2723494 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 13:47:40 +0000 looch 2723494@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Oh, I interpreted it as everyone eating the same thing, which I think is beneficial for everyone. I would hope that if everyone ate the same thing, parents, administrators and the community would put pressure on those providing the lunches to make them more nutritious. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723489 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 13:37:46 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723489@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: I was just pointing out that one interesting secondary effects of universal lunch is that your kid will eat school lunch, even if you've provided a brown bag lunch, because that's what everyone else is eating, and because it is freely available and no one is going to curtail his/her access to it. That ISN'T a reason not to have universal lunch, but it is a secondary outcome that as parents you have to consider if you are going to send a child to a school with universal lunch. Right now I control for that by not taking my kid to school for breakfast. But eventually if he's riding the bus he will be eating both breakfast and lunch there. So maybe that will encourage me to agitate for higher quality food, since I know I can't control what he's eating once I put him on the bus.</p> <p>Typical breakfast options on universal lunch at the school I worked at:</p> <p>grape juice or cow's milk<br /> plastic packaged main like: breakfast burrito, breakfast pizza pocket, breakfast sausage sandwich, biscuit with jelly.<br /> apple/orange/banana<br /> packaged cereal boxes (fruit loops, cheerios, apple jacks, rice krispies, etc.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723487 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 13:29:17 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723487@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pwnstar: huh? I don't mean to be defensive...but I'm grasping to see what I've said that is offensive...I agree with universal lunch and in fact my kid goes to a school with universal lunch....I'm merely saying that if implementing universal lunch everywhere invigorated parents to agitate for better lunches, that would be a good thing....there's no reason to vilify posters for bringing up the idea that they would want to pay for a quality lunch/one that met special needs. Of course, that *IS* the sort of novel idea that poor people really can't afford to have, but that rich people can have. But forcing rich people to pay for universal lunch could have the effect of making them care about an issue that largely doesn't impact them. Social school segregation of course allows for these disparities. I'm really lucky to live in a small city where there isn't as much opportunity to section yourself off by race/socioeconomics. We only have one middle/high school for the whole district.</p> <p>Honestly, this whole debate is so foreign to me because we've had universal lunch at the schools in this area for as long as I've been a decision making parent. So to have people debate whether or not to pay for lunch....is sort of quaint to me. We get free lunch because the majority of the kids in this area are below the poverty line. If getting free lunch encourages parents to care more about the contents of lunch, then that is absolutely a good thing. That's all I'm trying to say. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723486 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 13:27:06 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2723486@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: @Mrs. Sketchbook: I meant school lunch as in everyone having enough to eat at school is beneficial for everyone. Not that everyone should have to eat school provided lunch. Brown bag lunch is fine. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723473 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 13:01:36 +0000 looch 2723473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pwnstar: Believe it or not, I am an advocate for universal free lunch. I can have opinions on the quality of the food, I would like it to improve and I think that's more likely to happen if everyone eats it, regardless of socioeconomic background. In some surrounding districts, the menu is pretty fancy, but there are literally 0 kids there on free/reduced. I looked it up, the price of a reduced lunch is 40 cents. Full price is 2.65. The elementary kids on free and reduced are never going to be denied food because there is no way they can spend the money in their account, it's not a la carte. It's the kids that don't sign up because of immigration worries, or whose parents make too much according to the guidelines that slipping through the cracks. I did read one thing (at least in my district that made me feel better) is that if a kid has no lunch from home and no money to buy something, they're given a sandwich.</p> <p>But personally, it's a problem for my child. If it's all kids have to eat it, what am I seriously supposed to do for him? Not attend the school? Not have him eat lunch? Have him eat alone in the principal's office? Trust me, I want him to eat but he physically cannot. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723467 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 12:58:11 +0000 pwnstar 2723467@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Sketchbook: Wait. So you're not "all about" making sure that free lunch students have access to the same lunch as everyone else, regardless of what that lunch is? We're talking about school lunch shaming, not about the nutritional density of school lunch. The primary issue is access--it should be available to all students. After that we can focus on the menu. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723462 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 12:50:03 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723462@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pwnstar: I completely agree with everything you said, but if making school lunch universal had the effect of promoting better school lunches, then I'd be all about that. Because school lunch is pretty grotty, and if your kid goes somewhere with free lunch, you really have to let them eat it, because all their friends will be eating it, etc. No amount of gluten free quinoa in a bento box is going to prevent them from grabbing the free pizza. In my district we have free lunch and breakfast so I'm going to send my kid to school after breakfast time is closed so he eats at least two meals at home. And maybe I can advocate for better lunches on the PTO. But in actuality, processed lunch is just as much of a problem in high as in low income areas. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723458 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 12:46:41 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723458@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: As I mentioned in another post, I don't love school lunches, but it is the fixation on grab-and-go, single-serve items that really makes them awful. Making everything individually wrapped eliminates needs for cooking (aka, paying skilled workers) and eliminates concerns of food poisoning/contamination. Plus students like single serve items which makes school lunch more popular with the kids. It is really sad but it isn't really a "class" issue. My siblings (10+ years my junior) is all upper middle and they love the single serve items. Germ o phobe upper class parents are probably more likely to sue a school over food poisoning... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723455 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 12:45:39 +0000 pwnstar 2723455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Whether you consider the lunch being offered to be nutritionally optimal has no bearing on whether a child should have access to a lunch--at all. If you or your child choose not to eat it, fine; you are able to avail yourselves of other options. But for a child who may otherwise go hungry (for some children, school lunch is the only meal on which they can rely), the concern is hardly whether the apple is organic or the food contains preservatives. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723452 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 12:44:48 +0000 looch 2723452@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Sketchbook: I looked it up and based on the info I could find, it seems some schools in town are Title 1. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723450 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 12:42:24 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723450@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: Our district gets Title I funds based on income/poverty line, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723320 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 10:12:26 +0000 looch 2723320@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Sketchbook: I don't think we get federal funds, but I should look into that and see if I can get more information. I suspect that the town gets reimbursed by the state. And with the state's current fiscal mess, that's probably going to be cut from the budget and local school districts are going to have to pick up that cost. A dollar can only be stretched so far.</p> <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: my son won't eat the school lunch because of physical limitations, so while I agree it is better for everyone to eat the same thing, I have to consider that. In addition, what they provide isn't something I would eat myself, so why do we think it's acceptable for any child to eat that food? When you have $1.20 to spend, you're not winning any awards for nutrients, let's be honest. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723305 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:58:18 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2723305@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: what if the state and federal government identified the students who's family qualified? Every year some government entity puts out statistics on the numbers who qualify, but don't submit the forms. </p> <p>You're totally right I would want to have a vested interest in the child before paying extra. Perhaps the case to be made is that school lunch is better for everyone in the class. One of the HB bloggers talked about an impactful act of kindness is to bring a local student's lunch debt current. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723293 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:43:20 +0000 snowjewelz 2723293@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@azjax: :heart: Yes, absolutely this. Kids get bullied enough; they don't need just one more thing to feel ashamed about. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723275 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:23:43 +0000 MrsSCB 2723275@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pwnstar: 100 percent agree. Humiliating by children over something completely out of their control is appalling. And I can't image being the one to do it, even if it was policy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723266 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:10:09 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723266@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: I think we have Title I funds to pay for it, which is federal funds. I wonder how our community will react if that gets pulled out from under their feet. Oh well...their choice I suppose.</p> <p>I will say....I saw a ton of food waste as the kids would just grab food and then not eat it. I thought that was pretty disappointing. But still much better than the alternative. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723263 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:07:37 +0000 looch 2723263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Sketchbook: I agree, universal free is the best choice, but not every state is in the position to pay for it. And it seems we take the worst care of our young, sick, handicapped you name it, all because of special interest groups. That's what is so frustrating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723262 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:07:15 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723262@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@looch: there's a lot of evidence that the better off people are, the less likely they are to give. I suppose the attitude is, "we managed to do xyz....they should manage as well." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723260 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:06:28 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723260@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@pwnstar: I would rather the parents have garnished wages than the student be publicly shamed for the conditions of their birth. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723259 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:05:34 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723259@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsKRB: universal free lunch is just so much better. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723256 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:04:03 +0000 Mrs. Sketchbook 2723256@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Two more things. My kids have always gone to either public daycare or daycares on college campuses that get public funding. All have always had all meals provided so they can get highest ratings on their care (GA has a daycare rating program). So for me, I've always paid for meals as a part of tuition. Some of the other kids get tuition vouchers. So they're not really paying for their food (if you consider food as a part of tuition generally). So I think one way to look at this is just that meals are a part of overall school expenses that parents "pay" for with tax dollars. Eliminates all hang wringing about who pays what, etc.</p> <p>The other thing is that in my town, students can get lunch at the school and other public spaces during the summer. In fact, I'm volunteering to distribute them this summer. Free reduced lunch is such a good thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/school-lunch-shaming#post-2723254 Wed, 12 Apr 2017 09:03:55 +0000 azjax 2723254@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@caterw: I agree with you absolutely. Feeding our children should be priority number 1, and if state and federal programs leave gaps I believe the schools should fundraise for that instead f trying to sell me wrapping paper and candles for elaborate filed trips or new kiln for the art department.</p> <p>As a kid, there were years where my sisters and I were dependent on free lunch programs. It was humiliating and it took me a month of going hungry to get over the shame and bring the form home to my parents and then be willing to stand in line for the second-class "poor kid" lunch. Poverty is absolutely soul-crushing and children absolutely should not be segregated, shamed, or treated differently for their financial circumstance. </p>