Most students expect lunch lines to take longer on the first day of school, but a new Rockwood policy has increased the wait as well. According to the policy, students must take two sides and a milk along with their main food item, regardless of whether they plan to eat them.
Carmen Fischer, director of Child Nutrition Services for Rockwood, said the new rules and stronger enforcement are results of Congress passing the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. The act mandates a change in the National School Lunch program for the 2012 school year and applies to any school receiving subsidies for meals, therefore MHS. She said she does expect the policy changes to be more costly as well.
“Rockwood Child Nutrition Services’ goal is to offer a variety of fruits and vegetables with the intention of having at least one fruit or vegetable a student would enjoy,” Fischer said.
While the act was intended to be a positive combat against childhood obesity, it is receiving some negative feedback from students. Fischer said some are unhappy with taking the extra food.
“I have received a couple of emails from parents who wish for their child to not take the required fruit or vegetable,” Fischer said.
Fischer said the students do not have to take the sides but in an effort to better child nutrition, they are encouraged to do so.
Andrew Vaughn, senior, said he buys lunch every day and has had staff chase after him with a side or milk.
“I don’t think they should force people to get food they don’t want because they‘re not going to eat it,” Vaughn said.
Vaughn said he understands why the district may be enforcing this new policy, possibly to save money or force students to eat healthier. He said he does not believe it is going to work.
“It’s not going to help,” he said. “[Students] already have bad habits.”
He said it doesn’t save the school any money and is wasteful because most students will either throw the extra food away or give it to a friend.
Vaughn said the school may be making up for the lost revenue in other ways like smaller portion sizes. Last year, he said students received five chicken strips. This year-three.
“If you’re going to make us buy more,” Vaughn said. ” We should be able to pick what we want to add.”
Senior Principal Dr. Dan Ramsey said he has yet to receive any complaints from students.
“Making a kid take a vegetable doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll eat it,” Dr. Ramsey said.
He said technically students cannot be forced to take the sides or milk if they don’t want it. However, refusing these items may result in a higher price for students.
“If they don’t make an ‘actual lunch, they’ll just be charged for each individual item,” Dr. Ramsey said.
For example, the standard lunch price is $2.85, but if a student chooses to only purchase pizza and a smoothie, their cost could jump to $5.10 Dr. Ramsey said in some circumstances the definition of fruits and vegetables are stretched to include things like ketchup and applesauce.
“I think it’s well intentioned, but bureaucratically crazy,” Dr. Ramsey said.
