No Homemade Lunches?! ( a Rant)

Here's a link to an article that talks about that particular elementary school: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110411/us_yblog_thelookout/chicago-school-bans-homemade-lunches-the-latest-in-national-food-fight Apparently, they feel the kids will eat a more nutritious lunch if they provide it, rather than what they bring from home. I think that can go either way. My daughters have always had a lunch prepared by me (even the one who is now in university still takes the lunch I make her). I strive to make sure they always have fresh veggies, fruit, cheese, yogurt, etc., and we limit the junk food. They also don't take sodas. They mainly have water (or, as they are getting older, they do drink coffee sometimes). It says in the article that kids with medical excuses or allergies are allowed to bring a lunch... but no one else is. That's really severe. In our school system, problems arose with parents who didn't want to accommodate the children with allergies - i.e., no peanut butter, no peanut products and all that. They also instituted a program where lunch room monitors checked what the kids were bringing from home and if they brought only junk food, candy, etc., the parents received a letter from the school about it. Telling parents they have to pay $2.25 per child for lunch or the kids go hungry, that's rough. They are calling it "nutritional tough love." I agree that children need to be eating better -- fries, chocolate bars and such are not a lunch, yet that's all many kids eat every day -- but I don't agree that you let a child go hungry. They cannot perform well in school if they are under nourished.

I have been dealing with that here for the last two years. They have taken out the snack and coke machines at the schools here too. My girls are not allowed to have their lunches prepared and sent. The thing is that even the years that this was not enforced, there was hardly any accomodations for children that brought lunches. There were no refidgeration units available for them to use. So nice of the teachers to offer to share theirs..not. They have also banned parties for the children here where candy or pizza might be involved.

When I was in school, we had a cafetaria that sold snacks but almost all of us got food from home to have during our break. Sometimes we shared. In the Middle East when I was in school, the day started early and we were always back home for lunch. I heard that timings have changed now. When we moved to India, there was no concept of school lunches and all of us got lunch from home. A few who stayed close to the school, would go home for lunch during the 1 hour break. When my older son started school, the idea of school lunches had just started here (snack for my son because he went to half day kindergarten). It was compulsory to start with but most kids were not used to that kind of food and so they stopped and we would provide healthy home snacks. A few years later,when my older son was in primary school, they made the school snack/lunch compulsory again.....when a few parents complained, they made it optional (the fee for the food was exorbitant). At the time, I was working as a teacher at the school and my sons would get it for free. But since my son and I preferred home made food, the older son didn't opt for the school lunch and I would pack him snacks and lunch everyday...while my younger one would have the school snacks. I think it's crazy to force such ideas on parents....I don't see the point.

This is sucking, who are they to order not to bring homemade lunches, what if if the child doesn't like the food they cooked or they have an allergy towards that particular dish, and the child gets tired listening to the classes and all and more over every parent cannot afford 2.25 daily, the child gets weaker day by day, a certain action has to be taken against this.

Is this another money-making scheme?! It's amazing how some authorities try so hard to make everything common and the same, yet they fail to see the reality that all families are not the same. That $2.25 may be a small amount, but for some families is not really affordable specially if it's multiplied daily.

I think it is a shame that parental rights are being taken away. Yes, kids need to eat nutritious meals, but ultimately, parents have a right to make these decisions. If parents send junk food for their kids to eat, I'm sorry, it's none of your business. If you want to educate parents, start a campaign to raise awareness among parents in your community about what is healthy and what is not. Why not make a list of healthy, low cost lunch ideas to distribute to parents? Beyond that, you cannot control how each family chooses to live.

I agree 100%. This is a disaster waiting to happen. If the kids are forced to sit in the lunch room, then they wont be able to sneak a lunch to school. Whoever dreamed this up must have had money to buy lunch when they were going to school. I know I never had much options in the cafeteria for healthy food for lunch, so more often, I would bring my own from home. These people are stupid and foolish to think like this, I hope they don't get away with it.

are you kidding me? there is no way i would be paying $2.25 every day for luncn. there is no way i could afford this. time to start an email, letter and phone call campaign!

I just replied to a discussion like yours. Now I see that all the responses are diagreements. Here our schools don't allow children to bring any kinds of food. It is OK that you come back to home for lunch. Or you will stay in the school to have lunch. Usually I will pay about USD100 for the lunch plus other fees to the school every two months. Compare to the kindergarten, I think primary school's charge is very little already. When my son was in the kindergarten, usually every month I had to pay for about USD200. Since my husband and I also have to work, and I don't want my mom to be tired. So I let my child to have lunch in the school. The food is ordinary and it is not very delicious. I can ensure that, because my son often has lots of leftovers (they don't allow to throw away the food) when he is home. The food includes rice, a little meats and vegetables. My son is a little picky and he doesn't like to have some kinds of vegetables. I know he may not enjoy the lunch in school and he may be hungry in the afternoon. But this is because he doesn't finish his food. I don't like to see his leftovers because I tell him that the food is precious and we shouldn't waste it. Every morning I prepare a good breakfast for him and he will finish it at home. So at least the nutrition shall be fine. If other children can finish the school food, I don't want my son to be an exception. He shouldn't be much special than anybody. You know I love my son so much, but I don't give in in this aspect. I don't want him to be spoiled. If he chooses to be hungry, then it is his choice. The school already offers him food. He is already luckier than many children in the world. Some children can't even have a full meal. As to the situation in USA, I am not quite sure. But it will give me a shock if the food is not good there. As to the charges, you can see the charges here. A study is always an expensive cost, even if here it claims that the children's education is free in the primary school, but you have to pay for other charges, too. Perhaps the schools also have their reasons to ban personal lunch. Some children may compete it? Or it will make the children's diet much more picky? Because their parents must prepare for something they like to eat. In a long term, it may not be a good thing. Sometimes I appreciate Japanese because they never spoil the children. Their way makes their children to have a strong determination and spirit. As you know, usually great people are created in the difficult situation. I love China

Here's the link.. http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110411/us_yblog_thelookout/chicago-school-bans-homemade-lunches-the-latest-in-national-food-fight Isn't that pathetic? I swear the schools are getting out of control. Thing is..if they do this...does that make them reponsible for the health of the child...so that if the child gets or stays over weight, the parents can sue the school for making their child that way...similar to the way they did McDonald's and the Happy Meal? And if the kids get some other kind of malnutritioned issue..is it the schools fault? Well, it is but they won't accept it and to say "eat this or go hungry"... Sounds like Hitler to me. I'd home school my kid and let that school close for lack of attendance. This is "get healthy" thing is out of control

oh c'mon, seriously?

this is plain ridiculous!How come all parents can afford to pay that money.

Hi behen They seem to have surely turned insane(or at least headed by an insane person at the helm). I mean I always learned that home made food is the best. Medics, Food Lovers everyone says this. And I was beginning to feel that home made food is my birth right kind of thing... but reading this I am completely baffled. Whether one can afford that price for food is another question to play a major role. If I had a kid and s/he was studying there, I would have thought of moving to another school...

That's crazy. How can they force a family to pay for lunch. I'm a mother of three and can't afford to pay $2.25 per child per day. That's $135 just to pay for my kids school lunch... are they insane. Most family are struggling to pay rent and with this added bill for school lunches families are going to have to cut back by preparing homemade lunches for their kids.

I totally agree with you. Let's crunch some numbers. I'll use my family, as an example. My sister and I = 2. $2.25 x 2 = $4.50 Aprox 20 school days a month = 90 Multiply by 10 months a year = $900!!! Lots of families have more than two children, AND are on low incomes, through no fault of their own. The people at that school are fascists who deserve to be deported somewhere where they can learn what hunger feels like.

Hi. sarahruthbeth22. How can they expect parents to pay for their kids lunch meal all of the time? Many parents can't afford to pay for a school lunch. What ever happened to free lunch? This is a shame, it really is!!! How can a child learn and concentrate properly if they don't have anything to eat. If they have changed this law, then that means that they mind as well be paying for their lunch meals. This really pisses me the hell off to know that this is taking place in schools nowadays.

I think this idea is totally stupid! When I went to school I had my own lunch which I took to school. In grade school everyone brought their lunch to school. In high school if you didn't bring a lunch you could buy a meal in the lunchroom,which you paid for. No big deal! Now the Food Nazies are being totally irresponsible! I hope there is more then one class action suit happens out of this! This is a real dumb idea they came ou with!

I think you called. This is a class action waiting to happen. Hmmm?? Maybe we can smuggle some luches in when no one is looking. We just can't let those kiddies go hungry. I bet if enough people write, someone will get the message.

The school system should see that your child has a lunch at school but i don't think they have the right to dictate where that lunch coes from. I don't see how bringing a lunch from home could be something the school woud want to ban. Theis is their way of forcing you to purchase their lunches when you didn't have to. they are taking choice away from parent and child this way.

This is just pain crazy! Why ban lunches which were packed at home with love? Packed lunch were specifically made by parents to ensure that their kids won't go hungry and would be eating healthy. Somehow, it also allows other families to save up. I guess the prohibition is propelled more of the profit to be made from it rather than really caring for healthy eating by the students.