My Kids Lunch is none of the Government's Business

[YouKnowWho]

http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/homemade-lunch-replaced-with-cafeteria-nuggets.html

Carolina Journal News Reports
Preschooler's Homemade Lunch Replaced with Cafeteria "Nuggets"
State agent inspects sack lunches, forces preschoolers to purchase cafeteria food instead
By Sara Burrows
Feb. 14th, 2012
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RAEFORD — A preschooler at West Hoke Elementary School ate three chicken nuggets for lunch Jan. 30 because a state employee told her the lunch her mother packed was not nutritious.

The girl's turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines, according to the interpretation of the agent who was inspecting all lunch boxes in her More at Four classroom that day.

The Division of Child Development and Early Education at the Department of Health and Human Services requires all lunches served in pre-kindergarten programs — including in-home day care centers — to meet USDA guidelines. That means lunches must consist of one serving of meat, one serving of milk, one serving of grain, and two servings of fruit or vegetables, even if the lunches are brought from home.

When home-packed lunches do not include all of the required items, child care providers must supplement them with the missing ones.

The girl's mother — who said she wishes to remain anonymous to protect her daughter from retaliation — said she received a note from the school stating that students who did not bring a "healthy lunch" would be offered the missing portions, which could result in a fee from the cafeteria, in her case $1.25.

"I don't feel that I should pay for a cafeteria lunch when I provide lunch for her from home," the mother wrote in a complaint to her state representative, Republican G.L. Pridgen of Robeson County.

The girl's grandmother, who sometimes helps pack her lunch, told Carolina Journal that she is a petite, picky 4-year-old who eats white whole wheat bread and is not big on vegetables.

"What got me so mad is, number one, don't tell my kid I'm not packing her lunch box properly," the girl's mother told CJ. "I pack her lunchbox according to what she eats. It always consists of a fruit. It never consists of a vegetable. She eats vegetables at home because I have to watch her because she doesn't really care for vegetables."

When the girl came home with her lunch untouched, her mother wanted to know what she ate instead. Three chicken nuggets, the girl answered. Everything else on her cafeteria tray went to waste.

"She came home with her whole sandwich I had packed, because she chose to eat the nuggets on the lunch tray, because they put it in front of her," her mother said. "You're telling a 4-year-old. 'oh. you're lunch isn't right,' and she's thinking there's something wrong with her food."

While the mother and grandmother thought the potato chips and lack of vegetable were what disqualified the lunch, a spokeswoman for the Division of Child Development said that should not have been a problem.

"With a turkey sandwich, that covers your protein, your grain, and if it had cheese on it, that's the dairy," said Jani Kozlowski, the fiscal and statutory policy manager for the division. "It sounds like the lunch itself would've met all of the standard." The lunch has to include a fruit or vegetable, but not both, she said.

There are no clear restrictions about what additional items — like potato chips — can be included in preschoolers' lunch boxes.

"If a parent sends their child with a Coke and a Twinkie, the child care provider is going to need to provide a balanced lunch for the child," Kozlowski said.

Ultimately, the child care provider can't take the Coke and Twinkie away from the child, but Kozlowski said she "would think the Pre-K provider would talk with the parent about that not being a healthy choice for their child."

It is unclear whether the school was allowed to charge for the cafeteria lunches they gave to every preschooler in the class that day.

The state regulation reads:

"Sites must provide breakfast and/or snacks and lunch meeting USDA requirements during the regular school day. The partial/full cost of meals may be charged when families do not qualify for free/reduced price meals.

"When children bring their own food for meals and snacks to the center, if the food does not meet the specified nutritional requirements, the center must provide additional food necessary to meet those requirements."

Still, Kozlowski said, the parents shouldn't have been charged.

"The school may have interpreted [the rule] to mean they felt like the lunch wasn't meeting the nutritional requirements and so they wanted the child to have the school lunch and then charged the parent," she said. "It sounds like maybe a technical assistance need for that school."

The school principal, Jackie Samuels, said he didn't "know anything about" parents being charged for the meals that day. "I know they eat in the cafeteria. Whether they pay or not, they eat in the cafeteria."

Pridgen's office is looking into the issue.

Sara Burrows is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.

http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/133050/my_kids_lunch_is_none?next=21

[my3guys]

Now that's just creepy, and clearly the guy checking lunches needs to go to a nutrition class! Government overstep much?

[socks on a rooster]

  How can this be serious? Totally overstepping. I can see telling parents not to send Twinkies and potato chips, but beyond processed obviously unhealthy junk - none of their business. What about vegetarian diets which are healthier than eating meat?  And milk? Not so healthy either.

[CMdeux]

Yeah, as an FA parent, this is horrifying to me.

My child "must" be GIVEN food that I didn't know about or approve?  And they are choosing from a list that includes two top-8 allergens?

I. don't. think. so.

[hezzier]

Yeah, as an FA parent, this is horrifying to me.

THIS!

[YouKnowWho]

I was sick a few months ago and DH was in charge of lunches and snacks.  For some odd reason, he decided to pack Hershey bars for snack - not exactly healthy (in DH's defense, he peddles chocolate to DS1 as a food high in fat because of his weight issues).

Snack time rolls around and both boys had their chocolate bars taken away and replaced with raisins (that I had provided previously on the off chance they forgot their snacks).  Both teachers assumed that the boys either packed their own snack and I got notes home explaining the issue.  Fine, they replaced food with food that I had previously approved.

I don't have a problem with a note coming home explaining what they think is missing from my child's lunch to give me a chance to have an open discussion with them.  DS1 doesn't eat "grains" at school per se because his bread is rather sensitive to temperatures because of molding and textures.  He eats bread at home.  I know there are other options out there for him but obviously limited by allergies.  But I would like the oppurtunity to discuss that without the school lunch being forced on him.

The irony - we can force a "healthy" lunch on your child but will do nothing to stop the cupcakes, candy and other extraneous foods being shoved in their face.

[Susan]

The irony - we can force a "healthy" lunch on your child but will do nothing to stop the cupcakes, candy and other extraneous foods being shoved in their face.

[rainbow]

Unbelievable!  As if chicken nuggets are healthy?   Umm, processed food and FAT anyone?

This girl had a pretty healthy lunch!

They need to be real careful about allergies.  Are they going to replace w/ peanut butter sandwiches for protein too?

Is this a low income, free daycare gvt funded situation?

[YouKnowWho]

No, it's an Elementary School with attached Pre-K program.

Daycares/preschools with funded programs generally will not allow outside food due to the amount of paperwork needed to complete unless there is a medical reason (and even that can be met with resistance because by law, they have to provide meals for everyone regardless of allergies).

[CMdeux]

Agreed-- we had to do a lot of paperwork so that we could provide DD's food when our daycare provider used the USDA program.

This even after it was abundantly clear that there was literally no way that they could safely feed her (soy/wheat/peanut/treenut/milk/egg allergies).

[YouKnowWho]

LOL My school looked at me with fear in their eyes when they asked if DS1 would be eating lunch purchased at school.

I know they have to provide it but at the same time the risk of cross contamination was way too great....

[rainbow]

Yes my school staff also seemed very relieved when I said he wouldn't be buying lunch except for on pizza days. I met with Food Services Director to arrange for him to note his allergies on his account, and allow for purchase of pizza and  ice pops only. First question he asked was, "Does your child have a 504 Plan?"  Because you need one for Food Services to make accomodations for safe food, outlined clearly in USDA regulations.

[Jessica]

I hate to admit it but that child's lunch was a lot healthier than what my kids eat for lunch most days. But they do eat pretty good for breakfast and supper.

[socks on a rooster]

Yes my school staff also seemed very relieved when I said he wouldn't be buying lunch except for on pizza days. I met with Food Services Director to arrange for him to note his allergies on his account, and allow for purchase of pizza and  ice pops only. First question he asked was, "Does your child have a 504 Plan?"  Because you need one for Food Services to make accomodations for safe food, outlined clearly in USDA regulations.

Do you think all schools follow this? I have a friend without a 504 for pn allergy and the cafeteria has a "flag" on her account alerting them of her allergy. Would this not be the same as an accommodation?

[CMdeux]

I think that it could probably be argued that such a thing IS an accomodation, at least as the USDA sees it.

Which means that the school is in violation for not having conducted an evaluation under 504, yes.