School Lunches

Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS) have taught many students over the years and try their best to do so but do they try their best when it comes to school meals?

Let’s start with middle school and high school lunches. Every day is the same with students getting their choice of salad, peanut butter and jelly, or yogurt with granola. These are usually quite popular and salads run out pretty fast on a regular basis. Along with those choices are two other entrees which change daily. Spicy chicken sandwiches, lasagna, chicken nuggets, pizza and nachos are just a few examples of lunches fed to the children at FWCS. As great as these meals may be to some, it isn’t to others and some students even result to eating the same thing daily because they dislike or can’t eat the other options. Even then, students may not eat at all some days due to their favorite meals being gone when you’re last to get your lunch. “You don’t always get what you want once they’ve run out of something,” Stated one of Blackhawk Middle School’s students. “The first people through the lunch line get all the good food which isn’t fair, they (Blackhawk’s staff) should prepare themselves better for those situations,” stated another student. I’ve been told some of the food is tasteless or occasionally over-cooked.

Another complaint from students is the fruits and vegetables that are “mandatory.” Many of these end up in the garbage or the bin that schools such as Blackhawk has placed out for uneaten fruits such as apples, oranges, bananas, etc.. By making students take a fruit, it is just a waste and not appetizing when the staff reuses the fruit or donating it to those in need. But how often do schools get new, fresh fruit? There are other rules that can get irritating to students too. Water bottles must be purchased, this could be understandable but if you don’t like milk or are allergic what do you do? It isn’t fair that some students are forced to buy water everyday only spending more money than they should have to. Drinking fountains are found around schools, yes, but some schools don’t let you leave the cafeteria during lunch to go to said drinking fountains.

Sometimes when cookies are served with the meal, they’re usually a real treat but students are only allowed one on the days they are served. The good thing about this is students don’t take to many and center their meal around them. The bad part about this is that some students may not like much of the regular meal that day and try to get an extra cookie as extra food. Some schools make students pay extra for every extra cookie they get but that doesn’t help very many students who can’t afford it. One students stated her feelings about the cookie rule and simply replied saying, “we should be able to get two cookies without having to spend more money.” This may just be students enjoying the treat so much they want seconds but in some cases, it is helpful for students to customize their tray without worry of being charged more money than they have.

The Smithfield School Department and ARAMARK say they are “committed” to making sure students get meals but when a students has a negative balance. He/she may not get a lunch that day or days until they can pay for the already eaten meals and for future meals. This is an issue because some elementary students are getting only a cheese stick and an empty cup, to fill at the water fountain, for lunch. Yes, parents should try and get financial help if not able to afford meals or pay for their children’s meals but this doesn’t mean schools should take away a student’s lunch.

With these things in mind and other complaints you may have heard before, doesn’t it make you want to do something. Think of the children who don’t eat lunch daily due to these issues. According to Mental Healthy, lunch is important for multiple reasons such as staying healthy and having a balanced diet. Lunch also is important to help relieve stress from some of the morning activities students experience.

This brings me back to the first question, does FWCS try their best feeding their students. No. It is very important that students get fed properly and even if FWCS tries, it doesn’t seem like it. Students are not excited about the lunches and that should change. They should be able to eat food they are comfortable with eating so schools should focus more on the students opinions than they do.

 

Sources:

http://www.smithfield-ps.org/negative-balance-procedures-school-lunch-program

http://www.mentalhealthy.co.uk/lifestyle/food/the-importance-of-lunch.html