[cmkellie]

I am really taken aback by this story!  Do you think this is a healthy lunch? Do you think the school overstepped here?

Outrage After School Tells Mom Her Child’s Lunch Is Unhealthy and Unacceptable

A mother is outraged after school officials told her 4-year-old daughter that her home-packed lunch was not healthy enough to eat. What was so unhealthy about her lunch? Trace Gallagher reported that a lunch inspector at the school told the girl she couldn’t eat her turkey sandwich, banana, potato chips and apple juice. Instead providing the girl with a USDA-approved lunch with the following guidelines: one serving of meat, one serving of grains, and two servings of fruit or vegetables.

When the girl returned home from school, her unopened lunch contained a note from the school saying that her lunch didn’t meet the guidelines and a $1.25 bill for the replacement lunch. The mom was outraged and anonymously wrote to the local newspaper and called a state representative. The North Carolina representative called the school which apologized, because in fact the lunch did meet all the USDA requirements. 

More here - http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/02/14/outrage-after-school-tells-mom-her-child%E2%80%99s-lunch-is-una...

[cmkellie]

I am really taken aback by this story!  Do you think this is a healthy lunch? Do you think the school overstepped here?

Outrage After School Tells Mom Her Child’s Lunch Is Unhealthy and Unacceptable

A mother is outraged after school officials told her 4-year-old daughter that her home-packed lunch was not healthy enough to eat. What was so unhealthy about her lunch? Trace Gallagher reported that a lunch inspector at the school told the girl she couldn’t eat her turkey sandwich, banana, potato chips and apple juice. Instead providing the girl with a USDA-approved lunch with the following guidelines: one serving of meat, one serving of grains, and two servings of fruit or vegetables.

When the girl returned home from school, her unopened lunch contained a note from the school saying that her lunch didn’t meet the guidelines and a $1.25 bill for the replacement lunch. The mom was outraged and anonymously wrote to the local newspaper and called a state representative. The North Carolina representative called the school which apologized, because in fact the lunch did meet all the USDA requirements. 

More here - http://foxnewsinsider.com/2012/02/14/outrage-after-school-tells-mom-her-child%E2%80%99s-lunch-is-una...

[cmkellie]

Often times I think there's more to the story than we hear, but taking this for face value, I think the school was way over the line. Besides the fact that they determined the lunch to be fine in the end, why wouldn't they just let her eat it and send a note home or call the parents instead of sending home a bill. That seems a little extreme (and makes me wonder if there was more to the story).

Do any of you send chips to school with your kids? We don't really eat them at home, so my kids don't have them at school either. I guess I could see that as unhealthy, but the lunch as a whole didn't seem bad. If it was chips, soda and cookies, I might think twice.

[sweetandspicy999]

I am a preschool teacher at a daycare and unfortunately I have to do similar things. Our school is working towards accreditation and they will give the teacher a bad score if a parent brings in an unhealthy lunch for their child. I just try to remind my parents when they bring something unhealthy for their child (which in my case is donuts). A lot of preschools are starting to say no outside food. As a soon to be mother I have problem with this because I can pack a much more healthier lunch then the daycare provides.
I hate sending those notes home because what you pack for your child to eat for lunch should have absolutely no effect on my score as a teacher. One because the parent is going to trump teacher especially in the preschool because the parent is the customer. Second if that is what the parents chooses to feed their child then me claiming its unhealthy just for lunch is not going to have an effect because they are getting it at home.

[nathanielsmom110100]

This is shocking! Today my son's lunch consisted of leftover chicken casserole and peas in his thermos, a granola bar, orange slices and a water. If someone took that away from him and then charged me for a lunch when I had packed him a perfectly good one I would have blown my top and went straight to the top like this mother did.

[nathanielsmom110100]

What kind of accreditation are you working towards that oversees what children eat? I am a Montessori teacher and work at a private Montessori school. We just recieved SACS and SAIS accreditation last year but to my knowledge they did not oversee our nutrition program. That being said, we have a very good program and encourage only healthy eating.