Last spring, a school in Chicago prohibited students from bringing home lunches. The principal explained that the reason for the ban is that at the school lunches are more nutritious than those brought by students from home. Other school districts have banned items like candy and soda from children’s lunches. Questions for parents include whether school lunches are more nutritious and whether schools have the right to prohibit students from bringing lunch from home.
For many parents, the choice to pack a lunch for their children comes down to a simple question of money. A typical school lunch costs about $2.50, and some school districts offer lunches for about $4. For a week, this cost can easily turn into $25 or more for a family with two children in school. Parents who shop carefully can provide a nutritious lunch for their children every day for well under $25 a week.
Also, parents of picky eaters can make sure that they are packing something that their child will eat at every meal. Picky eaters may not like what’s on the school lunch menu, and schools rarely offer alternatives. And, for parents of children who enjoy a wide variety of foods, packing unusual foods that the cafeteria might not provide is a bonus.
The benefits to parents of preparing a meal for their children are not so clear from the point of view of the school. Forcing all students to buy the food offered at school ensures that all children receive at least the minimum nutrition required by the government. Schools can also make sure that students, regardless of their home situation, eat at least one meal a day.
Schools can also make sure students are exposed to a wide variety of foods. Menu planners can also plan a more exact number of students eating each day. Since children vary between bringing and buying, it can be difficult for the cafeteria to have enough food each day, but when all children eat the food provided by the school, it is easier to count meals.
In many cases, schools prefer that all students buy lunch due to the potential for allergy-inducing foods to be brought into home-cooked meals. Peanut butter is a major offender and can easily be completely eliminated from a school through a mandatory school lunch program.
Regardless of what the local school district does, children will always refuse some foods. Parents can be assured that schools offer a variety of foods in a balanced meal each day. Also, parents don’t have to pack lunch in the bag, remember to put it in the hands of children every morning and ask yourself if it will be in a backpack getting hot and full of bacteria before lunch time.
Loretta, M.Ed., a professional writer and educator, as well as a stay-at-home mom, covers parenting and educational topics for Parents’ Little Black Book, [http://parentslbb.com], a resource for parents and caregivers that focuses on on
