MORE Treats at School? Parents, Speak Out!

Recently a friend, FB, came to me because she was very angry about food that was being served at her school. "Did  you know about it?" She asked me. "What good are you in your position if no one is listening to you and teachers are allowed to do what they want?" I smiled and explained that if I went around telling teachers and principals that what they were doing was wrong and they needed to do it my way, I would make a lot of enemies,  I would not make change, and I would most definitely get fired. But I digress...

FB's son had a grade level "theme day". This is when the teacher takes a teaching concept like the 100th Day of School and plans a day of activities around that theme, concept or book that the class has been studying. At this theme day, students drank soda, ate ice cream and chewed gum in addition to playing games. FB sent me the angry text early the next morning.

I suggested that FB meet with the principal to express her concerns.

Not only was FB upset because her own child had never had soda and was not permitted to chew gum (especially if it was not sugar-free) she was shocked to learn that her 6 year-old was given these foods at school and without parental notification or permission. Her quote "No one has the right to feed my kid these foods, especially without asking me first". I can identify with this. I often get the statement that it is a parent's right to bring whatever food they want to school. My response? Parents can bring whatever they want for their own child, but I agree that they don't have a right to feed other people's children without asking the parents. The food allergies add another element of caution as well. In this case, a teacher brought the treats to school without notifying parents.

These "sneaky treats" are provided in the schools much more than we realize. Some examples of extra treats that our kids get that we may not even know about include: Lunch Bunch when a teacher brings treats for kids that complete all of their homework; Theme Days when teachers bring treats; Rewards kids are frequently rewarded with candy, pizza and milkshake parties.These are in addition to birthday treats and holiday celebrations.

Parents, you have a strong voice! I encourage you to find out what your health policies are for your district and your school. I can't help but feel quite strongly that we don't send our kids to school to eat junk foods like soda, candy and cupcakes. At the same time, we can remind parents that if they have a problem with this concept that they can send whatever they want to school with their own child.

Next Year I Am Handing Out Carrots

I did hand out pretzels one year for Halloween and I never heard the end of it. They were in cute little orange packages that looked like pumpkins. My husband said that was the reason why no one came to our house the following year. This year we handed out candy and for some reason I am feeling very guilty about it. A group of kids came by and said “Hey! That is the Red, Yellow, Green Light Lady”. I am not sure they fully understood the irony of me handing out candy though I am sure their parents explained it to them. Another parent stopped by our house and said “you better not be handing out carrots” – I wish I was.

I am not sure why the guilt is worse this year. I have handed out candy in the past. Perhaps it is because I just went to that conference on sugary drinks and got a jar full of sugar representing the amount of sugar we eat in a week. Or maybe it is because I have been reading about the soda tax on the Richmond, CA ballot. Or maybe it is because I just did several assemblies on making healthy choices. Whatever the trigger is, this year I feel so much more concerned about the amount of sugar that our kids (mine at home and in the community) are eating and the health lady contributed to it!!

In general, I am all about moderation. When people first meet me or work with me, they assume that we must not have any red light foods in the house and that I grow wheat grass. But we do have a few red lights and I don’t grow wheat grass.  I have a sweet tooth and I am very aware of trying to keep a balance in my family’s life so they don’t go overboard at a party or a friend’s house. I do believe that if something is forbidden, you want it more. So in an effort to be more relaxed and less Red-Light obsessed, the health lady handed out candy and now I feel terrible.  

In spite of my lapse in judgment, good things did happen this year. I had a number of parents tell me that the Switch Witch came and took their child’s candy and left a present. My daughter got a great book called “I Need My Monster” by Amanda Noll and Howard McWilliam. 

A lot of children brought their candy back to school to earn money for our education foundation (a local dentist is buying it back and sending the candy to the troops).   

There is more than it looks in a photo

Several teachers told me that they did not have any sugary treats at their Halloween party! Instead they had string cheese fingers, spa water with grapes for eyes, and fruit. Some other teachers told me that they chose not to hand out the extra cookies and snacks that parents brought and either sent them back home with the child, or brought it to the teachers’ lounge (not like we need it either…). I made the pumpkin with the fruit skewers and brought it to a party. Kids loved it and parents thought I was so clever.

Next year I think I will hand out carrots.