Super Policy or Food Police Gone Wild?

indunna

Knowing my daughter will be turning 7 the day before school starts I sent her new teacher a note asking if it would be ok for me to send in cupcakes for her second grade class on the first Friday after school starts (as I have for the past 3 years). Surprise - she e-mailed me back saying that the new school "wellness policy" said no cake for birthdays. OK... So I replied asking if I could send in a "healthy" alternative such as grapes or strawberries. Nope. No food period. They could perhaps sing Happy Birthday to her...

I know some parents probably think this is great. My sister is diabetic and could never eat birthday cake growing up. My son was on a medical diet for a couple of years and couldn't eat birthday cake, strawberries or grapes. So I think I get where they are coming from. BUT, it still rubs me the wrong way.

What do you think? Super Policy or Food Police Gone Wild?

Athijade

I don't have an issue with it in the most general of senses. It makes sense, with all the food issues and allergies, that the school wouldn't want food sent to the school by individuals for a whole class.

That said, the idea that cupcakes would not be okay due to a "wellness" program is a bit silly. Cupcakes can be part of a healthy and sustainable diet. No food should be demonized, especially when it comes to young children. A cupcake, in an overall healthy diet, is not going to make anyone obese or unhealthy.

seltzermint555

I really don't know how to feel about that. I think it's a bit over the top but at the same time, perhaps a good idea.

What I find strange is school lunches being very unhealthy in most US schools, but then all of these programs to fight childhood obesity and increase kids' knowledge of nutrition. Obviously it's not as simple as all that...but I find it very contradictory!

I don't believe schools in my area have such a policy, but I know a few of my friends with kids in school were really bothered by the policies that began several years ago here of no homemade food. So just store bought prepackaged treats. I think one school specifies individual size portions, too.

kaseysospacey

If every kid brings in cupcakes then theres like 25 days of extra cake. It ends up being a lot.
My sons class last yr had a lotof restrictions. His school had all whole wheat,no fried food etc. Its not bad. You can have cupcakes at home.

cnadiger

I wonder if snacks brought in from home for childrens b-days have to be counted in the new "Healthy School Lunches" policy the fed gov rammed down our kids throats. Maybe that's why they say no outside food? IMO the whole thing has gone much too far and no longer is governed by common sense, just by-the-book non-sense! :grumble:

indunna

I guess I'm kind of sentimental - the idea of a child taking 10 minutes of the day to share a treat with friends and to let the spotlight shine on them seems a sad thing to say goodbye too. I was also shocked when I found out that the kids get 1 15 minute recess per 6 hour day (we had 3 when I was growing up in the 1970s). Perhaps if they would introduce more recess the kids would burn off the cals from the 20 cupcakes (1 per birthday) that they bring in each year...

I guess the constructive thing to do would be to work with the school on some type of alternative birthday celebration.

I just need to wrap my head around the fact that we no longer seat 6 unbelted 7 year olds in the back of mommy's station wagon - 1 per booster in her SUV. And we don't send in cupcakes anymore. Perhaps it isn't as bad as I initially thought.

deksgrl

For a long time now schools in my area have had a no home made food policy. I haven't heard of a "wellness policy" before, but I don't have kids in school any more.

pobalita

This is the policy at my kids' school, too. Honestly, I'm glad. While a few cupcakes aren't going to hurt anyone's health, the average class size at my kids' school is about 30. My kid get enough treats already without having 2 to 3 dozen cupcakes given to them by teachers over the course of the school year.

I honestly believe that acknowledging a child's birthday and wishing them well is enough in the classroom and I don't see any purpose for everyone getting a "mini party". If parents want to serve birthday cake or cupcakes, they should have a party outside of the classroom.

dbmata

Food police gone wild for the win.

How derpy.

Pupslice

they probably do it because of all the food restrictions these days and to avoid any potential lawsuits. lots of kids have allergies, then there are those who are on specific diets for medical or religious reasons, or aren't allowed certain things by their parents [think about things like refined sugar, soda pop, white flour, etc., that get a lot of flack on the MFP boards]. if someone got food poisoning the school might be held responsible, if someone allergic to peanuts accidentally ate something with peanuts in it and got sick the school might be liable, and so on.

meshashesha2012

this has been going on for a while. about 10 years ago i heard of it as a way to keep things equal amongst kids .

i guess now instead of doing it because some kids may be poor they are doing it because some kids might be fat

VeryKatie

Are you guys saying you're not allowed to send a home packed lunch with your kid anymore? They have to eat cafeteria food?

I never want to be a teacher but I honestly might consider homeschooling my future kids if that's the case. With my province being rated the dumbest province in Canada multiple years running... I might have to.

Ready2Rock206

As someone with a summer birthday who never got to bring treats to school and always felt left out I can see value in this policy. I wouldn't call it a wellness policy - that's ridiculous, but have you seen some people's kitchens? Homemade treats can be a serious health hazard.

deksgrl

Are you guys saying you're not allowed to send a home packed lunch with your kid anymore? They have to eat cafeteria food?

I never want to be a teacher but I honestly might consider homeschooling my future kids if that's the case. With my province being rated the dumbest province in Canada multiple years running... I might have to.

No, it is a policy where you cannot bring in home made food for the entire class (like cupcakes on their birthday). Your own kids can eat their own home packed lunches.

Catter_05

At my son's school they have a minimum nutritional value rules during school hours. Basically, you can send whatever you want in your child's lunch, but neither you nor anyone else is allowed to give anyone else's child something that doesn't meet these requirements. (Juice box ok, Capri sun not ok). There are a few days a year when those rules do not apply. The day before summer break and the day before winter break are the party days and the parents are responsible for the party. To make it worse, if you do anything for one classroom, it must be done the same way for every class in the grade level! If class A gets a tropical skittles for a bingo game, classes B, C, D, etc. must have tropical skittles. If your child wants to pass out invitations to his/her party they have to mail them out or invite the entire grade level! I'm not sure if the other schools in the district don't have the same rules or just don't enforce them. I've worked at other schools and they have class cupcakes etc.

seltzermint555

One of my acquaintances is a 4th grade teacher. I remember several years ago she was telling me what she does for her student's birthdays. On the first day of school, she had each of them fill out an index card with their name, birthday, favorite color, favorite candy, and a few other details. On each student's birthday (or half birthday for summer/holiday b-days), she would give them a small birthday card in their favorite color with their favorite candy attached. A lot of the kids would be SO shocked and ask "But how did you KNOW?!" especially when it was harder to find things, like Haribo gummi peaches or a Zero bar. I thought that was impossibly cute. I guess no more of that, though...ugh

Catter_05

As someone with a summer birthday who never got to bring treats to school and always felt left out I can see value in this policy. I wouldn't call it a wellness policy - that's ridiculous, but have you seen some people's kitchens? Homemade treats can be a serious health hazard.

:laugh: how true!

tracie_minus100

The school my friend's son attends (my daughter will be going there next year) has a strict food policy. She is not allowed to send anything deemed "unhealthy" (chocolate, candy, anything like that) for her son for lunch. If there is "contraband" in his lunch, they send a note telling her to ensure that he has only healthy food from now on.

shadowofender

I dreaded my birthday when I was in grade school because my mom had neither the time nor the money to make or buy cupcakes or what have you for an entire class. It was just one more way I felt left out. I have therefore never understood the need to share food for a child's birthday at school because I was never on that side of it.

I think it's ok to have that policy but maybe the reasons behind it are a little weird/ But again, it's too hard to know what kids have what restrictions and I know a lot of mom's who flip out when they find out their kid ate something from someone else. There's a myriad of reasons for that.

Francl27

As someone with a summer birthday who never got to bring treats to school and always felt left out I can see value in this policy. I wouldn't call it a wellness policy - that's ridiculous, but have you seen some people's kitchens? Homemade treats can be a serious health hazard.

This.

I'd be delighted if my kids' school had that policy, lol!

Shalaurise

I vote Food Police Gone Wild.

I have found that the restrictions were worse when we were at the rich kid's school. The rules on what I am and am not allowed to feed my child are INSANE. Please keep in mind that there is nowhere for them to store said snack that is cold but with all the other restrictions we have put in place we may as well have a huge no preservatives rule too. I had to find a snack that doesn't need refrigeration, has no contact with the idea of a nut at all (because a couple of kids have a legume allergy), is designated as healthy by our standards (which we are not going to provide you), that doesn't take too long to eat because they get upset if they don't have time to play AND that your child will actually eat... because if they don't have a snack they get grumpy and then have behavior issues. Go! So, needless to say, we had a lot of behavior issues.

Now that we have put her is a school in a lower income area she is allowed to have cashews again. I specifically asked if there were restrictions and I was given a look like I was a crazy lady (and boy was that comforting) and then told that they take a different approach and simply protect the children who need it rather than restrict the entire school based on two kids. Treats are okay in class, it is simply requested that we check to assure that there are no allergies in that class first. Kids are taught not to share their food. It is like a school that teaches individual responsibility and I am soooo happy to be there. It is such a relief.

stealthq

Are you guys saying you're not allowed to send a home packed lunch with your kid anymore? They have to eat cafeteria food?

I never want to be a teacher but I honestly might consider homeschooling my future kids if that's the case. With my province being rated the dumbest province in Canada multiple years running... I might have to.

If I had a kid, I'd be figuring out how to make home schooling work, believe me.

There are districts in the US that don't allow any food from home.

A friend's kid goes to a preschool that does allow food from home, but mom can't send whole milk, just 2% or skim because whole milk is 'not healthy'. The teacher takes the whole milk away if she sees it so the kid goes without. :huh:

Personally, I figure the school district can get their noses out of how a family chooses to feed their kid. They can have all the control they want over school-provided meals, but stuff from home had best be hands-off. If a parent is causing their child to be malnourished or severely overfed, there is always child services just like in any other case of suspected child abuse.

The funny thing is that I grew up eating cupcakes or cookies at birthdays (~40 of us), Valentine's Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc, up until 6th grade. It was a badge of honor to have the mom who brought the yummiest treat. We also had an hour of recess where none of us were allowed to just sit around. Everyone had to be on the playground equipment or playing some other game that involved actually moving. This was on top of phys. ed. Somehow, there were very very few kids in our class that even qualified as 'chunky'. Wonder how that happened?

MKEgal

I know a few of my friends with kids in school were really bothered by the policies that began several years ago here of no homemade food. So just store bought prepackaged treats. I think one school specifies individual size portions, too.

"store bought prepackaged treats"????
IOW, crap.
They want healthy, then mandate crap.
This makes sense how, exactly?
I'd probably send something special in my kids' lunch, for them, and if I knew they eat lunch with friends I'd include some to share.

If the school had a policy against celebrating with special food, then I'd make a goodie bag to give to each kid in class: stickers, stampers, pencils, pens, little toys.

Daiako

Schools are all about wiping out 'differences' between kids. Some kids are fat. Some are poor. Some have summer birthdays. We can't have kids who aren't those things 'highlighting' that they aren't those things and making the kids who are those things feel bad.

Most of us probably agree that 30 cupcakes a year isn't ruining any kids life. That's what, 1 cupcake for every week of school? Not really noteworthy in any way shape or form. But that Jane Doe can't do that because reasons and might feel left out? Well that is a problem!

Some schools police what you can send your kid in a packed lunch. Soon some schools won't let you pack a lunch at all, I'm sure.

MKEgal

There are districts in the US that don't allow any food from home.

My kid would not go to school in one of those places if I knew about that policy.

A friend's kid goes to a preschool that does allow food from home, but mom can't send whole milk, just 2% or skim because whole milk is 'not healthy'. The teacher takes the whole milk away if she sees it so the kid goes without.

That would happen exactly _once_, then I would be meeting with the principal & maybe the superintendant (and perhaps even the media) to find out why my child was being denied food... the healthy food I chose & sent. :explode: :mad:

How about using an unmarked plastic bottle, remove the label? Miss Nosy can see that it's a white liquid, but doesn't know how much fat is in it. Children need more fat than adults anyway; they're growing, they need energy. The child can be taught to say, "Mommy packed my lunch, you'll have to ask her what kind of milk this is"... as she's drinking the last of it.

I figure the school district can get their noses out of how a family chooses to feed their kid. They can have all the control they want over school-provided meals, but stuff from home had best be hands-off. If a parent is causing their child to be malnourished or severely overfed, there is always child services just like in any other case of suspected child abuse.[/quote
Yes. This. Exactly.

amy8400

For those of us with birthdays in the summer (waaay back in the late 60s early 70s), we never got to be the center of attention and bring cupcakes and candy to pass around in class for our birthdays. This was Pre-Everybody-Wins Era, so if you had a summer birthday, too bad. No recognition; no being the cool kid for the day with the mom that brought in treats. I think I have a complex now from all that lack of attention :laugh:

yesmikan

This is the policy at my kids' school, too. Honestly, I'm glad. While a few cupcakes aren't going to hurt anyone's health, the average class size at my kids' school is about 30. My kid get enough treats already without having 2 to 3 dozen cupcakes given to them by teachers over the course of the school year.

I honestly believe that acknowledging a child's birthday and wishing them well is enough in the classroom and I don't see any purpose for everyone getting a "mini party". If parents want to serve birthday cake or cupcakes, they should have a party outside of the classroom.

I agree with this. It's not just one treat, it's one treat multiplied by however many birthdays there are in the class. Which might be an extra 25-40 (!) treats for yours and everyone else's kid over the year.

If you wanna celebrate your child's birthday, do it at home where you can have control over everything.

meshashesha2012

there's also the food allergy issue.

i had a summer birthday and wouldnt have shared my cupcakes/cookies anyway when i was that age but kids at my school would save their treats for their birthday party

lemurcat12

Even back in the olden days when I was in school I don't recall people bringing in treats for the whole class because it was one child's birthday. You'd get homemade treats for holiday parties (like Halloween) and other special events, but not everyone's birthday. So I guess I don't see it as a bad thing. It seems awfully disruptive and to take away time from real school stuff (like learning) if it's done for everyone's birthday, and I kind of do think it creates a weird dynamic if some moms do it and others do not.

But I don't have particularly strong feelings either way.

If there really are schools that don't let the parents choose what milk their own children take from home or the like (I'd want to see some source for the policy, because stories about horrible stuff schools do are often exaggerated), that is, of course, idiotic and wrong.

LiftAllThePizzas

I guess I'm kind of sentimental - the idea of a child taking 10 minutes of the day to share a treat with friends and to let the spotlight shine on them seems a sad thing to say goodbye too. I was also shocked when I found out that the kids get 1 15 minute recess per 6 hour day (we had 3 when I was growing up in the 1970s). Perhaps if they would introduce more recess the kids would burn off the cals from the 20 cupcakes (1 per birthday) that they bring in each year...

I guess the constructive thing to do would be to work with the school on some type of alternative birthday celebration.

I just need to wrap my head around the fact that we no longer seat 6 unbelted 7 year olds in the back of mommy's station wagon - 1 per booster in her SUV. And we don't send in cupcakes anymore. Perhaps it isn't as bad as I initially thought.

I don't understand why it's the school's job to celebrate your kid's birthday, or the job of your kid's classmates to celebrate someone else's birthday.

meridianova

i'm torn on this one. i fully agree that we've gone WAAAAAAY past the point of overboard when it comes to school regulations, what can and can't be brought, the laundry lists of what must and must NOT be in kids' lunches (including sending notes home if you're missing some fundamental thing in their lunch box), the allergies... being a parent is confusing enough, i don't want to have to play a guessing game when it comes to lunches too. but kids should be able to celebrate holidays and special occassions... it's half of what made going to school fun!

my son's preschool asks the parents to send candy or treats for the big candy-type holidays (halloween, christmas, easter) and for their birthday, but anything you send can't have been within thinking distance of a peanut... which means no baked goods because nobody can verify that nuts haven't been somewhere along the assembly line. technically, the kids have to be semi-quarrantined if they have ANY food from home, they have to finish it at the table away from the other kids, and it has to be fully gone before they're allowed to play. but my son gets hungry easily so i send him to school with an apple every morning. half the time i'm surprised they let him have it.