Is the food police going too far?

This NY Times article thinks so:

I fear there’s something else at work -Â— a fear borne out by a flier my fifth grader brought home saying that at the monthly pizza hot lunch, no child would be allowed to buy a second slice of pizza. The district says the new ruling is to avoid bad feelings caused by “inequities”: if everyone can’t have extra helpings, no one can.

Comments

Lindsay
Wow. So much for the paradigm of schools teaching our kids about more than just the three R’s.
How’s it going to ‘feel’ to go through your childhood with the world being perfectly equitable and sunshiney, like a Disney springtime segment, and then hit adulthood? So if you’re not given a nice car, no one should have one?
Bruce Small
I guess the reaction depends on whether you see yourself as a survivor, or a victim.
Having been born on the wrong side of the tracks, literally, my reaction has always been: “I don’t like this situation, so what do I have to do to make sure this never happens to me again?”
That philosophy has worked very well for me over the years.
Is it better with everyone having nothing, than some having more than their share?
ipanema
As our second home, I think schools are in the position to teach children proper eating habits. How much food will be given to children must be monitored.
Just recently there was news on paediatricians turning them into “fitness police”, to guide parents and children on how to conquer obesity. I don’t think we will wait for that time to knock on the hospital door because they are too heavy that they feel unwell. I’m pretty sure, the first comment will be to cut down on food.
I think it all comes down to moderation of intake.
Anonymous
What is wrong with all kids only getting one slice of pizza? Geez, when I went to school we all got exactly the same thing and the same amt. of serving. Eat it or go hungry.
Also, I’m not sure that just because a childs family has more money than someone else’s means they should be allowed to get more to eat at school..
ipanema
I had the same problem when my children attended kindergarten, the same food all throughout until they’ve memorised what’s in for each day. They won’t eat.I decided to give them home food to bring to school.
In my present location, the government rationed all government schools with fruit, sandwich and bottled water EVERYDAY until two years ago. It was scrapped because students got tired of it.
Anonymous
Of course you also have to consider the possibility that the school’s real intent is to address child obesity… but feels it is politically incorrect to say so, hence the red herring of “inequality.”
ipanema
Well, how much would a parent want their child to take in ‘comfort’ food, is up to them.
From Bruce Small:
I guess the reaction depends on whether you see yourself as a survivor, or a victim.
- very true indeed.
diora
What is wrong with all kids only getting one slice of pizza?
Of course you also have to consider the possibility that the school’s real intent is to address child obesity…
Not all kids are fat and/or couch potatoes. Some kids are thin; some are just lucky to have faster metabolism. Some eat a full dinner at home in the evening; others come from cultures that treat the midday meal as the main meal and only eat light supper in the evening (it is common in some Eastern European and Northern European countries by the way). And what about kids who do competitive sports? They spend way more colories than kids than fat couch potatoes. Why should kids who are competitive athletes, for example, be refused an extra serving because some obese couch potato cannot have it? Surely a kid that swims/runs/skates several hours each day needs more calories than the kid who spends his life near TV?
And by the way, how about having healthier choices than pizza in the cafeteria? How about having more time for physical activity in school?
Life is not fair. Kids should learn that. Some people can eat more than others and stay thin. In real life the kids will see other people eating sweets. If they cannot resist temptations, they will never loose weight. Shall we all stop eating dessert in the restaurants if there are obese kids present?
Anonymous
Well, if the schools aren’t feeding our children enough then they need to increases servings for all. I don’t think food is a good example at all to teach kids about other people getting and receiving more. They are not in a restaurant they are in a school. I don’t see how witholding food from kids as a teaching tool, could possible be any benefit whatsoever.
ipanema
I don’t think that it is the school’s duty to feed children either. Unless specified in enrolment forms that they provide snacks, then they must and if parents are paying for it. In my children’s case, yes I did pay. The children are bored with monotonous food, so I have to provide.
Well, if the schools aren’t feeding our children enough then they need to increases servings for all. – If there isn’t enough, how to increase servings?
I don’t think food is a good example at all to teach kids about other people getting and receiving more. – Sadly,in this particular case, yes. It’s not the food per se, but the concept behind it. Equal servings. That each student gets the same share: whether they eat or not, they have their share. They can do whatever they like with their share: give to others or bring it home.

Is the food police going too far?

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