The beginning of school always
inspires change in our home. Our oldest child began a new chapter in her life
by starting high school. We expected her schedule to be hectic with ball
practices and games, church youth group activities, homework and time spent with
her friends. Our younger son has ball practices and games of his own. We
didn’t expect this new routine to include packing lunches each morning to send
to school, but it does.
In the past, our
kids were always excited after their first day of school. This year was
different. The excitement for our oldest was replaced with hunger and a
headache. Her day started a little after 7 a.m. when she got on the school
bus. After school she had softball practice until 5:30 p.m. I knew she would
be hungry. I didn’t expect a child who was sick from not eating enough at
lunch. I jumped to conclusions at first and blamed her for not eating all of
her hot lunch. She explained she ate all of her lunch, but it didn’t fill her
up. Changes to the school lunch program eliminated peanut butter and bread for
kids still hungry after eating their meal. Vegetable and fruit servings
increased, but maximum limits were placed on meal calories, grain servings and
lean meat servings. Food portions are smaller.
In 2010,
Congress passed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act to implement the first change
to the school lunch and breakfast program in 15 years. The Healthy Hunger-Free
Kids Act will be phased in and schools must be compliant by the 2014-2015 school
year. New dietary specifications set specific calorie limits to ensure
age-appropriate meals for grades K-5, 6-8 and 9-12. The goal is to reduce the
amount of fat and sodium in diets to help combat childhood obesity. Schools
that choose not to follow these guidelines will be at risk for losing federal
funding.
Students in
grades K-5 are allowed 8-10 ounces of lean meat/meat alternative a week and a
meal calorie range between 550-650 per lunch. For grades 6-8, the lean
meat/meat alternative limit is 9–10 ounces a week with a calorie range of
600-700 per lunch. A student in grades 9-12 can only have 10-12 ounces of lean
meat/meat alternative per week, and the meal calorie count must be between
750-850. For grains, the ranges are not much different.
My concern is
the new guidelines focus on age and overlook weight, height or physical
activity. For instance, in small schools most of the students participate in
sports. However, under these new guidelines, every child will be fed the same
regardless if they need more calories. This one-size-fits-all program is not
meeting the needs of all of our children.
My daughter
likes fruits and vegetables but they do not keep her full. No child should
leave the lunch room hungry or suffer from headaches due to a lack of fuel for
their active bodies. When our children are hungry, they cannot learn. When
test scores fall, our teachers will be blamed. Our family’s solution is to pack
a home lunch, but for some children, a school lunch may be the only hot meal
they receive.
This program is
hurting our physically active children. As a concerned parent, I believe these
guidelines need to be reviewed and adjusted to meet the needs of all children,
not just one group of children. Local schools need the ability to tailor their
lunch program to fit the needs of their student body instead of being based on a
national average.
I have contacted
my U.S. Representative and Senators to voice my concerns. Until we find a
workable solution for my athlete, I will pack her a lunch from home daily to
ensure her nutritional needs are met.
(Chris Chinn, a
fifth-generation hog farmer from
Clarence, Mo., is a member of the Missouri Farm Bureau state board of
directors.)
No comments:
Post a Comment