Some of you may or may not know about this....

Did you know that Johnston County Schools has a LIMIT on what our children can eat for lunch? :shock:

Yes, that's right! It's true. I spoke with a couple of teachers and it seems they have limits as well.

This all started when my son came home from school absolutely starving. I asked him if he'd eaten lunch and of course, he had. So, I asked him what he ate. He told me what he had and I thought that seemed to be enough.........until he told me the ENTIRE TRUTH of the matter. See, they have their main course, 2 veggies and a fruit and bread, or however they choose that day. This particular day, the veggies included potatoes. Boiled potatoes. Now, we all know that these are the canned whole potatoes. My son explained to me that they only put 3 potatoes (these things are small) as a side. So, I told him to just ask for more next time. He said he would, but he needed more money. When I asked him why, the answer almost made me spit fire. He told me that for 3 more of those potatoes, he had to pay a dollar more. WHAT!!!???? :cuss: At first I was a little concerned, thinking that maybe he was fibbing. Luckily, I had a conference the next day and started asking around. Teachers, office staff, etc. Wouldn't ya know it?! He was telling me the truth.

My concern grew into fury. They raised school lunch prices this year and in the same breath, they put a limit on how much they could eat. Now, my childrens' pediatrician has told me to feed them when they're hungry, which should be a given. So, I asked the pediatrician what would be a possible reason for the school system to do such a thing. It was stated that a reason may stem from obese children, but it should not be the school system's ruling on other people's children. Their job is to feed my child lunch. My son doesn't get reduced or free lunch. We pay full price. To me, this would be like going to McDonald's, ordering a value meal and getting my burger with just meat and bread, 10 french fries in a small pack and a large water. :x

Is it just me? Do I have a right to be angry? I have ended up making my son's lunch every day just to make sure he is eating enough. He was so hungry that day, he was in tears. What do you guys think? Maybe it's just his school, but it's happening and I want answers.

You might want to ask your children if it's happening to them at their school, too.

 

It's not their job to feed your child..If you don't like the prices or serving size send a lunch with him..It's not McDonald's..What if he didn't like what's served ? Should they change the menu for you too? You're doing the right thing by sending lunch with him.It's probaly better and he can eat as much as you want him too...

 

You took what I said completely wrong. If it wasn't their job to feed my child at lunchtime, they would send him home for lunch. I'm not griping about the prices either. All I am saying is that it's pretty crappy how their lunches are handled. Not to mention that noone was informed of this change. Hey, I'm not the only one angry. You should hear the teachers. The school system does it to them, too. They've complained, but all the parents don't know what's going on. I'm just basically saying that my child shouldn't come home hungry. He's not a picky child. He eats everything on his plate. My reference to McDonald's is what I feel like their plates look like in the lunch line. My child is also not obese. He an athletic child and is in no way overweight. There's NO REASON for him to come home as hungry as he was....period. Wouldn't you be angry if you paid....say, $9.00 for a steak and rib meal and you ended up with a 2 oz, 1/4 in thick round steak, a slab of ribs with only 3 ribs and a teaspoon of mashed potatoes? Maybe not, if that's all you could hold, but you paid $9.00 for that. See, these kids don't know nor do the understand that they are being limited. They can't ask for more because they didn't bring money for more, because they didn't know....and neither do the parents.

 

It's never bothered me at all. You pay $2 for school lunch, and you can't get much for $2 these days. Try going anywhere else and feeding him a hot meal for that much. And of course they're going to charge more if he wants more, anybody does, except buffets. If they didn't put a limit on it, kids would be wasting food all the time. I'm always having to tell my kids "take what you can eat", because if they see something they like, they think they can eat twice as much, and it ends up getting thrown out. I don't see anything wrong with what the school is doing. And it's confusing me when you say they're limiting them. It sounds like they can buy more, they just have to pay? Or did they tell him he can't have anymore at all?

 

Serving sizes are determined to what is an actual serving based on the USDA guidelines. The school lunch program is subsidized by the USDA, and the schools must serve the amounts specifically listed by them.

 

That makes perfect sense. My grandmother cooks at a daycare in another state. She has guidelines she has to follow by the state, and she has to record how much of each food is given to the kids. Some are babies, and they go up to school-aged (for summer/days off...) She has to know which ones get whole milk, and now any older kids have to get skim, no option. She has to know who gets 1/4 cup of veggies, 1/2 cup, etc.

 

Do you think they are offering a buffet? When you go to any resturant, you get a specific serving size for the cost. They are offering a serving size for children. Most adults don't even know for themselves what a reasonable serving size and one for a child may appear small. They do go by nutritional guidelines base for child portions. You always have the option to send a lunch if you don't like what or how much is being served.

 

As fat as kids are these days, it's probably a good thing.

 

yep, been like this forever....its like that in middle school too.

Think of it this way, what if 400+ kids got to eat as much as they wanted at the school lunch line? it's not possible for the school to just have a 'buffet'. I was a bit miffed about it when I first learned back when my kids were in 2nd grade.....but they haven't keeled over from being hungry yet. The school provides the bare minimum. :mrgreen:

and just send an apple or a granola bar extra, to supplement what the school supplies.

 

My son is in 3rd grade and is a hearty eater. There have been a few occasions where he came home saying he didn't get enough, but those were the days he didn't care for what they had, so it was more his fault for being picky. And I'm not sure how old your son is, but in every class my kids' have been in, there's always been a "snack time" where at the end of the day (or morning if they have a late lunch) you can send them something extra. I send one almost every day, because I hate to see my kids go hungry. It's usually just a granola bar or goldfish, something like that.

 

I have heard that many times, the children will get, say, 4 nuggets, instead of the five they are entitled to. That is one thing. But many times there are no other options available, even though the menu states there will be. One day recently, they had tacos or nachos, with no other options. Well, they ran out of meat, so gave the children the chips and cheese only. Then, the cheese was frozen!!!! . Yes, frozen!!! There have been other frozen items served, not totally frozen, mind you, but with little icicles on it. I have seen mold on food and this has be brought to my attention by many children. MANY!!!! Perhaps it is a small spot, but it doesn’t matter to me. The frequency of this occurrence is staggering to me. And hair!!! I am not kidding, almost every single day someone in the class finds hair in their food. My child brings lunch, but would enjoy buying it instead. After many days coming home starving, we felt we had no other option. As far as purchasing extra food, perhaps a more appropriate fee would be in order. It is quite expensive what they charge for extras. I believe, but am not certain, that if a child chooses extra meat, they are charged for a full lunch. I am very concerned about the quality of food they are serving our children and have recently been thinking of a way to change this. I have already written to the board, with no response.

 

Bubba,
I can understand your concern. You never want to see your child upset especially over something like a school lunch. When you say they are limiting him (as I think another person mentioned) that doesn't sound like the best way to describe it. If they are giving him the amount of food that he is supposed to get for the $2 then nothing is being limited. If he didn't get the amount that he should have then you should be upset. I'm not sure if this is what happened in this situation. Is it fair to pay $1 more for 3 potatoes? Absolutely not. But you're not going to get around it either. So I guess your only option is to send more money or to pack a lunch.

And I always appreciate when people bring things like this up because it helps me plan for what I will be facing once my little guy hits the school cafeteria.

 

:ack: That's just nasty and if that's what the standard is I just had my mind made up about the packing lunch issue.....

 

I have noticed that they kids seem to get less this year than last year. I did think it was strange the price went up and they were served less food. My older son comes home hungry often. I have started sending him a bigger snack. One day I ate with him and they served some sort of pizza role that was not cooked all the way--so he ended up with a very small serving of mashed potatoes and a juice pop. I went home and fixed him lunch and brought it back for him to eat.

 

I work at school, and I see a lot of kids, every day, that don't get any veggies or fruit. They don't want them, so they don't get them. I try to encourage them to at least try them, especially since they are included in the price of their lunch anyways. Also, I see a lot of kids that get an extra meat. Lots of parents pay for the extra.
I personally, pack my kids lunch. It's cheaper and I know what they are eating. I even pack my own lunch, because it is outrageous to pay for an adult lunch at school. I can order a sandwich from Big Steve's and take it to school, for almost the same price I would pay for a meat and one veggie. But, it is what it is, and we have to deal with it. Spend a day in the cafeteria and see what the kids are really eating, by choice. You will change your thoughts a little. Also, think about the cafeteria as any other restaurant. They have to meet a certain standard, with food, and money. It's not as simple as the school has a cafeteria.
As far as the mold thing, I've never seen anything like that. I would definitely call the manager of the cafeteria. That's the best place to start.

 

The lunch line ain't a buffet, it's a set meal for a set price. Either send your kid some extra food, pack his lunch at home, or the third option, and to me the obvious one.... when I was in school, there were always kids who didn't like what was being served, or didn't eat everthing. Simply have him bum leftovers from the kid (or kids) next to him or at the next table, or whatever it takes to fill him up!!! That's what I always did, and best I remember, there was always plenty to go around and I never left hungry. Plus this cuts down on waste, as less food goes in the trash.

PROBLEM SOLVED !!! 8)

 

:iagree: Absolutely correct.

I have taken off from work throughout my teen's school years to have lunch with her so that we could spend time together and I could get a feel for the food. I have yet at East Clayton Elementary, Riverwood Middle and Clayton High School seen anything out of the ordinary regarding the food. I send a check in to put on her account and if she wants something extra she can get it. We pack snacks and sometimes now lunches for her so that she is full and can concentrate on academics. I would not want to work in the cafeteria...hard job, in my opinion.

Good afternoon,
Sherry

 

Could always pack a lunch - I'm sure anything packed is far better for your child than processed food in the lunch line. I remember when we first moved here, my son was in 6th grade. I was shocked to see the amount of starches listed in one meal. I'm sure there are a lot of individuals out there who have a misconception about what portion sizes should be which probably explains so much childhood obesity.

 

Exactly right. $1.00 more for 3 more measely potatoes....c'mon. Especially when the "entire meal" is only $2.00. Like I said before, it's not the limiting thing..I guess I should've chosen a different word. This year, we pay more for less. And to get more, we get gouged. It's not fair to the children. I've asked my son's teacher. He eats everything on his plate...EVERYDAY. He doesn't skip any veggies or fruits. Like I also said before, he's not picky. But anyways, again he does carry his lunch now and is NOT hungry when he gets home.

 

I just thought that I would make other parents aware of this occurence. Most parents don't have any idea of what's going on. Some may not care and others may care greatly. It's my child, so, of course, I do care.