You may have noticed the always empty student store on the school‘s first floor. If not, you’ve surely detected the lack of Pop-Tart wrappers on the staircases because of the bare vending machines in the cafeteria. The reason for these magical disappearances is a change in the Chancellor’s regulations regarding food in school.
The revised A-812 regulation states that “only foods and beverages approved by the Office of School Food and purchased through central contracts may be sold to pupils during prescribed times throughout the school day.”
The Department of Education’s primary reasons for the amendment are to promote good nutrition, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and prevent obesity.
These are perfectly valid reasons… for regulating food in elementary schools. But in high school?
By now, we are all mature enough to understand what is healthy and what is not, what will make us obese and what will not, and what we should consume and what we shouldn’t.
We know the difference between right and wrong, yet we all want to decide for ourselves which of the two to do.
Not having the option of eating cupcakes and chips in school won’t be effective in changing teenagers‘ eating habits. Most teens have money of their own to spend on any foods they want after and before school. Wendy’s and Burger King are still walking distance from our school. The stocked vending machines did not force unwilling students to devour junk; they were simply available for use.
The DOE is trying to limit appeal of unhealthy foods, but it would be foolish to rid the school of all negative temptation. Doors are not bolted shut just to avoid the temptation of cutting class.
Putting aside our desire for independence, the regulation is essentially limiting the growth of extracurricular activities. All issues of the newspaper were produced with money made primarily from bake sales, supported with some money from donations and advertisements. The National Honors Society’s main source of income was selling pizza during lunch blocks. Selling boxes of chocolate paid for many students’ senior dues last year. The Chinese Year of the Ox celebration was partially funded by its sales of bubble tea.
“Without permission to sell baked goods, Key Club won’t be as productive as it was last year when we were able to raise funds,” said senior Michael Appelgate, officer of Key Club. “Selling baked goods should be limited to clubs that raise funds for organizations, such as Key Club, and to groups that raise money for the school.”
The student store was rarely vacant during lunch hours. Sure, its inhabitants were sometimes selling food dubbed “unhealthy” by the Chancellor‘s Regulation, but all were hoping to raise money for a truly moral cause.
In these times of economic recession and budget cuts, schools are already receiving substantially less money. With the new regulation, clubs and other extracurricular activities will have even greater difficulty surviving. For now, only the PTA is allowed to sell foods as a way to fundraise, and only after the last lunch period once a month.
For now, we have the food from the school cafeteria and approved drinks from Snapple machines. There’s also the journalism bake sale before school on Wednesday mornings. All other options are out.
Maybe it’s a beneficial and healthful change. But it sure is exasperating when a regulation restricts us from making our own decisions and cuts funding for our beloved clubs, which provide us with valuable learning experiences.
