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What the wha???

I cannot tell you how hyped up I am at this note my friend Linda received today from her child’s school.

Her child has to have DOCTORS NOTE to send a packed lunch to school.

And does anyone notice the irony in the “health coordinator” and enforcement of no bagged lunches?

(pic used w/ permission from linda)

 

 

So I suppose that sending a note that says “I choose to skip the GMO’s in the lunches you serve for a more balanced and safe diet as the parent of this child” doesn’t suffice?

This is almost as bad as our schools policies to serve Lemonade and Nachos or Ice cream during Charlotte’s P.E. classes every week.

 

Homeschooling is looking better and better every day.

 

~Trisha

 

Like this post? Try another one. Common Core is Making me Stupider or our Bless You post that went National.

 

 

407 thoughts on “What the wha???”

  1. I’m not sure where “Linda” lives but the state of Missouri has been enforcing this for several years. I send meats, fruits, and veggies for my child, no sugar or processed foods. My child was eating an avocado and sweet potato for snack while the other children ate store bought granola bars full of sugar and chemicals. The state inspector said my child was malnourished because he wasn’t eating a grain and she would report me to child services if I didn’t send a doctor’s note that stated the specific medical issues that made it necessary for my child to eat food other than what is served at the daycare. The daycare can serve frozen chicken nuggets, fish sticks, canned fruit & veggies, cookies, etc. but when I send fresh whole foods I am going to be reported to child services? This had nothing to do with a federal programs, it is a very old policy driven by the state. I contacted the state department responsible for this and they offered 2 solutions, either send my child to a non-licensed daycare or have the doctor specify exactly what my child is not allowed to eat and why. The doctor’s note also had to include the doctor’s permission for my child to eat food I prepared. SERIOUSLY? Then each time the facility is inspected they make me go get more documentation from the doctor so my child can eat healthy food instead of the processed crap the school serves. I go thru the trouble of getting the notes and documentation and cooking breakfast, lunch, and snack every night to send to school the following day because I care what my child eats. Please don’t tell me to send my kid to another daycare because we interviewed 20+ childcare facilities and NONE of them serve fresh real food but they all meet the state guidelines. It makes me sick!!

    • I’m retired, I don’t have children, but just reading what you wrote…makes me fuming mad!!! What the hell has happened to our country? It’s turned into a giant cluster f*ck!

  2. some of these comments are so idiotic, I’m dumbfounded.
    Some of you think the government is caring about the health of children??
    They’ve approved Gmo’s and have foods here that are banned in other countries. The FDA doesn’t care about the health of anyone.
    And I’m sure the reason the mom had her daughter bring a bagged lunch in the first place because she cares about her child’s health and is not willing to let whomever feed whatever to her child.

  3. “Astonished at such idiotness” above…..

    I am more astonished at such idiocy you display. Wake up everyone. Freedom isn’t free, and it’s an illusion anymore anyway.

  4. and everyone must have missed that part of the note. SPECIFIC DIET! who knows what this mother has sent with her child. Probably one of those jerry springer trailer park trash moms. we dont know the full story

  5. Why did you redact the names of the guilty school officials? How about those nice folks taking personal responsibility for their insanity?

  6. This is what socialism and big government is all about! We are a community and it’s no longer about the individual. Government does NOT know best. It is MY child. Mine! Don’t buy into the hype that it takes a village to raise a child. This is the kind of village they want for our kids? a village that is run by government?
    We are now global citizens, no longer independent with a cookie cutter education one size fits all. It is not OUR children it is MY child. The government is slowly taking control of our children and undermining our authority over our own children.

    • This is not socialism. Because even in canada (socialist country) allows, guns, encourages organic foods, taxes the rich more than the poor and helps everyone to get work and off the streets doesnt do what we do. So for you to say socialism is what this is, that is total horsepoop!

      It is a communism. Not socialism. Country.

      I rather live in socialist than democratic or republican. Because both parties over the generations have destroyed our nation. Freedom is a latent word sugarcoated for the dumb. There is too much freedom, that means corporations can tax hike and raise product prices all they want (this creates a problem), freedom needs cap and needs to be governed with righteous people.

      The constitution doesnt always work in favor of people. all it does now is create a world of assholes who feel they can do whatever they want.

      Anyways. that school that said this about the letter, is all fake. there is no documentation except what is shown here and anyone can post anything they want and scare others
      That is the other issue with total freedom

      Freedom needs to be governed sorry. I never thought i would say that being a conservative republican, now an independent.

      God speed, this nation is falling apart because of idiots and liberal elite

  7. Let me preface this by assuming they are feeding the child a healthy meal while at school and hopefully the ice cream sandwich’s are a treat once in a while. If not my entire statement is completely null and void and should be avoided at all costs Unfortunately, many parents in this country have no idea how to raise a child. None at all. They think it is some sort of teddy bear. Many are also do not make enough to buy good healthy foods (which is ridiculous as fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean meats should cost much less than anything in a box with 50 plus ingredients, gotta love GMO) Thus when they are at a federally funded head start program they do not want a child coming to school with a Mountain dew and a Lunchable everyday because it is dirt cheap and super easy to give to the kid. Unfortunately, this is what it has come down to in this pig stye we call America, shit food, as cheap as possible, loaded with chemicals and GMO’s, and individuals who are not fit to even care for their own needs raising 2, 3, 4, kids. If you are not going to take responsibility for you kid and provide at least 1 nutritious meal per day during the school week someone else will. Of course, the ultimate solution to this issue is to have prospective parents need to get license proving that they have a steady adequate income, can and will provide for their child’s needs, have health insurance, and have a roof over their heads. Then and only then can they have children. Then the federal government would not need to step in. Of course this a pipe dream and we are just going to continue on this path of self destruction cause’ hey its the American Way.

    • American’s seem to have done a pretty good job of raising kids for most of American history. Why is it that the children of the baby boomer generation is the first generation that can’t raise their kids on their own? The baby boomer generation did a crap job of raising their kids and now their children can raise children. The boomer generation is the first generation to offer their offspring less opportunity than their parents did. How? The intellectuals in the boomer generation (make love not war) have corrupted this country so completely now it is going to take a major depression to get over it. My parents were born in the early 1940’s and I was fed fine by bringing lunch to school. My kids were raised well and brought their own lunches to school. How come my grandchildren have to be burdened by Big Brother? The lunches they take to school are no different than what I parents sent me to school with. The boomers have given us Big Brother – my son is thinking about moving to Canada.

  8. All daycares and preschools are going to the fed food program – even those that do not take welfare vouchers as payment. So even though my kid isn’t on welfare she goes to a school that gets the “healthy food” fed funding – and not only is my kid not on welfare but the preschool doesn’t even accept welfare payments (here it is child care vouchers.) That being said- you’re right – I could pull my kid out of preschool, but because I’m a single mom I would have to quit working and then I would have to be on welfare….so she eats whatever they feed her.

  9. this is outrageous! but i see an easy solution…if you have a doc that you frequently ask for a non descriptive note to allow bag lunches but not why, signed with his/her signature and phone number. This has to work because of HIPPA/privacy law. The doc cant give out any extra info even if the schools calls and if they do receive a call they can simply state “due to hippa concerns blah blah blah”

    • The problem is that she even has to get a doctors permission to do it. It is absolutely insane!!!! The parent should have the ultimate say in what is being fed to the child not the doctor!!!!

      • Yes, the parents do need to. But look at it with both eyes open for a moment.

        Not all parents feed their kids proper foods.
        If they take the notion “thats our child we can give him/her whatever we want”, and kid shows up with lunchables or some pizza everyday and HFC aspartame crap, in many eyes they are doing it wrong and the child unknowingly suffers, they need to put it to a stop.

        Schools should have certified nutritionists in the lunch rooms inspecting foods, making sure they are GMO garbage. This way the government stays out of the way, the parents are not threatened, and the kids can grow up healthy and happy because that is the realization of having a kid. Making sure they get the best treatment possible.

        If gov has to intervene oh well. This letter is also half ass, how do we know another letter wasnt sent saying, your child is not getting nutrition with the peanut butter jelly sandwhiches or high sodium lunch meat you keep sending with them?

        It’s time for these wacko conspiracy theorists and these parents on here thinking they can do or say whatever they want, to get a grip and realize it from both sides.

        YES GOV SHOULD STAY OUT OF IT. BUT! PARENTS ARE NOT ALWAYS PARENTS THAT THE CHILD NEEDS!

  10. Yet more tyranny. While we were sleeping, they came and took it all away. This is a bad journey, and I tell you, it leads to a Fascistic Police State. We swallowed the government fairy tales about JFK, MLK, and RFK. We swallowed OKC in ’95. We swallowed 911 in ’01. We swallowed Banghazi. We swallowed all the staged shootings. Now, we’ve positively convinced them that they can get away with anything. And so they will try.

    We chose to be in arrested development, and to know everything about football, baseball, basketball, and American ‘Idle.’

    This is only the beginning. You wouldn’t believe what they have planned next.

  11. Head Start is different from regular public school. What’s to keep the school from just tossing out the lunch sent from school and serving their lunch. However if a parent want to send a lunch that is their right. My son’s former school sends home incentives for the kids to come on half days with ice sundaes. I told the principle that there had to be a better way to get the attendance up on those days other than offering them ice cream. But my concerns fell on def ears. I also kept him home on those days because I didn’t want him to have the ice cream. I also asked his teacher to stop giving him candy as a reward. The very next day he came home with candy. We now homeschool and it has been one of the best things we could have done for him.

  12. This letter is not pertaining to a public school. It is for a federally run/funded program such as Head Start. Since it is a federally run program for lower income families, or families with a child with special needs, the kids must eat the lunch provided by the school. For most kids who attend this type of program, it is there only full healthy meal that get in a day. They will allow kids who have a special diet, or food allergy to bring in outside food. They will also work with you and make sure that food your child can eat is provided. It is really a great program and it helps the families who really need it! I know, because my son is a graduate of the Head Start program. With out it, I don’t know what I would have done!!!!! Just thought I would share to keep a perspective on what the letter is really about.

    • It probably is a wonderful program…but they are not that child’s parent and if the parent can send a nutritious lunch from home, they should butt out.

      • Actually, if you are going to take welfare because you can’t take care of your child, you have ZERO say in following the guidelines set by the program.

    • I don’t get your argument that because a family is poor and in need of assistance, they somehow forfeit their right to eat what their parents choose. Even poor people have the right to send pb&j if they have a picky eater.

  13. This letter makes me irate. My son has had horrible digestive issues for the last 3 years, ever since he has been eating lunches at school. As soon as I got on the Paleo/green track myself I told me son we are never eating from the school again. He didn’t have one digestive issue all summer and no daily stomach pain. As the year started he has been doing great eating from home. Then one morning I didn’t have time to make him lunch so he ate from the school, immediately he had horrible stomach pains again. NEVER AGAIN!! That stuff is so full of crap. However, before I can go post this blog everywhere, I have done my due diligence and submitted the photo and blog to “snopes.com”. I have been humiliated too many times posting something that is stirring the pot, just to find out it is a fake. Can’t believe anyone’s word till the proof is in. If it is true, than GOD PLEASE HELP US!

      • Ridiculous! I just finished a film on the entire school lunch program with director James Costa! We want to raise awareness to children and parents all over the country! We screened our film at the Aquarium in Virginia Beach last month. Whole Foods is 100% behind us and we want to do more!! Let’s get people involved to change what is being served to our children in school! That is the real issue… it is inexcusable.

      • If this note is real, then I am sure you can explain why the name of the faculty member who wrote it has been blacked out, or the name of the contact ‘Stephanie’ has also been blacked out, or the name of the supposed school where this happened, has also been blacked out. The only name not blacked out is the name, handwritten of course, of the person who the letter was written to (and signed by another blacked out name). Why is the important info blacked out, you know, the info that can let people lodge a complaint, or the very least, confirm this? Who did the censorship? Not the School. It had to be the person who got it. Who are they protecting and why?

        • I blacked it out myself, its not on the note, its on my Photoshop program before I published it. Because I published a note of a friends (w/ permission), I personally chose to protect the school as I do not want a lawsuit. If you are a news organization that wants specifics, I linked Linda and you can contact her directly there.

  14. I just want to publicly state that as the principal of my home school, no child will ever be threatened with a GMO- and artificial-ingredient-laden lunch, so that they may concentrate, so that they may actually LEARN.

  15. What ever happened to personal responsibility? I was in grade school in the 1960’s, and a fellow classmate had an allergy, she knew it and was educated about it. I offered her something from my lunch one day and she thanked me but said she couldn’t have it because she was allergic to it. No big whoop, no one made fun of her, she didn’t slink back or feel embarrassed about it like she was ‘different’, it was just ‘matter o fact’ to her. Granted, this girl I knew was about 8 or 9 and this note comes from a Pre-school. But still, there has to be a better solution than to tell parents they can’t pack their own kids lunches. That’s asinine.

    The food offered in schools (and I’m recalling my own years there) was always crap. Questionable meats processed god knows how and diluted with god knows what fillers, cardboard like pizza, gooey mac and cheese, instant potatoes. It’s not nutritional on any level.

    Push ups (the ice cream bar) is nothing but a sherbet like substance loaded with 3-4 food colorings which has been associated with ADD, etc. Yet the pre-school in question thinks that’s OK to give your kids? We are becoming more and more lost as a civilization if this is a new trend we’re about to see filter in to all schools – which one can assume is the agenda.

    • My kids cannot have gluten. My older child will, and has from the age of 2, ask about ingredients and is very clear that he cannot accept ‘mystery’ foods. His younger brother, already 4, is much more trusting. Especially in a preschool environment that can be lethal. There have been far too many instances of parents secretly packing forbidden items, like a cookie that is made with peanut butter, in their children’s lunches because “it’s their favorite” or “they like it,” and hiding that fact from the teachers and the children. You can forbid kids from sharing their food all you want, but it will still happen, and cross contamination happens so easily. I absolutely see this as a last resort for protecting the kids. (BTW, we homeschool, but I support education for everyone, and for some people just ‘pulling the kid out of school’ is not an option. )

  16. This could easily be fake, especially since the author did not add which school it was from. Why not say the school? I am sure others would like to know as well as the media. I know their are some school that won’t allow some foods not to be brought to school, so unless their is a source don’t believe what you read, this is the internet. Haha

    • Its not fake, but out of the privacy of Linda and her minor child, and being that the internet is full of a LOT of crazy people, I personally chose to black out her school so no one comes by and tries to pick him up. If you want to verify the validity of the note, you can contact your state about headstart programs without a specific school name.

      • “being that the internet is full of a LOT of crazy people”

        touche.

        So, Linda Brooks wants her privacy protected, but you neglected to protect her privacy, just the people who wrote this note. Who’s side are you on? And, a google search will show THERE IS NO LAW THAT REQUIRES THIS.

        • I ASKED permission from Linda and linked to her, just like anyone reporting on a story would be. She did not ask me to protect her, nor did she ask me to protect the people that wrote the note. I decided to black out names on my own accord, on my own website, and linked her for further info. If you want that info, you can contact her. Thankyou.

  17. This could be because some children have serious allergies to things. I have a friend whose son is so allergic to peanut butter that if someone touches him with peanut butter on their hands, it can be fatal to him. Considering how serious food allergies are, and how difficult it can be to police an entire room full of kids with lunches, this seems very reasonable to me. Rather than having to send info to everyone’s parents and monitor EVERYTHING, this might be easier

    Quite frankly, it disgusts me that you people would willingly endanger the lives of children with allergies because your precious darlings should have access to the food you want them to. Maybe you should think about that.

    • Frankly, I hope you’re just trolling. Maybe you have nothing better to do than tell people concerned about their children’s diet that they are monsters. If a student has allergies, they need to be careful, not the entire world around them. If I want my kid to eat food that I know is healthy, then neither you nor the federal government has any right to tell me otherwise.

      • Um, no, you’re very wrong. We aren’t allowed to bring in ANY peanut products into my sons school. They serve sunbutter and jelly.

        • Our school hasn’t banned peanut butter but they no longer offer it on their menu. My kids hate the sunbutter. They have classmates who are allergic to peanut butter, but the kids have been educated and the teachers and cafeteria staff informed. There have been NO issues with pb&j brought from home.

      • No, they don’t. Schools everywhere have switched to “nut free” menus, and serve SUNbutter and jelly sandwiches. Sunbutter is made from sunflower seeds. Often, we tell the kids it’s pb&j, because otherwise, they won’t eat it.

    • Spoken like a true tree hugging, idealist progressive liberal. My son has a severe allergy to Cedar. By your logic, my neighbors are uncaring scum bags for not cutting down all the cedar trees on their property. Completely ridiculous. If your child has a health issue, it is your responsibility to work with the school to safeguard YOUR child, or to home school them. All the rest of the kids should not have their freedom taken away, simply to make your job as a parent easier. End of story…

      • HWH- My kid has a dairy allergy and I do NOT feel it is up to others to protect him. There are PLENTY of liberals I know who have VERY CLEAR understanding of personal responsibility. I live in CONSERVATIVE-VILLE (trust me, you would probably love it here!) and in my son’s public school we had to sign an agreement not to send nuts or nut products in packed lunches because there were so many kids this year with fatal peanut/nut allergies. Because my son can’t eat dairy and has never liked sandwhiches/lunch meats, I use nuts and nut butters as sources of healthy fats and protein for him. While I do feel it’s been slightly inconvenient to me personally, I am also quite sure if my son’s allergy were FATAL I would appreciate the understanding of the parents in his class. We are talking about 4 year olds, it would be different for even 1st or 2nd graders in my opinion, by then they should be more reliable about certain things. Cutting down all the cedar trees on a property and simply not sending peanut butter in a packed lunch are VERY different levels of cooperation. My kid can have nut butter for breakfast and dinner and on the weekends, he’s not going to die without peanut butter. Actually, by the way, almond butter is healthier anyway, no one should be crying about no peanut butter. I’m sure you’re raising your kids to be tolerant, compassionate human beings. Your tone about liberals is so hateful and closed-minded it may as well be like a racial slur. Let’s get the facts straight: liberal or conservative, the government for 30+ years has systematically partnered with the food industry and the healthcare industry to make us the most unhealthy, fat, and drug-hungry country out there. Keep people sick, fat, and addicted to sugar and lots of big businesses makes a lot of money. This is a greed and money issue and a big business issue, not a party line issue. Last I checked, we haven’t had only liberals controlling the government for the past 30 years making this situation how it currently is. And the current administration (which you probably think is liberal too) is clearly favoring evil Monsanto/GMOs/big business (wait I thought conservatives favor the 1%?). Funny thing is, you and I agree about personal freedom and responsibility, such a shame you are so insulting in how you think about 1/2 the population of this country.

    • The kids WITH the allergies need to be the ones that are careful! The allergic childs parents want US to protect THEIR precious babies why shouldnt we want to protect ours? My daughter has a SEVERE bee allergy.. a sting could kill her.. but I NEVER ONCE demanded that the school keep the windows closed just for her. She was taught how to handle the situation…. I taught her that it was HER issue and not for others to have to change their lives just for her!

      • Children with severe food allergies, which are becoming more and more common, can go into shock and die after playing with a child who has been eating nut products, or from being in the same room because of the airborne particles. By the time the children are in elementary school, yes, they are old enough to know not to eat their friends’ cookies, but in preschool, they aren’t old enough to take care of themselves, and teachers can’t check every single lunch every single day to make sure there are no nut products. That’s why schools ban outside food.

  18. Having a child whose overt medical needs were ignored and defied in spite of a “doctor’s note,” and having been told, illegally, that a “blanket doctor’s note” doesn’t count, I know how well that would work.
    That said, I’m more aghast at the complete absence of apostrophes and in the second note’s identification of “push ups” (whatever those are) and fudgesicles as “ice cream.”

    • Are you really being serious? No really? I have to assume you’re a free hand out sorta person? An Obama loving voter who wants the government to have it’s nose in everything we do as long as they foot the bill? You’re ridiculous. Get outta here and go feed your kid a twinkie.

      • You are really ignorant about how your government works. Policies are set by Congress, decisions on how to spend money are specific to the House of Representatives. The President does not make laws and has nothing to do with policies of individual agencies. Therefore your “Obama loving” comment just shows that you are an ignorant racist.

        • I’m sure they realize presidents don’t make laws but sign bills into law, and this President signed the NDAA into law that makes it legal to jail indefinitely without trial or representation. Judge Katherine Forest found this part of the NDAA to be unconstitutional and blocked it, but the Obama admin appealed her ruling with the result that it is now legal for the govt to kidnap Americans and hold them indefinitely without trial. It is also noteworthy that it was the Obama admin that lobbied congress to pass this law.

  19. I had to write a note for my son’s daycare. I wrote up a letter for the doctor to sign and she gladly signed it. If the preschool receives any funding from the government then they are audited to ensure that the kiddos are “properly” feed. LOL! which today for breakfast was, sliced cheese melted on white bread….I bring my son’s breakfast too. It is so fun having the government tell us what we can and cant do….said no one ever!

  20. Pack the lunch with instructions to the child not to throw it away. If a school offical takes it from the child, have them charged with theft. That’ll put a stop to these Shenanigans real quick.

    • Great idea!! I hope people do it!

      Why do I need to check a box to confirm I am not a spammer in order to comment? That makes no sense… WTF?

  21. I am amazed by this! I am from the Netherlands and do not know much about your schooling system, but in the Netherlands it is pretty clear. School does not provide food, they provide education.
    If you want your kid to have lunch, have them take it with them (so everybody does). There is no discussion on allergies or responsibility of the school for kids exchanging their meals.
    Sounds simple, right?

    • The reason the children can’t bring their lunches from home is because of our government. Here in the Land of the “Free” – which apparently means “free lunch” – big corporations and big corporate farms rule the roost by getting big, fat government contracts that provide big, fat checks. These companies, in return for the favor, support political campaigns with big, fat checks. That’s why our First Lady helped implement a special school food program (I say “food” program because it doesn’t just cover lunch, but, in many cases, the schools are also providing breakfast and after school snacks). It doesn’t even matter that the students aren’t provided enough calories to keep them full, or that students often throw these “healthy” lunches in the trash. Because, it’s not really about some obesity epidemic or because the benevolent State is worried that the kids might not be eating well. It’s about profits. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/michelle-obama-school-lunches for more about Michelle Obama’s school lunch program.

      Apparently, when you elect a President of the US, you also elect his wife. But, food tyranny didn’t begin with Michelle Obama. We in America have a monstrous regulatory state with far-reaching tentacles. We just have the illusion of a free market economy. See http://mises.org/daily/5930/

      • We do elect the wife of the dictator. Look who will be president next. The woman who let people die in Benghazi, the same one who covered up her husbands abuse of several woman. The same group who were involved with bringing drugs into this country. Thats right get ready for Hilary in 2016. Its a done deal we just done know it yet.

      • No. You don’t get to do that.

        I was getting “free” school lunches in the Carter administration. The Reagan administration said ketchup was a vegetable. You don’t get to blame anything about the current school lunch programs on the politician you don’t like now, because it’s been a disaster for 35 years.

        Besides, both of my kids take lunches to school every day because they don’t want to eat the burnt bits of whatever pre-packaged slop they try to pass off as food. No notes, no complaints, no nothing.

        • THANK YOU, JOHN! I am sick of people turning the school lunch discussion into a liberal/conservative battle. It’s a mess and it’s been a mess for a loooong time.

          While I don’t think the current guidelines are 100% correct (and requiring a “doctors note” to bring packed lunches is entirely ridiculous), I do not think it is wrong to expect children to eat vegetables. And it’s not political, either. And while some are throwing the healthy food away, we have to remember that it takes time for tastes to change, especially when these children (and their parents and sometimes their grandparents) have been raised on junk food and boxed convenience foods. Additionally, some of these school cafeterias are just dumping overcooked broccoli on the Styrofoam tray and then blaming Michelle Obama for kids not eating. Cafeteria staff need to be trained on how to prepare vegetables and they need to be more creative in what they serve.

        • Thank you John and Brista! I posted something similar to another O-blamer. I hadn’t read your post yet- this issue crosses party lines, all you have to do is talk to reasonable parents who actually know something about what healthy food really is and match up what we want for our kids and trust me you can find conservatives and republicans agreeing on things.

      • I work in a school where without the school food program a large chunk of our students would go an entire day eating either nothing or just a bag of 25cent chips. This program is vital to their survival and success in school. However, we allow children who can to bring lunch. Often these lunches consist of much less nutritious food than what is served. It’s ridiculous to restrict healthy bagged lunches. My future child will be vegetarian and the school does not provide specialized meals. No one would be able to tell me that I need to allow them to eat school lunch.

    • I don’t know what part of the Netherlands you’re from, but Holland public schools do have a school lunch program.

    • The Netherlands have one of the lowest poverty rates in the world and a strong social safety net. This is Head Start, for low income children who may very well get the only decent meal of the day from school.

      Apples to oranges.

  22. I worked in School Food Service for 21 years and if this school district is on the Federal Meal Program they could possibly lose federal meal funding for forcing students to eat school lunch. School Meal Programs are under the jurisdiction of the State Agriculture Commissioner. I presume that this is in Florida and if so, you can contact your state Agriculture Commisioner.

    BY EMAIL: http://app2.freshfromflorida.com/contact/?ID=1
    By Mail:
    Adam H. Putnam
    Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services,
    Plaza Level 10, The Capitol
    400 South Monroe Street
    Tallahassee, FL 32399-0800
    Telephone: 1-800 HELP-FLA or 1-800-435-7352
    Go Here to contact Commissioner Putnam by EMAIL: http://app2.freshfromflorida.com/contact/?ID=1

  23. Having had a career as a pre-school Director for many years, this is something I support. Many children have allergies and they are too young to not understand that what they are eating could kill the child beside them…..and they often share without getting “caught”. For this reason, many pre-schools plan meals that exclude the most common of all food allegens. Most child care centers are nut free, strawberry free…and pork free for religious reasons. By and large most pre-schools are private and not protected like the state schools and federal pre-school programs which leaves the open to a huge liability suit if a child eats something they should not have….even if the school did not provide it. As a private entitiy…the school can set the rules, if you don’t like them you can find another one. Not once in all my years as a private pre-school Director…were kids allowed to bring food from home. It was a rule in all of my centers that back packs be checked each morning by staff for items that could harm children. You would never believe all the things we have found…food items containing nuts, cigarette lighters, prescription medications, OTC medications…loose pills…you name it. While most pre-schools do not take this sort of action, I did. By law a child’s back packs must be within their reach all day. If a parent left something in that back pack and another child got it…guess who is responsible? The school! For this reason, I support this rule on lunches…in ANY pre-school…private, state or federal. Public schools are another matter. Children are older and usually understand by that time what they are allergic too..etc. Don’t jump to criticize every rule….most are in place to protect YOUR child.

    • Sure, sounds all nice and dandy, but if those rules are to protect children, then feed them proper food to begin with. No GMO/Overly sugary/salt/fat? That seems to me to be the biggest reason for ppl to provide their child with home packed lunches.

      • I agree totally. Most schools (all that I’ve ever heard of) serve over-processed, nutritionally deficient edibles (I won’t call it food) that are no doubt made from sub-standard ingredients improperly handled. Now with GMO products in the mix, which it probably was when my kids were young too but we never heard about it, I’d be even more likely to pack my kids’ lunches. And if there are any students with severe allergies like peanuts, let the parents know not to send peanut butter in their lunches. But DON’T tell me I can’t send my kids’ lunches from home. Unless you want a very angry parent pulling their kids OUT of school completely. Actually, I did that. 🙂 But not because of lunches. It was a control issue. The school wanted all the control and the parents basically had none. DON’T tell me I can’t visit my son’s classroom!!! That day I cleared out my son’s belongings and he never went back. Should have seen that teacher’s face. Homeschooling works. Makes kids smarter, independent thinkers who even get dean’s scholarships to college, like my son!

    • What a load of BS. There are more cases by FAR of the food served by the school causing allergic reactions than those of kids sharing food without being “caught”. School is for education not food right!!?? If this is the case then one would argue that should the answer not be to then educate the school staff in how to properly react with to an allergic reaction. How to properly observe during these feeding times and how to react with quick and reliable thinking? These are OUR children so don’t tell me it’s what’s best for them. I will send lunch with my kid all I want, you have taken enough money from us in trade for lousy education.

      • Yes she is, its all about control of the federal government, poisoning our food and forcing our children to eat it!! Children raised to eat unprocessed food can’t eat that Food, and really its not food, it’s a food like substance. The federal government should not control what we eat!! Total bullcrap!! I say home school!! Children are not too young to know and understand if they have allergies from food!! Thats kinda like saying we can’t teach our children as parents!! Not only that the chances of that happening compared to what it will do to children that don’t eat that kind of stuff you call food outweighs, kids charing food! This is disgusting, i’m disgusted with government control over what our children eat!!

        • Stop lying. “The government” is not poisoning our food. It’s the Big Ag companies, like Monsanto and Cargill, that are poisoning our food. They are helped by certain Congressmen who are paid by Big Ag to NOT prevent GMOs or even labeling of items that have GMOs. They take away funding from the FDA and USDA, so those folks can’t inspect foods and protect us. Nor do they get enough money to do research on additives. The Congressmen protect their big corporate buddies and have actively forced the FDA to change regulations to favor their patrons. It’s the Congressmen that YOU elect who are “poisoning” our food. But you’re more interested in maintaining your racist hatred of a black President and your sexist hatred of current and former First Ladies. If you REALLY cared, you stop voting for the Tea Party bigots who are getting rich on your backs. You just don’t know it because they’re keeping you riled up with lies. (BTW, the whole Benghazi thing was a bunch of lies put together by Faux News to distract you from the fact that the Republicans in Congress were busy voting against a law that would have done something about GMOs.)
          Complain to someone who can DO something about it; otherwise you’re just whining.

      • You are a terrible person. My friend;s son is so allergic that if a person even TOUCHES him with peanut butter on their hands, he could die. I’m sorry, but your child having the exact food he wants when he wants it is NOT justification to endanger another kid’s life. Imagine if it were your kid who you sent off to school every day not knowing if he’s come home at night because some kid sneaked in a Snickers Bar. Amazing, the selfishness of some people!!!

        • Sarah, you are a total idiot. It’s not even worth arguing with someone like you. Are you educated at all? Do you know what GMO stands for? Do you know what organic means? I mean that seriously, because my own in-laws don’t even grasp the concept since this country is so ass-backwards it has people believing organic is something strange and “new-fangled,” while we use the term “conventional” to describe a whole host of terrible edibles, though I find it hard to even call them that. Yes, they can be eaten, but should they be? No way. Your friend and her kid need to look out for themselves. This is America – do you not understand that no one is actually looking out for anyone, especially not the government? The only reason schools even care to ban certain foods are to prevent themselves from getting lawsuits, not to “protect the children,” as they so claim. It is an asinine system we have and not a single person should trust ANYTHING that comes from the FDA or DOE. You should really read a book sometime…

        • Sarah, There was a girl in my son’s 1st grade classroom with a peanut allergy. With good communication and appropriate supervision, they kept that child safe without making the school peanut-free. All the kids were told how the allergy threatened her, and what needed to happen to keep her safe. The cafeteria workers carefully cleaned her table, bench, and floor before her class came in. Only children with NO peanut products were allowed to sit at that 6 person table.
          For birthdays, the kids knew that IF their treat contained peanuts, her table would need an alternate treat – and the kids all knew what she liked (ie. could have). At the time, my son legitimately needed to eat a peanut butter sandwich mid morning. So, the girl’s Mom, the teacher, and I got together after school one day and designed a system to allow that while keeping her safe. He sat on one side near the sink; she sat across the room near the door. He immediately washed his hands and his desk when he finished, and she never used the classroom sink, but was allowed to go to the girls bathroom as needed. He could not eat his snack on the “story carpet” with the other kids, but he was able to eat the only form of protein he would eat at the time. It worked well. It CAN be done if teachers and parents are willing to work together and get the kids on board, too.

    • Good for you Dane I totally agree . When it comes to food not allowed in schools for religious reasons is complete crap why should my kids go without because someone else does not believe in eating a certain food . what is this world coming to . when I was in school we never had these types of problems . I think that teachers need to spend more time teaching instead of making up this crap.

    • I WOULD LIKE TO RECOMMEND THAT EVERYONE IN AMERICA SEND A NICE HAM TO THE PRESIDENT AND HIS FAMILY THIS YEAR FOR CHRISTMAS. MAKE HIM FEEL WELCOMED HERE IN AMERICA PRE- ISLAMICA.

      • You may be even stupider than sarah, which I didn’t think was possible.

        Let me guess, you support the Tea Party (or tea baggers, as I so fondly refer to them.) Why don’t you, Michelle Bachmann, and Ted Cruz do the rest of us a favor and shut the hell up?

    • My son gets the free school lunches but chooses to pack anyway. One day he forgot his drink and tried to get his free milk from the school. They would not give him the milk without his getting the whole meal. He didn’t want to get the meal and trow it away so he went without a drink that day instead.

      In response to Tommy who says preschools don’t serve foods that children may be alergic to…My sons preschool served peanut butter and jelly quite often and also served fish sticks regularly.

    • No it isn’t. All these rules don;’t let the parents parent their child, they give YOU complete control of their child whether they want you yo have that control or not… these are NOT your children and all these rules force the parents to give complete control to you! So lay off and hands of the kids! Leave the decision-making and parenting to the PARENTS!

    • I say BS, my child has food allergies and I trust no one else to see to her needs. I want to know exactly what goes in her mouth each and every day. It is my responsibility as a parent, I also take on the responsibility to talk to my daughter and explain why we go through this ritual every day. Nothing the schools can give my daughter meets or exceeds my own standards. This nanny state that only the schools know what is best for our children is bogus.

      • Thank you, Andrea! My children don’t have food allergies but even if they did, I would NEVER trust a school or teachers to determine what is safe for them. WE are the parents and it’s OUR responsibility to protect our children.

        I can imagine how difficult it is for you and how much work you do to keep your daughter safe. My son is 3 1/2 and he knows what GMOs are and knows what foods are bad for him, and he even stands up to his grandparents and aunt when they try to feed him the crap “food” they do. If he can do that at 3 1/2, then I know children older can understand what they can and cannot eat.

        Again, sarah, you look even more moronic.

    • so a dr.s note will protect the children from this shared food you are so affraid of….next to come /??????
      How come we havent heard of all the law suits you fear , for your poor school, if kids have been passing around poisin food at school how come we havent heard any examples?????

  24. WoW – I have never heard of anything like this before!

    We had for “homeschool lunch” today – leftover homemade stir-fry – yummy!

    You are right – just another reason it is GREAT to homeschool your children – I would NOT trade these days for all the money in the world!

    ~B

  25. Man that is just crazy. Why should someone have to provide as doctor’s note to feed their own child what they want.

  26. Makes me ever so glad we do homeschool now! We had 5 kids and did public, took them out for the rest of the time we were in “big city ‘burbs’, then did public again once we were in small town up till my youngest hit 5th grade and her first week she brought home a library book and in the midst of chapter one came to ask me what some words meant ( turned out to be various sexual acts)… out out out.. and will homeschool till she graduates. The more of things like this I see, the happier I am we pulled her out when we did!

    • Creating more messed up anti social prudish children every day…Way to rob your children of learning how to cope in the REAL world…

      • i agree low key. yes fifth grade is too young to be learning about sexual positions (i would really like to know which book this child is reading that is directed towards a fifth grader and talking about sex however because i find it very unrealistic..) however the point is you can not shield your child from all the dangers in the world, instead you need to educate them on what they are to identify the dangers and empower them with the confidence/moral/values to not engage in such behavior. you are doing quite the disservice in teaching your child that basically you and your husband/partner if you have one are the only ones that can teach them anything of merit. humans are social creatures and we learn by watching all the humans around us, not just our parents.

      • If by “messed up” you mean we aren’t creating more sheeple, then yes. The real world you speak of, a lovely government controlled state, that you encourage your kids to listen to….we will pass.

      • You mean what social engineers are designing the real world to be, rather than what we want it to be? You DID realize this is all based on social engineering, right? If not, LOOK IT UP! It is completely natural for parents to be the ones to raise the child, we are the only species that hands control of our children to complete strangers to mold them to their will. The “real world” is not what you think it is.

        • Well said, Tamara.

          The only species that hands control of their young over to complete strangers, THEN complains about the methods used by said complete strangers. Doesn’t make much sense, in my mind. If you don’t like the way the strangers are raising YOUR children, maybe the next step is to raise them YOURSELF.

      • Right. Because the “real world” consists of working ONLY with other people that are exactly the same age as yourself. And doing exactly the same tasks as everyone else. Yep, Low Key, public schooling definitely teaches children how to “cope with the real world”.

        • Exactly! Homeschooled kids have more opportunity to interact with people IN the community. They learn to interact in appropriate ways with people of different ages, different positions/careers in life, different view points, abilities, etc. ALL in real-life situations. HOW does anyone think segregating children by birth date for the majority of their waking hours could possibly do a better job of this? Most homeschoolers do not “stay home with Mom” all day. IN fact, when we homeschooled, I had to go buy a bunch of clipboards so my kids could get some things done in the car while we drove to park days, field trips, coop classes, and other activities. While homeschooling, other people (other parents, community members, museum employees, University students, small businesses, teachers, coaches, etc.) taught my kids things like: heart health, anatomy, biology, cooking, cultures of other countries, guitar, soccer, general PE, Colorado history, Photoshop, art, archery, creative writing, debate, and too many more to name. Homeschooling parents don’t have to literally teach everything their kids learn; they just take responsibility for it.

    • Creating more free thinkers every day… Don’t let that hateful comment discourage you. Good job taking responsibility for your children’s education instead of leaving it up to the government. 🙂

  27. I posted this response about the parent being told NOT to send a lunch with their child….I had some people on FB who thought this was a hoax..could you please respond with some sort of extra proof.. I do believe it but some people cannot imagine that things have gotten this out of control. Thanks

    • What proof would you need? I have this note in my hand, tucked away in my purse. Would you like me taking a video of it of course with the teachers, health coordinator and phone number covered? Because I would.

        • Peter, no parent is gonna toss you the name of their child’s school and number on the internet. As evident of the other comments, this is common in all headstart programs (although some are just learning of it) and you can verify this w/ your state.

      • if you dont mind me asking, what state is this? this is the first time ive ever heard of this. not too terribly shocking with them shoving all this crap down our kids’ throats.

    • I had something similar to this happen to me when my youngest was in Pre-K…apparently he didn’t care for the lunches they provided & was not eating which led to headaches, etc. & finally after much debate, he was allowed to bring his own lunch (minus A LOT of things like chips) but they still had to put a tray of their food in front of him also…something about them not getting paid from the state for him being in the Pre-K program

  28. When I look up Federal Programs Preschool it basically brings me to an Agreement with a school and the Head Start Program. I do not know if this child was in head start but it seem that Head Start is allowed to do this because of the schools contract (see link) with Head Start who basically has control over the kid. As I read in the comments, since Head Start includes meals, I presume they have to have enough people to eat the meals or the cost would become too expensive and the food thrown away. As a Taxpayer I don’t want to see waste but as a parent of a child I would not want him/her to eat stuff they don’t like. Quite the pickle this leaves people in. This is my opinion/observation on the limited time I am able to research this . But connect the dots yourselves. BR http://www.smartbeginnings.org/Portals/5/PDFs/Henrico_County_Public_Schools_and_Head_Start_Contract_for_VPI_Services.pdf

    • This appears to be and agreement betweent the HENRICO COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
      AND HENRICO COUNTY HEAD START and not between the parents and the program.
      It just says that part of the money has to be used to provide meals. The more students that eat school meals, the more federals assistance the district gets.

  29. Thanks everyone for your comments, it has been an interesting read for sure.
    One thing that has never been asked in this ENTIRE thread is…..Why are so many children allergic to peanuts?!!!!!

    Could it be pesticides? GMO? Not enough breast feeding to build up a newborns immunity?
    I grew up “under funded”. I drank raw milk, had warm chicken eggs (that I collected) every morning. My brother and I ate fresh plums, oranges, figs, peaches and tangerines from our trees in the yard. We ate veggies grown from our garden. We were born at home and never had shots. (We were exempt for religious reasons.).

    I went to a school that did not provide lunches. You brought your own. I was often teased because my mom made homemade bread and it didn’t look like store bought and therefore “it was different” or I was…

    Guess what? My school mates came to know that my home life was less privileged but they liked me anyway, not because if my weird looking sandwich, but because of who I was as a person.

    I grew up with “this is what is for dinner, eat it or go without”. I ate it all, except one time when my mom decided to cook cow tongue.

    To this day I only eat fresh food, organic as much as possible, no cans, no boxes, no MacDonalds. I am an independent contractor with no health insurance.

    I have not had a cold in the last 10 years. NO LIE!! My parents missed the mark on a lot of things rearing us, but they instilled some excellent food knowledge.

    Stay away from fruitloops and pop tarts, eat food with one ingredient, it is better and less expensive to cook at home. Eat butter, not margarine. (That stuff is one ingredient away from plastic) We ate breakfast and dinner together for at least 15 years.

    Don’t be lazy parents! Get off your butts and create a decent meal for your babies. My mom would make cheese sandwiches cause she was lazy. No meat, tomato or lettuce. If you can’t take care of kids, don’t create them.

    But if you do have children, FIGHT for them!
    Take care of them, if you don’t know how, ask for help. But for the love of your little ones, DO NOT rely on school lunches to get by.

    That stuff is junk! Feed them cheese sandwiches on coffee can bread if you have to, but make sure your kids know you didn’t throw them to the government wolves.

    • Thank you for the support. I had to re-live my event for 4 years and hear my same story over and over again. No matter how much resistance I receive I will hold my ground as to why my son died. I was there and I know. It angers me to think of what I and my family emotionally had to endure and learn to overcome due to his death. My son to this day will not talk about it and my daughter she does think about it and we have had lots of discussions about the event. It will be because of people like you that someday this madness will stop….

    • THE RISE OF VACCINES

      The big change came with vaccines. Peanut oils were introduced as vaccine excipients in the mid 1960s. An article appeared in the NY Times on 18 Sept, 1964 that would never be printed today. [8] The author described how a newly patented ingredient containing peanut oil was added as an adjuvant to a new flu vaccine, in order to prolong the “immunity.” The oil was reported to act as a time release capsule, and theoretically enhanced the vaccine’s strength. Same mechanism as with penicillin.

      That new excipient, though not approved in the US, became the model for subsequent vaccines. ([1] p 103)

      By 1980 peanut oil had become the preferred excipient in vaccines, even though the dangers were well documented. [9] It was considered an adjuvant – a substance able to increase reactivity to the vaccine. This reinforced the Adjuvant Myth: the illusion that immune response is the same as immunity [2].

      The pretense here is that the stronger the allergic response to the vaccine, the greater will be the immunity that is conferred. This fundamental error is consistent throughout vaccine literature of the past century.

      Historically, researchers who challenged this Commandment of vaccine mythology did not advance their careers.
      – See more at: http://www.thedoctorwithin.com/allergies/vaccines-and-the-peanut-allergy-epidemic/#sthash.ffUnpHwL.dpuf

      • Very well stated Kay. If anyone is interested, another great site that posts scientifically researched articles NATURAL health is http://www.greenmedinfo.com. I don’t work for them, I promote them because I love their articles and what they stand for.

        In regards to the note from the school, I cannot believe that, instead of getting on the same page about children’s education, schools are at war with parents over food (I was going to say ‘nutrition’ but from what I’ve been reading, what schools offer as so-called ‘food’ is a far cry from nutritious). … I understand that there are kids who go to school hungry because their parents don’t have enough/don’t know enough/don’t care enough to send them to school with a packed lunch. However, for those parents who can/do, why stand in their way? It is the parents’ prerogative to raise their kids, including feeding them and teaching them the importance of good nutrition, not the schools’. I’ve actually read that some schools are already teaching kids about the so-called ‘benefits’ of GMOs. Yes, Monstanto has infiltrated your kids’ textbooks. What a crazy, messed-up world we live in. It’s really unfortunate that beyond rthe daily struggles of raising kids, parents also have to fight so-called authorities for the right to raise their kids as they see fit. I fully embrace homeschooling!

    • Very well put Lisa D.

      I am a late starter to eating better. When i was very young one place we lived we were growing all our own food except meat. Fresh garden food and fruit is the best, it even tastes different. Unfortunately we didn’t live there for long. I have grown up in a family of obesity, my mother was, and almost all my siblings are, We also, most of us have an issue of either full diabetes or pre-diabetes. Not hard to connect the dots there.

      I am now 43, I have four children, two of which are young (ages 9, and 6) and still in school. I now live differently than i previously have, I eat almost all organic non GMO as much as i possibly can. I try to give that type of food to my young children as much as possible. I educate them about healthy food and what unhealthy food can do your body. For the most part they understand, but i compete with their mom on this issue because she has other priorities and finds it easier to just feed them sugar and snacks for meals. It is a tough battle because i don’t want them to grow up heading for the train wreck of obesity or diabetes.

      My son by the way hates school food, he also comes home with head aches because he either refuses to eat the food or eats very little of it. He just refuses because it doesn’t taste good. The thing is that the school serves a lot of vegetables and fruit that he normally would eat otherwise, but it’s GMO. Makes a big difference! This is why when i pick my kids up from school i always have a little bit of non GMO fruit and veggies with me for them.

      Since i started eating differently I now sleep through the night for an average of 9 hours of sleep. Used to only get 3 hours if I was lucky. I feel better now, losing weight, and have become much more active. I take nutritional supplements daily and eat lots of fresh organic vegetables and fruits, along with several different types of nuts and grains. It definitely makes a difference.

      I don’t get the flu shot, I don’t use bpa bottles, or fluorinated water, and I stay away from aspartame. I try to keep my kids away from them as well. There are just too many poisons out there these days that have become acceptable, and that are killing us all.

      It’s too bad that a school has to be so concerned about a law suit that they sacrifice not having better non GMO food for kids. In this I support Ingrid’s comment. If you want to regulate the food our children have, then make it healthier food. Then maybe my son will want to eat at school too.

      • There are hardly any gmo fruits and vegetables on the USA market. Unless your school is serving summer squash, zucchini and papaya every day they aren’t getting gmo fruits and veggies.Ted, I believe in eating good too, but you have got some misconceptions about GMOs . You are free to email me at [email protected].

        • Although it’s true that there aren’t many GMOs in fruits and veggies in the US, there are LOTS in grains and now sugars (in the form of corn syrup and sugar beets).

        • CORN and most processed food as well as condiments have ingrediants which is corn… Corn is a huge GMO crop, and various ingredients are made from corn which is added to a staggering amount of processed and already cooked foods people buy. So that is probably where most of his problem would be… Oh, and also canola oil is GMO, soy products are GMO, margerine as well, vegetable oil probably has corn oil in it, so any fried foods could have GMO in it, so unless the school meticulously controls the ingredients, cooking with only organic ingredients from scratch (way too expensive for them) odds are he would be exposing himself to GMO food contamination by eating a school lunch.

    • Amen, Lisa D.! If more people thought like us, this country would not be crumbling into the shithole it currently is.

      My only hope is with our children’s generation; that we can instill enough of this knowledge that it becomes the norm, and forces corporations to change.

  30. The only legitimate reason I could think of would be food allergies. Peanuts and Peanut butter are a critical issue in schools with children with severe food allergies. There was an incident in our local school where a parent brought rice krispy treats for the class but added peanut butter without teachers knowing. The little 8 year old girl died almost instantly. Her twin who was in the same class, was there to watch her die. A real tragedy!

    • Hi, there are other diets to consider besides food allergies. As mentioned above, many people are going with non GMO foods. There are people who are vegetarian, others Vegan. And parents who don’t want their children eating sugar for various reasons. Behind this issue lies a deeper problem. Parents should be free to raise their children as they so chose and not be forced to bow the knee to the Fed. Gov. This is unconstitutional and wrong, for whatever reason they may give. According to the UN and our Gov. our children are not our own, but belong to them and that we are not smart enough or qualified to raise them or teach them adequately. The BO administration is against homeschooling and I would not be surprised if we soon see laws against it.

  31. Folks, preschool is not required in any of the 50 states currently. In several states, your child is not required to attend a structured education program (Public, Private, or Homeschool) until the age of eight.

    If you dont like the rules, then pull your kid out and take them someplace else. What ever happened to people taking personal responsibility?

    They can, and will, get away with this because your child is not forced to attend a preschool. That is a choice you made, and can unmake, at any time you choose.

    • im sorry but although your comment may be legally accurate the reasoning is ridiculous…there is a standard of decency and truth we all understand. This violates it..Children should have a right to go to preschool and also be allowed to eat healthy UNADULTERATED food especially when it is provided by parents

      • Nobody has a right to be provided for at someone else’s expense. “‘Come out of her, my people,’ so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues.”

      • Sorry, many of us do NOT believe in a RIGHT to pre-school. The previous poster is correct -it’s not mandated and in many states not paid for thru public funds; in other words, all preschool is private. But I do agree, a kid should be able to bring a homemade lunch to school.

  32. Wake up, you are the parents take control of your children ! why are we allowing government to tell us what we can and cannot do. Americans forgot how to self govern and make dependent on someone else. GMO foods are harmful to humans and animals start researching it for yourself. I am ;so glad my son if not in school today otherwise they would have a serious problem. My child is my responsibility and my alone.

  33. What to say, about these fellows., mix aspartame with coffee and soda drink, mix anitibiotics with chicken, prk and steak, mix chemicals with fruit, use growth hormones with watermelon, grow fish in tanks and farm breed them, probably they will farm breed human beings in the next century, market and sell them like they sell fast crap fast food today,

  34. I have a feeling this has to do with $$$. Someone came in to sell the Preschool a “nutritious” food program and promised them a cut of the earnings. There was probably catch that a certain percentage of students must participate.

    It really is disgusting, no matter what the back story is. If parents are willing and able to provide their children with lunch/snacks, there should be no problem. End of discussion.

    I’d also like to know who is liable if the children get sick from eating the school-provided food. I’m sure there is a disclaimer of liability clause that parent, possibly unwittingly, sign.

    Parents….if you can, you make your kids lunches. And if your doctor won’t give you a note, if one is needed, find a new doctor.

    • I agree 100%, there is no way i would trust this situation. I would find a Dr. who would give me a note asap.

    • I agree with what you say, but I feel a lot of this is because children trade their lunches and one child might have an allergy to peanuts or something and the child with the allergy gets sick or dies. None the less … I disagree with the schools not allowing home lunches without a doctors note.

    • Bill, I think you hit it on the head. School districts have to report to the State Agricultural Department each month, how many Free, Reduced and full priced meals they serve, which in turn reports to the federal government. The school district is then reimbursed accordingly. $$$ for free meals, $$ for Reduced price meals and $ for full price meals. Since Head Start meals are Free they would get the big reimbursement.

  35. I think that everyone on this site is missing a huge fact about federal school lunches (I did a search on this page, so I am not sure, but I have not had time to read everyone’s comments). SOY. The only way the lunches served by the government can meet the protein standard without being very expensive is that they use so much soy. In fact, if you have a soy allergy, I don’t know if they can accommodate that. Anyway, that is the main reason I won’t have my kids eat lunch at school.

  36. wow….I have worked in the schools systems for over 10 years. I’m here to tell you that as a person who has lived in several states the same scenario takes place. The big ole 18 wheeler pulls up to the school which is a refrigerated truck that drops off all the food for breakfast and lunches. All this food is over processed. They pull the food out of the freezer pop it in the microwave and their you have it. Over processed frozen food. Mostly infused with Gmo’s. You want to send a kid with chips, soda and fruit roll up…no different as far as nutritional content and calories as the food the school is feeding you. What you all seem to miss is that the schools are funded by the state for all those free lunches and breakfast they are feeding your children. You all should be looking into the amount your school district receives from the government and how much of that funding is used to buy the crap food they purchase to feed your child. Want to know the truth follow the money. They could care less about your child, what they care about is MONEY MONEY MONEY…the root to evil….

    Allergies…give me a break, peanut, soy, allergies are thru the roof. Why you ask…Well lets look at this. All vaccines must have a way to introduce the vaccine to the body, they must have a substance that the body does not recognize and attack as foreign, since if the body does it will attack it and destroy it. . They must use…egg, soy, or peanuts. DUH..now that is how your child ends up with the allergy to Egg…Soy….or peanut butter. Now since the FDA is a part of government and helps support the federal government they could give a crap less how their money making machine protects or harm your children. Parents need to be pro=active. quit believing the schools and the government and get off your a&&es and be proactive for your children.

    Before you pro active vaccine dumb a&&es attack me. I lost a child who was 3 months 3 days old after he received his DPT shot. 1 Days after his shot he got very sick.. Took him back to the pediatrician and he told me to give him Triaminic expectorant and Tylenol and that it was nothing more than a bad cold.. Next morning he was dead. Autopsy said he died of SIDS, I confronted his pediatrician and the coroner and told them they were turning their head from the truth….WAKE UP PARENTS and read for yourself and take responsibility for your children and quit blaming everyone else but yourselves. Lord help us with this generation of children and parents.

      • aww…..thank you soooo much for that reply. This was a very difficult time in my life. It changed the way I think about the medical society in so many ways. I was hit in the side of the head by a frying pan. I was mad at myself for believing my doctor. I then realized I had the power to take care of my own and that I did not have to believe everything my doctor told me. I also learned to help those that endure the same pain as myself. I again want to thank you.

    • I am very sorry for your loss. Your grief must be indescribable.
      However, saying that you KNOW a vaccine caused your child’s death does not mean it DID cause it. Just because one thing follows another does not mean the first thing caused the second.
      The dumbasses are the people who want to expose other people’s children to disease by avoiding vaccines for their own children.Remember, the study that allegedly linked vaccines and autism was later found to be fraudulent.

      • I never said I KNOW. I would like to point out that neither did the coroner. They list the death as SIDS due to no other findings. Not only did he not find anything wrong with him but he was assuming SIDS due to lack of findings. I do believe that had you been living in my home at the time you yourself would of came to the same conclusion. I was president of the Kansas SIDS foundation for 4 years. I dealt with all kinds of families. Doing this allowed me to hear the same horror story as mine.
        I have a nephew with CIDP which is associated with the flu vaccine. I also have a niece whose child was just recently diagnoised with Autism. Both of these family members had these results soon after vaccines..
        Those dumasses who choose not to vaccinate are not exposing any vaccinated child to anything. You should research the herd theory. As I said before I work in the school systems. My kids in the 80’s were required to get 8 vaccinations for school. Have you read the requirments now for schools. Children now are required to get over 40 sometimes more depending on the district you live in. R U kidding me 40?????
        I had 2 vaccinations as a child polio and a TB test…..I had chicken pox…here to talk about it. I had measels…here to talk about it. I had 3 day measles…here to talk about it. I even had whooping cough and missed a 1/2 year of elementary school and guess what I’m still here to talk about it. The best protection for your immune system is for the body to produce its own antibodies to these childhood illnesses. It amazes me that people are so willing just to go along and believe these recommendations. I should rephrase that from people to sheeple. The profit that these pharmaceutical companies are making is not for the good of the children but of course that is what they tell you so will not question and jump on the over vaccinated band wagon. Its such a scam. If you count all the babies that are born daily in this country and count the number of vaccine requirements to attend school that’s 40 in some districts 56 in other districts required during the child’s school attendance…man is that a money making machine and the pharmaceutical companies are laughing all the way to the bank…..You have the right to vaccinate and I have the right not too. Me and my husband have never had the flu shot and we both may have had the flu 3 times in the last 25 years. The only war on drugs should be directed at the pharmaceutical companies…they are the true drug pushers in the county. Until parents take back the control of their children and quit letting the goverment and schools raise them things will never change. I’ve lived it…I live it now and I have done my research.

        • I just have to say that I LOVE what you have to say! I LOVE how you call everyone dumb a*&es! LOL Its the truth!!!! People who vaccinate are dumb a&*es. Sorry, but it is true. Lord help us all. We are so screwed. I pray every day that people will wake up so that other kids don’t have to suffer. No baby should have to suffer. And the DUMB a*&es think that it is the illness that will cause the suffering. WRONG. You are SO very wrong. You are playing Russian Roulette with your kids. Your poor defenseless kids. Give them a healthy start—stay away from ANYTHING the government promotes and you are already wayyy ahead of the game. Next step, don’t give them anything promoted on television. And then you can all figure out the rest. God bless you and your family. I’m so sorry for your loss. 🙁

          • Thank you Jennifer. Even if one person can see the truth I feel something has been accomplished. I feel my poor child did suffer. It was one of the hardest things to do was to bury my child. I made the funeral home keep the light on for him..I went there everyday and picked him up and held him. I did not want to let him go. I knew I only had a short time. I felt like I was responsible for his death. I was the one who took him for that shot. I knew that next day that something was different..something was not right and that night he became very sick. It sickens me to think that I went along with main stream to only loose my child so some stock holder could see their profits rise. The LOVE of money is the root of evil and I and my family felt the sting of it that day. The 22nd of this month he would of been 27 years old and the hurt and emptiness is still there as if it happened yesterday….again I want to say to you God Bless you and thank you for your kind words..

            • Oh Kay, I am so so so sorry for the loss of your child. I am sorry you blamed yourself but of course it was NOT your fault and I am sure the doctors knew it was due to the vaccine but could not say it. Yes, it was the vaccine; informed and awake people know that. As more and more information comes to light, we know what the truth is. Vaccines are for money. Flu shots–another joke–are for money. I got a flu shot once, years ago, when my company was offering them free on company time. I was sick after I got it and got the flu. I never got one again and since then only had the flu/bad cold once or twice. It is not necessary. Eat healthy, exercise, get energy healing, positive thoughts and belief in a Higher power and you can keep yourself healthy.

              Everything is about money in our society today. The absolute LOVE and WORSHIP of money and GREED has made money more valuable than a human life. My own mother was kidnapped in August 2011 by an attorney, Mary Giordano of Franchina and Giordano in Garden City, NY and imprisoned in a nursing home against her will. Two months later she was dead. Why? Guardianship/elder abuse is a huge problem in our country that the government is aware of but refuses to stop; everything is swept under the rug. You can read my Mom’s story on my website. It is frightening to realize that people who are supposedly our “leaders” are the very ones that are refusing to step in to help babies/children/elderly and the disabled.

              I am sure you know your beautiful baby is in the arms of the angels and watching over you and your loved ones. No, that doesn’t make it easier and I know the pain will always be there. Thank you for all you have done for all of the moms and dads who suffered a similar pain. Sending many prayers and love and healing to you.

        • I can’t believe people are actually fighting with you, to prove themselves right – when your baby just passed away!

          I am profoundly sorry for your deep loss.
          I do believe you, without you presenting your research. I trust common sense and a Mothers instincts. Yes, people who alow their children, selves and pets .. to be vaccinated are far from wise, smart or even – level headed. Ignorance is not bliss.

          Mothers who know better .. must not allow themselves to be soothed or pushed into believing .. otherwise. We must hold our ground and own our power – for all.

          With all of my Motherly and Sisterly Lov,e,
          katherine

          • Katherine,

            Thank you sooo much for the support and love. Thank you for believing me its more than I received from my own family. At times I felt very alone in my thoughts and feelings. I knew the day he was found not breathing that the shot killed him. I shared my feelings with the pediatrician and my obgyn and its not that they were rude or mean or did not give me their time, but it was a feeling more of, “oh this poor grieving mother is out of her mind”. I still get that same feeling as I tell my story. I have learned though that I have to be more understanding to those than they are to me. Its all good though. I know that Jason will be there waiting for me when my time on this earth comes to an end and for that I do not fear death I look forward to holding him in my arms again for it has been a very very long time. Again thank you so much for it is people like you who deflate the comments of narrow minded people. You are a blessing…..

        • Kay-I’m so sorry for your loss! I sooo appreciate you sharing all of the info you have! I would love to connect with you on FB as I seem to regularly have threads about vaccines on my page with comments from people from both sides of this argument. Please feel free to friend me- troye levin newcomb I always appreciate having like-minded Facebook friends

          • Hi Troye,

            Thank you for your sympathetic and kind words. I too see both sides. I sent you a FB request. I believe that vaccines in the beginning were for the good of children. I now feel vaccines are for the good of the stockholders. Money has a way of turning good to evil.

      • The media and the pharmaceutical were more than happy to attack that one doctor’s study, but according to Dr. Blaylock and Dr. Mercola there is still a link with vaccines causing brain inflammation which can be damaging. These are only two doctors, even Dr. Sears recommends spacing out vaccines for infants. When I was child I only had 48 total vaccines or so, but today children are given 72. The question is why? I heard from several parents, that after their child received the MMR shot, their children changed within a day or so. Later being diagnosed as autism. Interesting, isn’t it. Believe, what you want, but I’ll believe a retired christian neurosurgeon than the main stream media any day.

        • Thank you for the support. I had to re-live my event for 4 years and hear my same story over and over again. No matter how much resistance I receive I will hold my ground as to why my son died. I was there and I know. It angers me to think of what I and my family emotionally had to endure and learn to overcome due to his death. My son to this day will not talk about it and my daughter she does think about it and we have had lots of discussions about the event. It will be because of people like you that someday this madness will stop….

          • Kay so sorry for your loss! I have to attest. We got all the vaccines for my son for the first 2 years of his life. It was a lot on his little body. He got sick and had high fevers after each vaccine and he got sick all the time when anything went around. We choose to get the DTAP and thats it with my daughter at 6 months old and all the boosters for that and at almost 3 years old thats all she has had. She has never been sick. She had a runny nose once and a cough for a couple days once but it was the mildest form of what her brother had! She has the strongest immune system of anyone I know! I didnt vaccinate because of all the other reasons I have read about, sids rates increasing, autism, and so much more. Seeing how incredibly healthy she is was even more proof for me and now pregnant with baby number 3 I am going to not vaccinate anymore at all. I might still do a couple later on when they are much older, but not anytime soon. I honestly dont care if people dont believe me or anyone else on here about the risks, but knowing that your child could die, and that children hundreds of them die every year after vaccines, its not worth the chance! My children mean to much to me to risk them being about of that group, even if its a small number, the risk is there and its too high. Sure I cant shelter them from everything, but this I can control and I choose to. I know that there are some illnesses that can kill you, but so can a vaccine. Also just because you get a vaccine doesnt mean you wont get the illness! All a vaccine is designed to do is help your body know how to fight off the virus so when you get that virus your body will already know how to fight it off. You still will get that virus if your going to get it, a vaccine wont stop that. You just will have less or no symptoms because of the vaccine and it will cut down on the time it takes your body to fight it off. Those kids who are vaccinated still get the virus just like kids that arent, but instead they dont have symptoms of the virus, and dont feel sick…… so in essence the chance of them getting a newborn or an elderly person sick with that virus they are carrying without even knowing they have it is high! Kids that arent vaccinated have symptoms of their illness and parents know to keep their kids home and let them rest, or deal with the illness, they dont spread the virus because of that! 🙂

  37. As a nutritionist, I have to address the “registered dietitians” After my father’s recent bypass surgery, the food dictated him by the registered dietitian was garbage! Each day he was brought a plate of overcooked canned green beans or an iceberg lettuce “salad,” some form of white potatoes, and chicken (fried several days) Then he always had white bread or crackers and dessert! She seemed to think that as long as none of it had salt, it was good for him. Now that he is home with me, he is getting grass-fed meats, fresh vegetables, whole grain (homemade) bread, and all the sea salt he wants. His doctor says he is doing great!
    I hope parents will stay informed and continue to feed their children well. Never mind what the dictocrats say. Parents know their children best and in almost every case want the best for their children. Educate yourself and your children!

  38. Same thing happened to me in a pre-school program 2 years ago. I promptly pulled my little one after they kept feeding him their food of breakfast pizza, cinnamon sticks, pancakes and donuts for breakfast. I told them we have already eaten breakfast and we eat organic foods. Why does the state insist carnival food it healthy for kids?! I was told it had to do with a state funded program. The more kids that eat, the more money the program received. Thank you and bu-bye! No wonder home schooling seems to keep coming into my mind as the answer to all my worries. God is speaking, now I need to listen.

  39. I was told the same thing as the above letter 2 years ago at a pre-school program. It had to do with state funding. The more kids that eat “state food” the more money that came into the program from the state. I promptly pulled my little one, and said we do NOT eat breakfast pizza, cinnamon sticks, donuts and pancakes for breakfast. We are at school, not a carnival. and heck, my child has already eaten breakfast before we arrived! No wonder home schooling keeps coming up in my mind as the solution to the many issues I worry about for our 3 kids. God is telling me to pay attention.

  40. My suggested note back to the school

    Dear School Representative,
    You do not get to mandate what people, even children, put in their bodies. You are here to educate not doctor or parent.
    I am sorry for the inconvenience but (insert child’s name here) will be continuing to bring their lunch to school and eat it daily. If you have issue with this I highly suggest you do some damage control now as I will be partnering with legal assistance as well as local and national media as well as local athorities as we will consider forced feeding assault and as its GMO attempted murder as well.

    Thanks

    • That would be an awesome reply Sarah! 🙂 I personally just loved it. As a homeschooler I don’t have to worry about this sort of thing happening in my child’s school, but I most certainly would help fight it. This is just horrible!

    • yes, and then show up at lunch time and personally hand your child his/her lunch and sit with them while they eat it!

    • Especially not children. As much as I don’t want to do it again I would homeschool before anyone is going to tell me how to take care of my children!

    • And… its only going to get worse! Schools are indoctrinated prisons called schools are utilizing the liberal unconstitutional fascist hitler reincarnated common core curriculum, which is obamacare for education. its evil. do your research! especially any glen beck you tube videos on the subject like this one…
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdhR6_C0C00

      This is what our district Mt. Sinai has done. Glad im a better informed parent and have no part of it because we unschool/homeschool! Coming soon to your district…act now
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvKVkitKOgk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

    • Seeing this note to Linda…made me so mad…I would have contacted my attorney immediately and filed a federal complaint against the School, county and state school board…that’s where this mandate came from. I also would have pulled my child out of school and started immediately homeschooled him or her. NO school is going to tell me what to feed my child! That isn’t there job! There job is to educate…not play doctor or parent. There is nothing wrong with ice cream or nachos and stuff once in a while. But the way they are going about this …is wrong! It’s not their job to force feed kids, tell them what they can or can’t eat. And this is a violation of a constitutional rights of the child and the parents…the freedom to choose! And whoever the IDIOT who came up with this…should be fired! I realize they want kids to eat healthy meals and get plenty of exercise….but again it’s not their job nor their choice of what a child may do.
      If they had tried that on me as a kid…they’d really been up the creek. MY mom had a hell of a time trying to get me to eat certain things as a child. And I have a stubborn streak that outlasted hers.
      I always packed a lunch from home for school or came home to have lunch at home. Most of the crap they served in schools when I was a kid…I would have starved to death before eating. I’m still very finicky and very picky about what I eat and what I won’t.

      I have a niece…that her mom makes everything she eats due to her severe food allergies. Heather has done the research, also worked with the doctors, special allergists and nutritionists in order to determine what my niece can eat. Safely. I hate to tell them this…but they would never be able to cook for my niece. She has to wash off after handling everything…and you have to wash your hands…before you can hand her anything, give her a hug or whatever.

      Heather as a mom raising a child with severe food allergies…has done a wonderful job raising a otherwise healthy normal child. My niece is a miracle….but thank the Lord for Heather. She also had food allergies. And for someone who didn’t know how to cook when she first married my nephew…she’s turned into a fantastic cook and makes money going to someone else’s house….buying and stocking everything she needs…make and cooks the meals…and puts them in the fridge for people. All they have to do is come in and get it out of the fridge and warm it up.
      So again an example of nutrition education for parents would be much more helpful. Heather and my niece are fantastic example of what can happen when one takes the time to learn about nutrition as well as allergies.

      The school representative…would have received a note back stating that 1) my child will be bringing food from home, 2) I will not have a doctor’s slip…as this is not necessary. 3) My child had better be permitted to eat their lunch…from home…with no more crap from them…4) If not they would be facing a federal lawsuit and damages if they even attempt to take it from my child or if they d take it from…my child then my child will be homeschooled and they will not be dictating to me or my child of what we may eat or not eat. END OF STORY!

    • nice one….i really think it’s time all citizens stand up against such criminal governmental policies. Forcing us to eat GMO foods is a criminal assault on each individual’s right for self-preservation.

      • Matthew DeForge you’re right… “this is America”, and for that very reason IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO MANDATE OUR CHILDREN’S EATING HABITS. Obama is NOT king, but a power hungry tyrant. Now Mr. DeForge go sign up for your Obamacare, and leave the adult discussions to the adults.

  41. As a previous Registered Dietitian for the Head Start program I just want to explain the rationale behind the rule. … First, know that menus are reviewed by an RD thoroughly to meet nutritional standards as well as to accomidate allergies, lifestyle and other preferences. Second, children in Head Start are considered at nutritional risk due to socioeconomic status. Many of the children have very limited exposure to fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Many individuals that choose to pack lunch do so that they only pack what their child will eat. One of Head Starts goals is to introduce children to a wide varitey of fruits and vegetables through eating family style with the teacher and peers. This is done in an effort to increase vegetable and fruit consumption, AND IT WORKS. Even if healthy lunches are packed from home, all children would not have the same thing to try and the system would not work.

        • It would be better to educate the parents of that child and let them know that their kids should not be drinking soda than take away the choices of all the parents.

            • Not at the cost of parental autonomy and not when they show they still don’t understand actual body function and nutrition very well.

            • The government is complicit in creating obesity and many other health problems. Perhaps if they stopped subsidizing Corn, HFCS wouldn’t be so cheap it could be found in every processed food out there. Many other additives also cause weight gain. These were all FDA approved, even though quite a few are banned in other countries.

              I wouldn’t rely on the FDA or the Government as the best source for your health. Look towards the leaders in the Health Food world as well as other countries that actually do protect their citizens from a poor food supply.

            • A “role” does not equal CONTROL. Educate the parents, make fruits and vegetables available and suggest to the parents that kids eat at school, educate them on why. Even prohibit certain things like soda, but take away the parental right of ALL parents, nope, sorry, the government doesn’t get to do that. That’s parental abuse!

            • Seattle,

              If YOU want the government to help YOU with YOUR obesity problem, call Michelle. Personally, I feel competent to handle my own life. If the government’s failure to limit its spending to the amount of money it actually has is any indication of its problem solving ability, I don’t know who in their right mind would expect help from the government with anything.

            • Pretty sure a lot of obesity is coming from the hormone’s that are injected into cow’s. I have my reason’s for thinking this. I rarely eat red meat and my consumption of milk is a very rare occurrence.

      • People there are hardly any GMO fruits and vegetables marketed in the USa. What fruits and vegetables do you think are Gmo?

    • And while i am at it – Socialism much? – “All kids wont have the same thing” – Bo freaking hoo! We never all had the same things………… we all turned out just fine.

    • GMO fruits and vegetables plus grains and legumes that haven’t been soaked properly, plus meat farm meats that are not grass fed and are usually given antibiotics as a preventative as well as hormones and not seeing the light of day. Big production dairy that has been processed in a way that kills the enzyme, the live cultures, had the fat removed that helps your body be able to use the protein, and generally adds trans-generational hormone disrupting plasticizer (the high lipid liquid picks it up from going through the pvc tubing in the milking apparatus). Improper cooking oils that have been partially hydrogenated. Using way too much refined/altered ingredients.

      Food is kind of my thing. I don’t know everything about it, but I do know that sourcing matters. Quality of ingredients matter. None of these foods are inherently bad, but if they are not processed in the proper way, refined in an improper fashion, or sourced from the wrong place, they can be very harmful.

      After talking to many a school nutritionist I know these things are not even on the radar.

      As far as all kids want the same thing. They do not. I have several kids, they all want their food done up differently, what I’m suspecting doesn’t work for you is if one kid brings cheetos and you’re trying to force another kid who is not accustomed to it to eat fruits and vegetables. Your system will not be harmed in the least if a kid brings a lunch that is healthier and more properly balanced (you don’t need as much grains and need a lot more proper fats than the gov’t recommended pyramid, the lobbyists have made the recs as much as the docs have) than what is being offered to the rest.

      While not many a doctor would write a note stating that a child had a medical reason to need the best diet I can manage, I can certainly take my kid elsewhere.

      • I also understand the concern about peanut allergy. I think an attempt to educate everyone about that might be a better route. Telling people to not send anything with nuts, not to send anything that has been baked or prepared on a surface that has come in contact with nuts that hasn’t been triple washed, and be sure to have the child with a nut allergy sit with the teacher or the assistant to ensure there is no sharing of meals going on. Even go so far as to break the groups up, have the kids eating the school lunch go with one teacher and home brought lunches going with the other.

        Nut allergy is a very serious life and death thing, I think having a school meeting discussing the severity and using education would help. I’d imagine a lot of people who were not sure how to handle or not wanting the responsibility have the option to sign up for the school lunch, and the people who really wanted to send lunch from home could step up.

    • I would suggest that the RD do her job by educating the parents and being sure they know what is good, not by overstepping the bounds. This is ridicoulous to anyone with two brain cells to rub together.

    • well Head Start, those are great goals but you are missing one thing. It is not your job to do that, it is the job of the parents. And perhaps you don’t like what parent’s are sending in lunches? Doesn’t matter, none of your business. That’s the whole problem, is that the government wants to do the parenting. Reading quotes from people who develop school policy and curriculum, it is easy to see that they believe they have the right to raise your children, and that children do not belong to parents. When schools dictate what they eat, they are stepping over that line, and that is not right.

    • I can tell you it does NOT work!! The children simply dont eat it and go hungry!! My boys had digestive issues and had to have home prepared lunches, but they even tried to dictate that, by telling me my boys were NOT allowed to eat peanut butter because one child in 300 had an allergy!! So what?? make that kid eat in the office, why should my boys do without because of one?? Government is stretching way too far into our private lives, and its time it stops!!

      • The reason you ban nuts instead of sending the one child with allergies to the office to eat is that the peanut butter and other nut oils are then on the children’s hands and faces and spread everywhere in the classroom which then can kill the child with an allergy. Do you want your peanut butter sandwich to be the reason your neighbor’s child dies? That’s really selfish.

        • No, it is selfish for ONE child to dictate what the other 299 can have. If it is too dangerous for that child, that child should stay home.

        • My children’s school has an “allergy” table, where the children with the severe allergies sit so they are not exposed to the potentially life threatening foods. Then when the children are finished with their lunches, they are sent to the bathroom before returning to class to wash face and hands to remove exposure to any potential food allergens, which honestly is good hygiene anyway. Problem solved. Kids with severe allergies could be just as easily exposed in the public as they could in school. What are we supposed to do, do away with all foods that could be potentially harmful to someone out in the public??? This nonsense is getting out of hand. 400+ kids have to do without b/c a handful of them have a food allergy? REALLY?

        • If a child is that seriously messed up, then that child should NEVER be anywhere near a public place. They should never be in a public school. THey should be tutored, perhaps even in a medical faulty.

          Are you kidding me? IT reminds me of the boy in the bubble.

        • Whoever said that a peanut butter sandwich could kill a child?

          Do we really live in a day and age when people believe that a sandwich could kill someone?

          Have we lost our bloody minds?

          Can we still hear how utterly absurd this all sounds?

          Can we still recall a thing called democratic compromise? Strength, liberty, independence, citizenship?

          Are we really going to throw these things away because some people believe that peanut butter sandwiches kill people?

          I’m not a comedian. This world is already as funny as hell.

    • While I understand the issue, who said it was your job to monitor my child’s nutritional intake. Last i check you are not the parents. If a parent wishes to avail themselves to the program so be it. If I chose to fix a wholesome breakfast and dinner for my children and then let him have “goodie” in his lunch, it is not hurting anyone. I would suggest you go back to being a RD were they want and need your advice. If you have to force your advice on people because no one is listening, I would look in the mirror for the problem.

    • Forget your “lunch coordinators” and leave my kid and my sack lunch alone. You don’t know jack. My kid eats home cooked meals every day, and if she doesn’t want the school lunch, keep your hooked nose out of it!

    • Show me the LAW that says that parents cannot send food from home where this is federal money providing subsidized lunches. That is an interpretation of a guideline, not a hard and fast regulation or “law”.

    • I also ran our local Head Start for 5 years. I am fully aware of what the mandate is. I am a Gluten Free, GMO Free, Soy Free, Organic, Educated mother of 4. Bull CRAP! The idea that an institution thinks they know better, can do better, and that they have the authority to tell any parent what to do is ludicrous! Suggest perhaps. Mandate, NEVER! The parents who bennifit from Head Start are usually thrilled that someone is feeding their child. Those of us that take the time and don’t choose to allow a Federal program tell us what to do still have that right in America.

    • a good compromise might be to take the time to educate the R 0 on GMOs and their effects on the children. You might end up helping all of the kids at school. 🙂

    • Carissa, you go right ahead and think that you are so much more knowledgeable than parents are. You, in your profession, have NO RIGHT to tell people what they should eat UNLESS they ask for your advice. You liberal communistic POS!

    • It is the choice parents make for their kids, based on what the kids like and also what the parents think it is good for their kids. You do not have the right, morally and I doubt it even a legal right to force parents to accept school diet, even if it is not good for their kids! They are the ones that choose what their kids eat. This is school, you want kids to eat healthy? TEACH them what is considered a healthy diet. Start with the truth about the food they eat, explain to them what to be aware and beware of. What natural flavors and preservatives are(toxins), what GMO is, what excitotoxins are, why sugar and dairy products are bad for them. Teach them how to read labels of food items in the store, explain to them why McDonald, burger king and other fast food stores are not healthy, teach them about the benefits of eating organic fruits and veggies, educate them about nutrients in food, and so on and so forth. And then, give them the choice! if they still want to eat rubbish, who are you guys to tell them no???

    • You’re joking right? “Reviewed by an RD”. First, let’s look at who FUNDS MOST NUTRITION PROGRAMS IN COLLEGES THAT CREATE RD’s. The same people who make the crap that none of us should be eating. You are learning EXACTLY WHAT THE BIG FOOD COMPANIES WANT YOU TO LEARN. Nothing more. What a joke. Your 4 years in school taught you exactly what big business want you to know to continue to give them customers.

  42. We can complain all we want, until your kid gives another kid with a peanut allergy an anaphylactic shock episode and then may end up in the hospital or worse. Those are serious allergies and since it’s open to everybody and small children have no boundaries cause they’re in preschool then yes, I can agree with that restriction. Kids trade food all the time and aren’t the best decision makers. What are you going to tell that kids parents? When I first read this I thought is was for elementary school which would make the entire thing seem ridiculous. Older kids with allergies are pretty good at keeping themselves away from that stuff because they’ve been to the hospital and it sucks. I don’t know what that note had to do with GMO’s… GMO’s are harmful, no doubt, a new MIT study is proving that. But you can’t send your kids to school with something that can have such a terrible, adverse reaction.

    • Are you freakin’ kidding me???? Then send the “allergy” kid home for lunch, rather than expect every other child to eat fake food issued by the school. This logic from Nick is insane.

      • The parents of the child with an allergy have to teach their child to always be on the lookout for the allergen. Even at the age of 3 or 4 the child knows that if I eat peanuts, I will get real sick, so I better not eat peanuts.

      • Are you really that obtuse?! I don’t agree with the letter either, but really? My son attends Head Start and we are granted permission to pack due to his dietary restrictions that the school can’t accommodate. He is not allowed food dyes, HFCS, or anything artificial. The stipulation is that I can’t send him with anything containing peanuts. I even keep out foods that come from facilities that process peanuts. However, saying that all children with allergies should “go home” to eat is ignorant! A lot of parents work. It’s not an option. Schools need healthier options, besides salad with ranch, and a better understanding of nutrition and allergies. Kids shouldn’t have to go home to eat because of someone’s lack of knowledge or compassion!

        • Evidently being allergic to peanut butter sandwiches is so serious that it presents a ridiculous level of risk to even expose your son or daughter to a public setting at all.

          If peanut butter is as dangerous to some children as you say that it is, as a responsible parent, I would never let my allergic child be exposed to that kind of risk. Nor would I expose decent citizens to that kind of nuisance and moral hazard.

      • Exactly! We have seven children, many of them have different allergies, including nut, wheat, and fruit allergies. We don’t tell the non-allergic family members that they cannot have nuts, wheat, or fruit. The allergic ones know to check before they eat something and we have epipens on hand for emergencies. My oldest is 27, my youngest is 8, we have never had to use an epipen and only made two trips to the ER “just in case”.

    • Honestly, if your kid has that deadly of an allergy, then you have no business sending them to a public school. If one child, out of 30, is allergic to peanuts, you don’t force the 30 to change their lifestyle.

    • This goes beyond and in no way mentions allergies. This is control and there is no way some agency is going to control what my kids eat. Your concerned with nuts, no worries we wont send PBJ and the like to school. Set up a allergen free section of the cafeteria, what ever, but banning bagged lunch is nothing but a control issue.

    • If a child’s peanut allergy is life threatening like that, then perhaps they should not be at school. Perhaps the parents are putting their child in harm’s way when they send them to school. Yeah I know that sounds controversial, but it shouldn’t be. I used to work for an airline and people would call and want to send their child on a flight alone, oh and he has such a severe peanut allergy that absolutely no one can have peanuts or peanut butter, and we have to make sure that happens because the air on the plane is recycled. Ok, we can’t do that, maybe flying isn’t going to work for your child. Well, if it’s truly that severe, public school may not be the best option for your child either.

  43. Home schooling is not for everyone. Private school can be an option. This level of control regarding lunch crosses many bounderies aside from nutrition. Cultural based diets, health awareness diets, etc. there needs to be a lawsuit brought to end this distraction and attempt to enforce systematic control. Time to abandon government sponsered education! Read books by John Holt and consider your options.

  44. my son’s preschool doesnt even have a kitchen so i dont have a choice but to send him with a lunch. honestly, it makes things easier for them. i can pack what he will most likely eat. he’s 3 and very particular about his foods. i feel bad for anyone who has to deal with him when hes hungry and wont touch his lunch.

  45. Anyone notice this is for a PRESCHOOL?
    I work at Bright Horizons, and I know at our preschool kids can’t bring outside food to school. it’s because of allergies kids have. we have severe peanut allergies, and still people try to drop there kids off with like nut bars and stuff. it’s actually dangerous for the other kids. they don’t do that in elementary schools as for as I know, but private and probably public preschools are strict on that thing. But we do use a lot of healthy stuff at our school and they have to follow strict guidelines on portions of the food servings for the kids. And it’s a PRESCHOOL. People have to understand they are run differently. We have professional chefs who cook food with proper nutrition. And of course those with allegries and even those that prefer their children to be vegan get alternative things made for them. Kids are very comparative at this age and would eat each others food if they saw someone else brought something they wanted. They are still learning what personal space, food, germs are about. Unless you’ve worked at a preschool, it might seem ridiculous. But it would be even harder to manage 20 different lunches you eat in the classroom with kids who haven’t learned what sharing and personal property is….

    • Thank you for your post. My guess is that the school that sent the letter is NUT free. I am also a Preschool Teacher and I have worked for Bright Horizons. Each center is different, obviously, but from my experience Bright Horizons private chefs create meals that are FAR above what most parents would provide when it comes to natural products and nutrition. Having a Dr. note for outside food is really just a way for the school to monitor what comes in because all it takes is one tiny nut, product produced on machines that process nuts, nut oil or nut butter to get through the door and a child could literally die. I believe the note that was sent home in this story really does not explain the WHY and if it did, maybe it would make more sence to the parents who recieve it.

    • Preschool or not- you have the right to send your child to school with their own food. Preschools use junky federally provided GMO PESTICIDE laden foods-horrible for growing bodies and minds. Professional chefs?? I don’t think professional chefs get paid $7 an hour…

    • This Bright Horizons sounds great, but most preschools are NOT that wonderful & do not have chefs that prepare food. They are federally funded & serve the same crap they serve everywhere else.

      • I also have worked at a bright horizons and although the current chef tried to add more fresh fruits and veggies into the menu I don’t consider cheeze its and graham crackers a sufficient or healthy snack. The restrictions due to federal regulations made it hard for her to introduce some healthy things into the menu. Budget restrictions in all places make it hard for schools– preschool or not– to provide everything as healthy as some parents could offer.

    • I’ve never worked in a preschool, but I have watched a ton of kids before. My kids and their cousins. Somehow they can manage to control themselves, or learn how, without every little thing being done for them, all getting identical food, everything equal, blah blah blah. Kids today are growing up so weak and soft and whiny and entitled. I guess this is part of the reason why.

      • Yes, this is exactly the problem. They have no sense of personal space and individuality. No sense of privacy and rights. No real spark or flame of individuality. These are very tragic losses for these young ones. They will never form the faculties and judgments that make them free and wise.

        These parents with children who have these deadly allergies should be ashamed of inflicting this kind of nuisance and moral risk onto decent, law-abiding citizens. If these allergies are as threatening as they are saying, and I believe they are, these parents are not taking the whole thing seriously enough.

        They need to look back and find out where their children got these terrible allergies, and take out their anger on whoever or whatever it was that gave their children something that has prevented them from being strong enough to live in a healthy representative democracy.

  46. I was told the same thing by my daughter’s school. My doctor didn’t have a problem signing the note. The nurse did it on the spot in the office. Who cares about the formality? Government programs have government rules, but there are always ways around them. Now the fact that doctors aren’t backing parents up would be a different story. Did anybody bother to just ask?

    • The people that need a note should be the kids with the allergies- not the healthy kids in class. You need a doctor’s note to eat healthy food now?

  47. If your kid has diarrhea at school from the lunch or is “allergic” doesn’t mean its automatically GMO’s. Get them tested for allergies, could be something they cook the food with or maybe they aren’t cooking it properly.
    This type of thing was dealt with on Jamie Oliver’s show and I don’t think Ive ever heard him talk about GMO’s
    the doctors note isn’t for GMO’s either, its about dietary restrictions.

  48. I don’t usually comment on the militant mommy threads but after reading most of this i figured somebody should get behind Erin.

    Does anyone understand how this works? Someone in Washington crafts a program to provide FREE preschool with food to eligible children across the country. They need a one size fits all process. If you don’t like it don’t use it. Most of you would not qualify for it anyway.

    You local public school, which this IS NOT, is subject to the preferences of your community. You have a school board and a superintendent you can appeal to over these things. This federal program does not have those mechanisms. They have a regional director with little influence over policy and a bunch of underpaid staff.
    ,
    They deliver a service most people are grateful to get, including the crappy government food. In my town the head start slots are always filled.

    This is not the government taking over, this is the government providing a service on their terms.

    Did anyone one even try to find out the rationale?

    Peace

    • ^^ this post explains it. this is a FREE program provided by the federal government for PREschool, not public school. Yes, it seems unreasonable. However, it’s a free service that no one is forcing you to use. If you don’t like it, don’t use it and pay to go somewhere else.

        • I agree that you should ALWAYS have an option to pack a lunch. If there are guidelines about allergies, then they can inform you of those and/or seat your child at a different table than the children with allergies — that’s what they did at my daughter’s preschool. I don’t like the “beggars can’t be choosers” mentality that I see in some of these posts.

    • Actually the government does have its hands in public schools and is not dictating what is served during lunch. The children are required to take specific food that supposedly meet the health standards… they are balanced meals… umm I think not how is a frosted honey bun a balanced breakfast?????? they serve crap to our children.

  49. This seems fishy to me. I would like to know what school this is. Every time I’ve received a letter from the school, its on their letter head.

    • This is pretty standard for elementary schools to include inserts..they are not done on letterhead, it would be too expensive. Almost all of our things come on colored printer paper. Even the school newsletter is not letterhead. I believe Linda will be on Glenn Beck on Monday talking about this letter, so Ill update here that time if you want to watch. I am sure they will address it.

    • No need to know what school my kid attends. It doesn’t HAVE TO have a letterhead on the note like this and I have received something like for instance”there will be a half day tomorrow, please be at a bus stop at XX time” on this note on many occasions.

      • I like your note–“I choose to skip the GMO’s in the lunches you serve for a more balanced and safe diet as the parent of this child” And if that didn’t do the trick, Ignore them and send a sack lunch anyway!! And DARE them to take it away! These idiots are on a power trip and it’s up to the parents to not be sheeple and do it “Because we said so…”

  50. And I’m laughing hysterically that my guess at which producers would reach out on this post was spot on. They sure know their demo. Fingers crossed some others pick it up that are maybe a bit less fringe and this discussion can actually create some change. That is the goal right? In which case I would hope you wouldn’t turn it down and would offer to further help find a solution. Again, that is the goal…yes?

    I FULLY support a blogger taking advantage of a viral post in order to foster discussion, bring to light a problem, find solutions, etc. Authentic. Transparent. Many times that is why we blog to bring light to a subject that was in the dark.

    But again, we are living in a trainwreck kinda world and you have to ask yourself what they are looking for and what is your end goal. Kardashian Real Housewives cat fight fun? As I said, I’m happy to be part of the solution and have offered my services and help. If that is what you deem to be ‘snotty’ than so be it. I can’t say I’ve been or commented on this site before and am not familiar with this community but they sure don’t seem to like me or my possibilities.

    So you’ll have to excuse me if I’m not giving anyone the benefit of the doubt with their motives, considering moderation and what not. But this is your site and your rules so publish or not, your call.

    • As I said before, I am not a political blogger. I am a parenting blogger. I do believe Linda is going to go. This is her experience and while I was happy to be a catalyst for discussion, and also happy this post was a platform for that discussion, I do not follow that show and I do not believe I am the best to be the voice for it. I am, however, encouraging Linda to go and open the subject in a wider audience.

      I welcome all opinions here, but its hard to talk to someone that is accusatory.

    • No this isnt the goal and I am not crossed my fingers that others would pick it up. In fact, I sent this in to my local news station and post on my personal page on Facebook, but Trisha reached out to me and asked if she could share. I never knew in my wildest dream that this post went viral. I’m not looking for anything than my voice being heard.

  51. I live in NY, and my daughter goes to public school, and I send my daughter with a packed lunch every day, no note required. The only stipulation that I have to meet is that whatever I send has to be nut-free, and you’re not allowed to send in home-baked goods for parties/public consumption. They require a pre-made food with a label, so that the teacher can read it in case kids in the room have allergies, which I think is fair. Banning packed lunches is ridiculous. Apparently (http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-11/news/ct-met-school-lunch-restrictions-041120110410_1_lunch-food-provider-public-school) home-packed lunches are being banned by schools in an effort to prevent kids from bringing a bag of chips and a soda for lunch, arguing that what they serve in the cafeteria is healthier.

    • Utah public schools are the same way. They send a class note home the beginning of every year explaining allergies in the class & I can only take home baked goods for class parties if the school has a food handlers permit etc for me in her school file (which they do). My 6th grader attends an after school program (reading, math, and art) for 2 hours, Monday through Thursday. The school provides an after school snack for these students, included in the fee per semester. After 4 straight days of Lays potato chips & koolaid, I created a paper trail just so I could provide her daily snack.

  52. we had a similar issue recently with our school- this was over a field trip where staff swore there wouldnt be “room” for anything but school lunches (sack?caf-issue) & no place for anything “unhealthy”…I assumed that both teachers had paid attention to my son’s “All about me & my ASD” letter I sent to school with him on his first day of school & via email to them both with read receipts attached so I could know they received & opened my email…BOY was I wrong- they had NO problem allowing my daughter (they are triplets) to bring her lunch being it was widely known she had recently fractured her jaw in a fall that also left her with 7 stitches & a really cool scar & couldn’t open her mouth wide enough to each much of anything…HOWEVER, her brother brought his lunch as usual, has a letter from his neurologist ON FILE in the school office since last year when he first started the diet plan (remeber that all about me note? that diet was listed & outlined there as well) yet they had NO problem forcing him to buy a caf-issue lunch for THEIR convenience…He came home stimming up a storm-& it took him days to recover from whatever it was in that lunch that he tried to eat but really couldnt-part of the problem was hunger short term but behavioral too- It’s a farce saying a letter of medical necessity will help them comply any.

  53. First….we homeschool. Second…..We eat a PALEO diet. Third…..We DON’T vaccinate either(our daughter had a severe reaction and that convinced us). Yeah….give me a lecture about my child giving your child a deadly disease. If your child has been vaccinated, then why must you worry??? Don’t you trust your government???? Now….just because we homeschool, we are not exempt from the Federal Government’s intrusions anyone; courtesy of the new “Core Curriculum”. However, we will continue to do as we always do, God called our family to live this way. We will obey his call. As the early Christians did, We will fight by ALL means necessary, to obey Christ. Even if we end up like Apostle Peter or Joan of Arc, to keep our children FREE of the Federal Government’s stronghold.

    • Wow,how ignorant can you be?! So your child had a “bad reaction.” Well, someone else’s child who is immune suppressed or too young for the vaccination could DIE becauseof your selfishness. Do us all a favor, and just stay on your compound, OK?

      • WOW indeed Stephanie, keep your head shoved up your, Butt don’t call someone selfish because they Love their child, Keep vaccinating, keep eating GE, Drinking Fluoride, the quicker you do the better for all. OK?

      • stephanie, we should immunize our kids when we know that it is a good possibility that it will ruin their lives??? i have a three year old who may never live on his own thanks to immunizations that are supposed to protect him and others!!! every day i pray to God that He will heal him and let him lead a normal life! YOU are the ignorant one! don’t judge. you have NO idea whatsoever what you are talking about! YOU are the selfish one to belittle someone for doing what they feel convicted is the right thing for their child. educate yourself and then apologize to all the people who live daily with what happens when immunizations go wrong!!

      • Severe reactions to immunizations often cause the doctor to be the one to refuse to continue with the course of immunization from the child. If the first reaction is severe, the second reaction could be deadly. That is how allergies work. Please don’t judge others for decisions that are likely made in conjunction with their doctor. Also, please read that packet of information that the doctor sends home after each vaccination. It explains what to do in case of severe reaction and explains that you should always inform your doctor of a reaction before continuing with the course of immunization.

      • It’s called herd immunity. By not vaccinating your kid, you are not only endangering your own child (as if that weren’t bad enough), you are also endangering the few other kids who legitimately can’t be vaccinated. Plus, you are imposing unnecessary risks on everyone else, since no vaccine works 100.000% of the time.

        • do you think that a person who doesn’t immunize their kid makes that decision lightly?? do you think they don’t understand fully the risks that are involved not only to their child and family but to others?? do you think they just don’t give a rip?? do you think they don’t try to make a fully educated/informed decision? talk to people who are anti-vaccine. the majority of them have spent hours upon hours researching, interviewing and educating themselves and weighing the pros and cons before making this decision. do you understand the risks involved in immunizing your child? do you do hours of research before saying, yes to immunizations??

          • I don’t just “think” the anti-vax nuts don’t try to make a fully informed decision, I know for a fact that don’t. Yes, they spend hours upon hours online reading junk science, reading fora like Proud Parents that proudly delete any comments alluding to actual science. That’s not a substitute for real research.

            If you haven’t vaccinated your kid, you are not doing your job as a parent. It is really that simple.

            • Jeff, I’d love to see your hard “science”. I’ve been researching Vaccines for nearly twenty years. I’ve combed through thousands of case studies, thousands of research articles both for and against. I’ve looked through the research of over twenty countries – not just US. How much time have you actually dedicated to this “research” of yours?

              There is no substantial body of hard, scientific data backing the vaccine hypothesis. There’s a lot of pseudo-data and data that’s been, how shall we say… “adjusted”.

              The vaccine myth is a prevalent fear-based propaganda/marketing machine designed to program you and millions just like you into automatons that can be triggered into knee-jerk reactions whenever someone begins to think for themselves and operate outside of conventional belief systems currently accepted by the society at large.

              If I were you, I’d take some time to learn about social psychology, memes, logic, and freedom of thought before embarking upon a debate that has got you by the balls to react like a trigger-happy brainless sheep. Your posts here are ill-informed, ill-timed and completely biased.

              Ask yourself this: Why are hundreds of MDs (and counting) abandoning vax protocols every year? Why are vax insiders, biochemists and PhD researchers refusing to vaccinate their own children? Do you have an answer? Many are now becoming supporters of various anti-vax legislation.

              Herd immunity (unlike herd mentality, which you have represented perfectly here) has long since been debunked as complete pseudo-science, ridiculed in many circles by those who have observed the vax fear phenomenon take shape and create a stranglehold over society at large. In a hundred years, this vax-myth phenomenon will be documented as the ultimate strategy to undertake if you desire complete fear-based market domination of a mass population at large, now easily observable at every level of our society.

              It is precisely the level of fear and ignorance partnered with lack of self-responsibility or accountability for true education that has triggered this onslaught of “superbugs” and chronic, life-long autoimmune dysfunction (of which cancer is among the most prevalent).

              I know, you believe you know something about the subject, but fear is a most powerful motivating force. Until you delve behind the mask of the monster that has you by the throat and observe what’s really going on, you and your children will just be one of the many countless causalities of this facade we call “health” care.

              Your children are being primed and fattened early on for a lifetime of continual harvesting and slaughter. Vax manufacturers do not have your well-being in mind. They own a substantial portfolio of designer drugs, therapies and toxins they keep pumping into your society at every level. They indoctrinate you early and frequently, by whatever means necessary using bought-and-paid-for-pseudo-scientific-research (because we cannot question the religion of science, now can we?). By using the long arms of the religion we call “science” which you have been programmed never to question… you become a loyal consumer of these toxins, for life.

              Have you ever looked at direct correlations between the decline in general health of this society and the increase of drug dependency? If you are trying to tell me Vax isn’t a drug, I’ll ask you to look more closely at the definition of a drug.

              No other system in your body requires forced stimulation for optimal operation and function. It is a complete myth to believe that your immune system would require injections to stimulate immunity. The entire flaw of the vax myth is predicated on your belief that your immune system isn’t functional from birth. It is a MYTH born out of FEAR.

              A child born and breast-fed will receive full immunity from the mother’s system. Whatever immunity the mother has, will be passed to the child. That immunity lasts until about 4-5 years of age (about the time most children in indigenous tribes stop breastfeeding).

              There’s a lot of misunderstanding by immunologists as to how the immune system works because of the variety of social indoctrination we’ve accepted in our lifetimes. It’s not just about exposure, but about optimal nutrition and protection. A healthy system is exposed to a variety of things. Such a system is perfectly tuned and naturally capable of reacting in a healthy way if not prematurely overstimulated (such as the case with immunizations). Epidemics are a natural form of population control. Yes, epidemics are devastating to a population, but there are stronger, more powerful (and cheaper) alternatives that offer far more protection than enforced artificial immune system stimulation.

              The fact that most diseases our children are forced to be inoculated against were on a radical decline in society as many as 10 years before vaccines were introduced to the public at large seems to have completely escaped your attention, as well as the attention of most public health administrators. Why?

              Ask yourself this: if you owned a major pharma company that manufactured a portfolio of designer drugs, wouldn’t you want the greatest market reach possible? What greater market reach is there than feeding off of the deep, deep social psychological fear in any given population regarding the potential threat of an uncontrollable epidemic?

              How is it the flu vaccine triggers more violent flu outbreaks? How is it the so-called anti- cervical cancer vaccine forced on young women killed a large portion of its inoculated victims within five years of receiving the vaccine? How is it that there is a direct correlation between increased autism spectrum disorders and increased vaccine protocols in this country? How is it that children who were vaccinated with whooping cough were catching whooping cough and demonstrating far worse symptoms than those children who were not vaccinated? In fact out of the not-vaccinated population, less than 10% became ill from whooping cough, while over 90% were ones who had the full whooping cough vax protocol?

              Think long and hard on that one. If you have an answer, a logic-based, hard-science-backed answer, I’d love to hear it. Yes, this fact was not revealed in the media. I wonder why?

              It’s intriguing to me that you’d actually claim you know for a fact that parents who have had children permanently injured by vaccines do not conduct sound and valid research. I do not know what indoctrination you’ve taken hold of, but by the sound of your statements, you haven’t conducted enough valid research to warrant an educated debate.

              Most the anti-vax parents I know are well-grounded in sound research and have looked at both sides of the equation, unlike most pro-vax parents, who just accept whatever it is one or two doctors tell them along with repeating whatever it is that major media outlets and the government programmed them to parrot.

              Your posts here resonate as one who is highly ill-informed on the subject at large. I’d urge you to research both sides of the vax debate thoroughly and openly interview people around the world with deep insight to the issues before attempting to contribute a largely ignorant debate on this topic.

              Ask yourself this why wouldn’t those running the CDC accept the same vax protocol that is assigned to newborns and toddlers if they claim the currently accepted vaccine protocol is so safe? Why is it when asked if they vaccinate their own, most say no comment?

              This is a multi-billion dollar industry – with a full army of lobbyists, legal teams and paid-off psuedo experts spouting of bought-and-paid-for subjective data that can be twisted to portray anything you desire. Research stats are fascinating that way. I’d urge you to look into social programming for a more in-depth understanding as to how to control a large population and turn a logical debate into a powerful emotional trigger. It’s fascinating mechanics, really. Nazis used these strategies to perfection to indoctrinate their populations. Why wouldn’t a government or a company do the same if it means harvesting profits off your poor health?

              Doesn’t it occur to you to consider it strange that vaccine companies (which sit in the private sector and are making money hand over fists for their investors every year, many who sit in our senate and house today) are the only companies fully protected from any form of liability? You cannot sue the vax company for vax damage. Wow, the ultimate golden parachute, and its happening right under your noses. Your government does not work for you. It works for the companies that seek to fleece you.

              Here is some rational, logical fact-based independent research for parents who want to begin researching whether or not to “inoculate” or “indoctrinate” their children. Do not rely on your doctor, any media outlet, any university or medical establishment to give you the facts. They won’t because its not in their best financial interests to do so. All I can tell you is to follow the money.

              There are plenty of links that promote the efficacy and viability of vaccines. There’s no shortage of them, in fact. Just do a google search on Vaccine Information, pick and choose from a litany of pro-vaccine websites. I will tell you many of them are funded by the CDC and various special-interest groups are privately funded by the pharmaceutical companies responsible for manufacturing these vaccines. I won’t point you to them. Do you your research and see if you can find a non-funded truly pro-vax independent website. ten of the top ten google results are funded by those same companies and are not objective.

              I looked for years for non-funded pro-vax research. I did find a few and even they promoted a very careful, highly selective vaccine schedule – and not a single one supported the CDCs vax schedule.

              Now, I’ll give you these links –

              Learn about Vaccines Independent information http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm

              Think Twice: http://thinktwice.com/

              http://www.historyofvaccines.org/content/articles/vaccine-injury-compensation-programs

              http://www.realfarmacy.com/medicinal-chemist-gives-3-reasons-why-he-doesnt-vaccinate/

              Vax Damage Coverup?: http://www.activistpost.com/2012/08/exposing-fdas-vaccine-injury-cover-up.html

              Some things you might want to ponder and discuss between you and your spouse or significant other:

              POLIO

              Strange increase in outbreaks after Polio Vaccine introduced in the US: http://www.fearoftheinvisible.com/whohides

              The polio vaccine ignited severe, deadly outbreaks of polio in Nigeria, Chad and Angola (3 developing countries).

              http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2009/08/14/polio-vaccine-oral-nigeria.html

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

              UNICEF Nigerian Polio Vaccine Contaminated with Sterilizing Agents Scientist Finds
              Scientist says things discovered in vaccines are “harmful, toxic”
              http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archive//ldn/2004/mar/04031101

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

              The Indian Journal of Medical Ethics (an independently run journal not associated with big pharma or corporate sponsor) revealed that the polio vaccine program launched by Bill Gates paralyzed 47,500 children in 2011 alone. And those injured by the vaccine died at twice the rate of those infected by “wild” polio.

              http://therefusers.com/refusers-newsroom/rise-in-paralysis-cases-after-polio-vaccine-deccan-chronicle/#.Ue78hFOb8wF

              http://nsnbc.me/2013/05/08/bill-gates-polio-vaccine-program-caused-47500-cases-of-paralysis-death/

              http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/28/polio-eradication-campaign.aspx

              How could this happen? I have no idea. You could just watch this TED video and decide for yourself… and prepared to either be inspired or be appalled, it is your choice. I’ll say nothing more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cNqEFISr1o )

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

              Pertussis

              Between 1900 and 1935, mortality rates due to whooping cough dropped by 80 percent in the United States as soon as proper sanitation was introduced throughout hospitals… interestingly enough, the vaccine (DTP and DTaP) wasn’t introduced until 1940… Think about that. It was already on the decline in the population. The vaccine had nothing to do with it.

              Today those who have been “immunized” are the most susceptible to whooping cough, flu, colds and an array of other illnesses. Same with polio, by the way. Small, minor statistics that no one seems to want to talk about in the doctor’s office when they are too busy drug-peddling to worried new mothers. Not only that but this supposed “safe vaccine” is responsible for many cases of vaccine-related brain damage.

              You can read more on the CDC about vax damage yourself to decide if the risks are worth it to you. For many parents they believe the peace of mind they get outweighs the risks. For me, personally, it didn’t: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm#jeixiaro

              http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/02/why-is-this-vaccine-causing-increased-infant-mortality.aspx

              Pertussis vaccine ingredients include: bioactive pertussis toxin, endotoxin (trace amounts) of mercury and an aluminum adjuvant, inactivated pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin (FDA), pertactin, fimbriae, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), gluteraldehyde, 2-phenoxoyethanol, aluminum and thimerosal (mercury).

              You should NOT allow your child to get this vaccine if there is A Personal or Family History of Allergies and Autoimmune Disorders, Low Birth Weight, Family History of Convulsions or any form of Neurological Disorder, or Milk Allergy

              You can find this information easily on most vaccination websites what vaccines to avoid depending on your child’s or family’s history. Unfortunately, newborns have no medical history, so it’s almost impossible to know what side effects your newborn may deal with.

              Pertussis is known to cause Encephalitis (brain inflammation), which is in turn linked with increased risks of autism.

              Many informed parents report their children had a vaccine adverse reaction that caused permanent brain damage. The CDC denies vaccines cause autism (in spite of a myriad of evidence that links vax damage to brain damage which has been linked to autism), while its own web site admits vaccines can cause permanent brain damage. CBS news points out the US government has compensated many cases of ‘vaccine-related brain damage.’ But will continue to refute that vaccines cause autism.

              http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/06/25/mmr-vaccine-caused-autism.aspx

              It isn’t in pharma’s (or the governments) best interest to admit this. It’s all just a simple matter of cost-vs-benefit of social control. It has nothing whatsoever to do with your child’s well-being. The exorbitant payouts the government would have to pay if they ever admitted to autism-link far supersedes what is currently costing the government to care for austism-spectrum patients. In fact, it could bankrupt this country.

              Just remember that the CDC is in the business of pushing vaccines, yet the brain damage vaccines can cause is admitted and fully disclosed right there before your eyes on the CDC web site. If a doctor, public health official or anybody else tells you vaccines are safe or that they only have a few side effects – they are either misinformed or lying. Tell them to read the CDC web site.

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

              MEASLES, Mumps, Rubella

              Between 1983 and 1990, there was a 423% increase in measles cases among VACCINATED individuals – who were CARRIERS. In 2006, the largest mumps outbreak in twenty years occurred. Among those infected, 63% were “fully immunized”. None of the outbreaks were traced to a non-vaccinated child. They were ALL traced to the vaccinated population.

              What happened to the 99% efficacy that MDs around the country are told to tout to well-meaning parents??? These statistics were quickly suppressed as a quick perusal of major media outlets will prove.

              http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1307095/Family-win-18-year-fight-MMR-damage-son–90-000-payout-concerns-vaccine-surfaced.html

              MMR related deaths http://www.whale.to/vaccine/mmr2.html

              http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9521728/Rogue-strain-of-MMR-vaccine-caused-deafness.html

              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

              Some Additional Insight from a mother’s perspective

              Typically what a medical doctor will tell you is that these (and countless other cases) are “isolated” incidents, and that the “fifty year history of immunizations” is proof enough itself that immunizations have a 99% (95% or even 98%) efficacy rate. That is the rate they are taught to repeat to their patients. It’s systematic social programming.

              Most general practitioners and pediatricians are taught that side effects of immunizations are mostly harmless. 99% of the time.

              Nearly every single medical school in the country receives big pharma contributions. Let us also consider carefully the culture most MDs are indoctrinated into.

              They are people, capable of being misinformed, just like you and me. And as people, they are equally fallible and prone to subjectivity and continual brainwashing by their own cultural bias that they may have learned to not question.

              • I don’t know why I read this whole post but I did. I even checked on your links and references.

                This diatribe is so riddled with logical fallacies that it seriously made my head spin.
                Some of the links you provided even made a case FOR vaccination. One even cited 3 studies that found no correlation between Thimerosal and Autism.
                I nearly went cross-eyed.

                One of the articles you link to about Polio states that the cause of the outbreak is un-immunized children contracting the Vaccine strain through urine and feces contaminated drinking water and developing mutated strains that cause outbreaks “particularly if immunization rates in the rest of the population are low”

                You tell us you will give us “rational, logical fact-based independent research” and then reveal this research to be “Do not rely on your doctor~” and “All I can tell you is to follow the money.” I think you may want to reconsider your interpretation of that statement.

                You link to no research papers or peer reviewed journals and none of your links lead to peer critiqued sources either. I’m not even going to comment on the TED talk as I’m not even sure what you were trying to prove without jumping to a logical fallacy myself.

                As someone who claims to have researched vaccines for over 20 years I really expected some significant findings. Instead you riddle your post with false causes, loaded questions and ambiguity.

                *sigh*

                I followed this link to read a debate about sack lunches in federal preschools, got sucked into a debate about autism induced by vaccinations and wound up reading this 2500+ word diatribe of nonsense that I can only describe as “alarmingly disjointed, misleading and uninformative”.

                Some of us would love to have a rational debate about these kinds of things. Myself, as a father, included. But it’s tough to do with arguments like this littering the collective conversation.

                If anyone else reads this I would urge you to find the journals and entries by the doctors who make these claims and read through the actual research submissions. The papers are typically saved as PDFs and are readily available for anyone to download.
                But don’t stop there, all research should be reviewed and critiqued by one’s peers. Check to see if those reviews contain a conflict of interest or any other motivation for writing a negative critique or supportive claim. Familiarize yourself with the process of research and review and you’ll have a lot more ground to stand on when you debate it.
                It’s in those critiques and reviews that you should be able to derive a reasonable conclusion. Without that, you’re just taking someone’s word for it and to recite these claims as factual evidence to substantiate a presumption, even if it is a tested hypothesis, is just misleading and wrong.

                There are enough windbags in our government as it is; we don’t need blind fanaticism in our peer groups.

                • everyone takes the information that they receive and sees what is important to them and bases their decision on their priorities and perspective. that doesn’t mean that a person is wrong for vaccinating and it doesn’t mean that a person is wrong for NOT vaccinating. people research the information and weigh the risks and decide one way or the other. there is science to support not vaccinating just like there is science to support vaccinations. as parents, we make all kinds of decisions for our kids contrary to that of our peers but in line with our own convictions and understanding. how ’bout this, i won’t bash you for not researching and choosing vaccinations and you don’t bash me for researching and not vaccinating, ok?

                  • So you’re taking what I said as bashing people who don’t vaccinate their kids?

                    Seems to me that you read what you wanted to read into my statement regardless of what I was actually complaining about.
                    And you’re right, 100%, that’s your prerogative. I would just throw in that gleaning information from something without even understanding what you’ve just read is kind of a dangerous habit.

                    Best of luck to you and yours.

              • thank you for proving my point so effectively, isis. i’ve never met a person who doesn’t vaccinate that hasn’t research all of the options thoroughly.

              • As someone who had a severe reaction to pertussis (encephalitis) and has spent my entire adult life with severe autoimmune issues, you are spot on.

            • The vaccine debate just shows how medical “science” is no more absolute than any other science. As far as the medical arguments for and against vaccinations, they should be considered with the same care as any other medical treatment. Human health is so complicated that there is never a “one-size-fits-all solution.” If my parents had followed the “just listen to what the ‘scientists’ say” mentality, I would be dead, several times over, and vaccines have nothing to do with it, one way or the other.
              I think that “vaccines” as a whole get blamed for a lot more than they should, on the one hand, and that they’re given too much “blanket approval” on the other.
              That said, speaking as someone who is about as “high risk” as they come, there are many reasons to object to vaccinations, and one is the select few (but usually “mandatory”) vaccines that have been derived, and/or continue to be cultured, using fetal tissue.
              It is hypocritical that some who claim to be “pro-life” object to fetal and embryonic research and then see no problem profiting from it personally, or that people profit from intentionally killing patients to harvest their organs.

      • HOLY COW LADY!!! I have a very compromised immune system, along with a lot of other issues. But that is no one elses fault. Its called individuality, I don’t come from an assembly line or a xerox machine. Freedom of choice is just like freedom of opinion. 1 word: RESPECT

    • We wouldn’t need vacinnes if people would eat a whole food diet and quit eating all the garbage. Our immune system wasn’t made to run off Cheetos and Pizza…

  54. EVERYONE STOP
    I have just read through all the comments and all the back and forth debate about who’s right and wrong and who’s to blame. While we sit here and argue amongst ourselves our governments (including mine in Australia) must be delighted because the finger of blame is getting pointed at everyone but who it needs to. Our governmental systems are fundamentally flawed and corrupt and as the toxicity flows down from the top all we are left with is bad food, limited choice and misguided anger and blame.
    LETS USE OUR PASSION AND ENERGY FOR WHAT WE ALL WANT. let’s work to gether to start changing the system, not each other.

    • ^ I’d use that Doctor’s note too. My daughter may actually be allergic to GMO – she hasn’t been able to eat a school lunch in years because they upset her stomach so much. I got tired of being called at work because she was throwing up or in the bathroom with diarrhea – because she ate the school lunch.

  55. Our country has gone stark raving mad when parents can’t send their children packed lunches without a doctor’s note. Have you seen what they feed our children for lunch? Think chicken nuggets and pizza everyday.

    I loved homeschooling and our local school is just like this. However, we now have our youngest in a charter school and it is much better. Still some silly politics, but like a dream compared to the local public school.

  56. It’s interesting, because this year we were eligible for free school lunches, I thought I’d have him try them at least for the vegetables and fruits they serve, which is actually pretty impressive nowadays. I serve him a lunch at home at 11am, then he eats again at about 2pm at the school. (He takes choir and wind ensemble at the school, otherwise we homeschool.)

    I had to call and ask how it would work, because I know that they require him to take 3 things. Thankfully he can take just the fruits and vegetable, sometimes beans if they have them.
    I like that he can eat fresh fruits and veggies at school, as I don’t always have fresh melon, strawberries, pineapple, pears, at home!

    I was told that he would have to have a doctor’s note to have a dairy milk alternative, so maybe we will do that next year depending on how his schedule is at school. (We are vegan, btw.)

  57. It’s things like this that make me want to homeschool and just foot the bill for all of the therapies my kids need that they receive at school. It’s also one of the reasons my husband and I have been discussing moving out of what used to be the land of the free. If I received this with three kids with sensory issues who are very particular about food textures and who I try to feed non-GMO foods to then I would just rip them out of school and then I would challenge the district in court.

      • I am curious as to why we should have to have a doctor’s note to feed our children? I do not recall ever having to report to someone my menu for dinner or breakfast. Do you know that schools do not actually cook the food? They reheat or thaw out the food. I went to a lunch room one day and they were eating Uncrustables for lunch. Do you know what those are? Peanut butter and jelly in a white bread pocket that comes frozen. Where is the judgement to decide that your children should only be allowed to eat that garbage instead of something brought from home? Poor judgement that probably stems from some litigious fear on the part of that school district. No wonder GMOs are flooding the market, no one is questioning what is being eaten and it starts at the most basic level, our schools.

      • Greg……you are a good little sheeple, aren’t you?

        Obey, obey, obey……….

        Do you ever think for yourself, or just do what the Gov’t tells you to do?

    • If your child is getting special services, they’re still eligible if you homeschool. You’d likely need to bring them to the school for those, but the rest of the day would be under your direction.

  58. I have a 1st and 6th grader. I pack their school lunches. As a family we buy all our veggie and fruits organic and non gmo. I’m not completely against schools offering a free meal but for the families that can currently afford to do a little better, I think the school should not mandate that their food is somehow superior and the only meal that can be served. I’m not even against occasional treats that the school provides. It’s about families and government working together and not regulating one another. I think it would be great if the govt could take the budget and not buy yucky hamburger, chicken nuggets, pork/beef sausage corndogs, cheese sandwhiches, greasy cheese pizza etc. for every single meal w/ syruppy fruit and a couple pieces of broccoli as a side, along with hormone filled milk. Bleck! I’m not saying kids don’t like that stuff and that it would be easier for the govt. to provide enough calories of fresh un-processed food. Heck I like cheese quesadillas but I don’t necessarily think they are healthy for me even. So I try to give my kids the best that I can give them. As it is now, I can give them them the organics and non meat/dairy options that taste great so I do it. If a food shortage happens, then by all means, I’ll lower my standards for survival, but why do it if I don’t have to. All I’m saying is everyone should be able to do the best that *they* can do. We don’t have to be each other’s food police and tell other parents what they can feed their kids. That’s a pretty diplomatic solution I think. (Though I have no qualms of making an exception for pb since little kids love to hold hands, can make mistakes, and it’s an immediate safety issue and is an allergen that can cause death in more cases than any other allergen like milk and dairy and eggs.) As for school treats every friday, I honestly don’t understand why they don’t more often than not offer watermelon/canteloupe/grapes, some juicy sweet fruit. Kids are more apt to eat healthy right after pe when they’ve expended some energy and are simutaneously thirsty from playing/ running. Fruit is a win/win situation. But if they are going to offer yummy fudgsicles, at least the govt programs shouldnt be hypocritical and then say parents can’t choose their own un healthful treats for their own kids in their lunchbox, or moreover healthful foods from home.

    • Wow, I wish there were more moms like you. I couldn’t agree more with everything you said. My hat’s off to you.

    • Feed your kids what you think they should eat. They are YOUR children, they are not the school nor do they belong to our ever-infringing government. That notice is worth about as much as the paper it’s written on, and if they lay one finger on your child’s lunch to stop him/her/them from eating what you provide them, then there would be hell to pay.

      It is time for parents and adults to stand strong against this public school system. For me, I will NEVER send my children to a government sanctioned child indoctrination center, aka public school. I will instill my children with values that are not taught today, and I will teach them US history as it happened, not as it is taught today.

  59. I think you should ask them to show you *where* in the Federal Programs Preschool it states that you cannot bring a home lunch. Ludicrous.

    • With this being a federal mandate program, I’m curious into what state (or area) this applies to….I live in Arkansas now, but planning to relocate to North Carolina…Just wondering if it was across the board with all preschools in every state that receives federal funding…

  60. I’m used to seeing the allergen notes of things not to send if the school is a peanut free zone or a tree nut free zone because those are scary deadly issues, but to ban bagged lunches entirely is odd and the note doesn’t really say why. And the second note she has posted about ice cream for sale during PE is equally weird :-/

    I am guessing it has something to do with funding regulations and some sort of weird quota they have to meet like if they don’t feed X number of kids they won’t get the amount of money they need to feed the percentage of kids that normally purchase a lunch. Still it’s all sorts of weird.

    • What is interesting to me is have you ever seen a list of the ingredients sent home about what they serve in the lunches? Do they poll the kids/parents before they choose to serve something. My friend Kim, her son is allergic to watermelon. Not all allergies are “peanut butter” so if the school gets to choose, who is doing the deciding what is safe?

  61. It is the parents decision – plain and simple. There should be choices – either the child can eat a school prepared meal, or the parent can send a lunch of their choosing. It is THEIR child, nobody else’s. The end.

  62. This is the first time I have heard of a school system BANNING carry-in lunches. What if a child eats a school provided lunch and has a serious allergic reaction from it? Parents should ALWAYS have the choice of whether to allow their children to bring a lunch or buy from school. *shakes his head in disbelief*

  63. One of the main reasons I homeschool is because I am sick of the government trying to parent our children. This is insane! You have to have a dr. note in order to pack your child’s lunch? They are basically saying you have no rights as a parent here. Screw this! People need to stand up and say NO!

  64. That is just ridiculous! Personally, my kids aren’t a big fan of school lunches (who can blame them) so I pack lunches. While our district here serves some healthy options, they are rarely offered fruits or vegetables short of hash browns and fruit in syrup. I can’t imagine that the school is really going to hold up to this, there has to be other parents who are upset.

  65. Well the government need young people to test their Genetically Modified foods out on. Come on. Be reasonable.

  66. Federal Funded Preschools get their funding based on attendance and meal usage. If your child doesn’t eat the food there, they lose that funding. The more funding they lose, the harder it is for them to keep accepting kids. If you become part of the liaison type team that they usually have through those preschools, they thoroughly explain it.

  67. I have a son with a food allergy – and I would never expect a school to ban school lunches in favor or ME – just to implement good safety precautions. ALSO, in my opinion it is a parents’ RIGHT to control what his/her son/daughter is eating at this young age! No government program should ever force me to feed my children anything. We would probably have the doctor’s note in question, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is a ridiculous overuse of federal power.

  68. This is not first time I’ve heard this. I heard about something like this happening a couple years ago. The school decided the childs lunch was not healthy enough and they confiscated it and made the child eat the schools lunch. Basically telling the child that her parents are making bad choices regarding her health. Bah!!!

  69. Wow…I’m interested as to what part of the country you live because, in rural Ohio, nothing even CLOSE to this happens in our schools…and being a teacher in one, I should know. I have witnessed some of the items the national school lunch program considers “adequate” for our kids, and I admire your concern for what your kids are eating; however, I noticed that most of the comments automatically target the teachers for dysfunction in schools. We, just like everyone else, have bills to pay, and are just trying to do our jobs and do them amazingly, but unfortunately we are just the facilitators of the government’s idea of what education should be…so as the age old statement goes “please don’t shoot the messenger.”

    • Jess,

      I live in Alabama. Linda lives in Virginia. I want to make it clear that I do not blame my daughters teacher for the ice cream. 🙂

      She is a really nice person.

    • Actually JESS, I commend you. It takes a lot out of a person to not just teach 30+ child, but be their babysitters, mommies and character models, for 8 hours out of their day. Not to mention, these kids come from various backgrounds. I attended college with the intention to become an ESL teacher. However, I learned early the Public school system was just a little too smothering for me. There are bad teachers, yes. There are also exhausted, overworked, overwhelmed, and underpaid teachers trying to make a difference in the school system, and are silenced daily. Our problem lies in the fact that OUR COUNTRY DOES NOT FOLLOW THE CONSTITUTION. The Federal Government DOES NOT have any CONSTITUTIONAL rights to be involved in the Public System. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!

  70. One day I sent Lucie to school with just a meal replacement protein shake because they were having class parties and I knew she’d be eating a lot junk and wouldn’t eat a real lunch. I figured at least she’d get some protein and vitamins and have something in her tummy – plus it was plenty of nutrition and calories for someone her age and weight. The lunch monitor person decided it wasn’t enough food (because it was a “diet product”) confiscated it and insisted that she eat chicken nuggets instead. (My kids hate chicken nuggets and she didn’t eat it.) Ironically the class parties were rather skimpy that year and she was starving when she got home. And I had to pay for a meal I didn’t want my child to eat!

    So there’s that plus the PTO who is constantly rewarding kids for reading the most books or raising the most funds with pizza and ice cream parties. And the teachers are passing out candies for good behavior. Drives me crazy.

    • Um, for a person like me whose churches doctrine (in part) is a health message of fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, beans, and kosher meats….this is a violation of my 1st amendment rights, freedom of religion. You can’t get a Dr.’s note for that. My church has a huge legal team to defend my religious freedoms!

      • Seriously curious, and if you wish you can email it privately. What church? My husband and I hold certain beliefs based on our studies of the Bible and have yet to find ANY church that supports any of these things.

    • I am so glas that my school only rewards our kids for reading with a once a year party that includes pizza and/or ice cream. The rest of the time they reward the kids buy hosting ice skating night, a movie night, a swimming party at the YMCA, and other things like that. They have rules in place that only allow for once a month “treats” during school hours. So if there are 4 kids that have birthdays in December and they wanna have a Christmas party they have to incorporate treats somehow into one specific day and celebrate all at once.

  71. Wow. This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. I took my oldest out of public school last year, but it seems like things are just continuing to get worse there! This is nuts!

  72. My Children went to a state funded Pre-k. Their food was HORRIBLE my kids would never eat and i asked if we could bring their lunches. They said “only with a Dr.’s note”. So at their next well check I asked the Dr. for a note telling him how they would come home hungry because they would not eat the food. So he wrote me a note saying they needed to be able to bring something more palatable. They let my girls bring their lunch for like 4 days. After that the director contacted me and said unless it was an allergy or something medical that they could not bring it. In my opinion when your child comes home hungry it IS a medical issue. Crazy government!

  73. Ice creams in PE? That’s so counter-productive!
    Another thing that drives me crazy is when teachers don’t check their own work before sending it home… since when did “ice cream sandwich and push-ups” become a flavor? Vanilla and strawberry is a flavor – surely they meant “Choices available” or something like that?

  74. Well I see the pitchforks are out.

    Is it POSSIBLE there is a child or children with SEVRE food allergies at this school and the parents packing lunches are not cooperating? And because this is a federally funded program they have the authority to make this a safe place for all by requiring everyone just eat the same lunch instead of some bringing in a packed lunch?

    Is it also POSSIBLE that some parents are unaware they may eat there as part of the program and are sending their children with things like cans of soda, huge bags of chips, candy and junk food and calling it lunch because this is what they have on hand at home to feed their kids? Perhaps this is the school’s way of making sure everyone is given a healthy meal at least once a day

    Is is also POSSIBLE some children in this program are ‘trading’ food with those who bring things from home because they are not used to the fruit (yes, I said fruit) and vegetables (yes, I said vegetables) on their plates as part of the new standards in government funded school lunches? Perhaps this is the school’s way of making sure everyone has a chance at a healthy meal and to learn about fruits and veggies they have never seen or heard of before. My mother is a lunch lady in a district implementing the program and they are discussing dropping the program because so many children will not eat a peach or cauliflower because they do not KNOW WHAT IT IS and have NEVER SEEN IT in their LIVES.

    Is it also POSSIBLE that because this is a federally funded program the children may be in uniform and may also, for the same general reasons, be given the same to eat each day? If you are dealing with Head Start or something similar the idea is to make sure the playing field is level and no one has any idea which child went without food all weekend and which child has more food than a grocery store and making sure that just like their uniforms their lunches and everything else are exactly the same.

    Has anyone asked ‘Linda’ if she asked the administrators why this was put into place? Something tells me this wasn’t just big government trying to take away your kid’s carefully crafted bento box that you slaved over all morning. I’d like to know more, personally, before attacking how horrible this school is or how awful public schools are or how wonderful homeschooling must be compared to these places where clearly only evil big brother is out to destroy our children.

    There could be a perfectly reasonable explanation.

    …and btw I love how everyone is so down on what they serve (having no idea what they serve) while the First Lady has been working tirelessly to change the standards and put decent food in school lunch programs.

    Having a treat once in a while like ice cream is exactly that too- a treat. Do you not give any treats at home? And if so do you only give them during play time or treat time or art time or … when is an appropriate time for ice cream? I’m guessing PE is not that often considering the funding cuts and also used as part recess and part free time- it may be their only time to sell or offer something like that during the day.

    Judgy McJudgersons of Judgervilles … how about you put down the pitchforks and ask a few questions.

    • 1) No one, especially the government, should be able to tell you what you can feed your child. If I let my child pack a bag of chips…that is my choice. But if I let my child pack organic carrots (like I do) that should also be my choice. I am not a “bento” mom as you so eloquently judged. But I do know plenty that are and while the meals look cute, they are generally very nutritionally balanced. Not chili and a side of a roll.

      2) Restrictions for allergies can be made quite easily and lets focus on the food ingredients. They are not provided. Anywhere. All anyone is told is they meant ” federal guidelines”. A quick google search will tell you that students dont like it either:

      http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/04/02/149717358/whats-inside-the-26-ingredient-school-lunch-burger
      http://www.thelowell.org/features/112-all/4160-a-close-up-look-at-cafeteria-food
      http://www.macheesmo.com/2010/10/cafeteria-chronicles-an-update-on-school-lunches/ (this one even gives suggestions on how things can change)

      3) As I see you are a blogger yourself, you should know that showcasing a topic does not mean that someone isn’t doing something about it. Gathering opinions and spreading awareness is what a blog post is about. In “real” life, questions are being asked.

      4) I can personally answer the ice cream question…this isn’t every once in awhile. It’s EVERY Friday at my daughters school. Every friday all year long. When its not ice cream its sno cones, when its not sno cones, its nachos. We also still have PE (daily) and Recess (not daily) both at her elementary school, but regardless of that, I dont want her to have those things. I also dont want her to be left out for not having those things. If she has an ice cream on Friday, I choose. This started in Kindergarten.

      • 1) If you send your child to a federally funded program the government gets to dictate the terms. YOU may pack a wonderful lunch but the family next to you may not. Why is it so very difficult for you to comprehend that not EVERYONE can give their child a healthy meal to send to school? And when they do send things to school it may be (shockingly) a can of soda and a bag of doritoes. Yes, for a preschooler. Ask some preschool teachers in programs what they see. Ask some lunch ladies what they see.

        2) No, they can’t. Not in every school and not in every program. This preschool may be in one room in one building and that’s all they get. Dear Lord do any of you leave your bubble? Everything isn’t ‘burbs and big playgrounds. And wow- I actually referenced how schools are looking to DROP the program because children aren’t eating it because they don’t even recognize the fruit they are being given. So you’re telling me the program should be dropped because kids are unhappy with it as they try to make it healthier- because it’s HEALTHIER? Yeah. That makes sense.

        3) This is real life. I’m asking the questions and I’m asking if Linda is asking. Is there an update? Please share with the class if you have one.

        4) Every Friday (once a week) seems reasonable to me but hey, I’m one of those crazy Moms. And good for you for having PE daily. Guess what? TONS of schools do NOT. Again, the bubble… try getting out of it. They also don’t have Art, Music, Sports teams, etc. Why? FUNDING. In many of these federally funded programs they are combined into possibly a once a week program IF they can scrape together the money to do it. And yes, welcome to the crazy world of parenting where your tough first world decision is if your child gets to have ice cream or sno cone once a week or is ‘left out’ …

        • Punish all for the inadequacy of a few? What a lovely mindset we have in America these days. “Oh dear, Mrs. “Jipson” permitted her daughter to bring soda and chips for lunch today? Everyone must now eat school system prepared lunches!” Keep in mind that few families cannot afford the basic necessity of food bought at the grocery store. In most cases it is a parent letting their child decide what they want to take to lunch. Yes, there are a few that cannot “afford” decent food, but I bet you’ll find they have cell phones, cable, and a decent car. Then there are the rare instances were a family cannot make ends meet and have zero income – those need the help and will get it, however logic does not dictate everyone else must get on the program to ensure the few that need it are not hindered.

          It is actually amazing how cheap a healthy meal bought at a grocery store really is. Easily less than half what the government is willing to dole out per meal made by school lunch facilities. Those meals are “healthier” than a lunch with a sandwich, fruit, and chips?

          Apparently you are reading the hype attributed to why schools are leaving the program. The food is not healthier non-healthy food is being relabeled to make it sound healthy and that is likely why many schools are leaving the program.

          Make light of a person not wanting their child to eat junk when a school decides it should be done or have their child feel bad about being left out? It is a valid complain and you are being callous by labeling it as unimportant. If it is all about the children then it is important that they are physically healthy by avoiding junk foods and that they are emotionally healthy by feeling included.

          Funding is not the problem – spending of the funds is. It is ridiculous that these sytems that have budgets of $12K-$17K per student per year cannot afford to have art, music, sports, paper, pencils, chalk, books. Yet I can home school and provide computers, supplies, and trips for less than $1.5K per student per year and private schools can do the same for less than $4K per student per year.

          Is the rest of the education community just daft or is the federal and state controlled school system just a failure? Just think about it – ever since the inception of the DOE schools have been able to offer less educational opportunities, less physical education, while removing choice from parents and the end result is that education levels have declined and people are more apathetic about society than ever before. Obvious failure in my book.

          But hey, let’s continue with the mindset that the government is the solution and that problems are only solved by creating more programs and forcing everyone into one solution – it has worked well so far!

          • Well said Marc.

            I’ll add that our schools lunches are junk. There is a hotdog product, a breaded processed chicken product, a hamburger product, a pizza product served each week… then the odd day they get nachos (yes as an entrée!), frozen pancakes, breadsticks … you get the picture.

        • Thanks to the “No child left behind act” millions of children are getting left behind in other aspects. The funding only goes to schools that rank top notch with test scores, look in to it. These will always be cleaner, nicer schools with more fine arts programs, better lunch options and/or the choice to bring lunch from home. This is simply another case of the Government attempting to control those who are dependent on them. Odds are that this is a Headstart Preschool program, federally funded, including that extra funding for lunch. Sorry if you believe that people who insist on feeding their kids healthy, fresh, REAL food is a luxury. I made it a priority, sacrificing in other areas because my kids health is the most important thing. I am also proactive to many issues like these, so yes, I put my money where my mouth is in more ways than one. All I see is complaints from you about people who live in bubbles. Your’s clearly is the biggest bubble of them all…

        • My answer to that would be if the parents funds are limited, why are they spending it in chips and soda rather than real food. Sorry, but the reality is that if you have only a limited amount of money, basics come first, than treats like soda and chips. And yes, you can find healthy options that are not expensive.

        • So, Erin. I can understand where you are coming from. HOWEVER, as a mother of three, I DO NOT want my kids having ice cream sandwiches every week. NOR do I want them having chicken that is potentially toxic (during my older kids’ high school years, the school would regularly store the chicken in an outside storage shed during the winter months – yes, it was frozen – but, *I* wouldn’t have eaten it…why should my kids be forced to????) BOTH of my older kids were literally going hungry at school because they had physical reactions to lunches. My youngest was forced to eat something at school (the policy was you had to try everything on your plate) that she knew she would make her sick – NOT because she has an allergy but because she had tried it previously & the way it was prepared offended her palate. She tried to explain it to them & they forced her to eat it anyway. She ended up vomiting violently & missed the rest of the day. If they would have just listened to her, she wouldn’t have missed 1/2 a day of school!

          My kids KNOW what real food taste like. They know what it looks like raw. They know how it should be prepared. They have very sensitive palates because they have eaten cleanly since they were old enough to eat. My kids shouldn’t have to eat what everyone else is eating & risk becoming physically ill (and potentially missing school because the school generally won’t let kids stay when they’ve vomited because that COULD be a public health issue) because it offends their palate just because other kids don’t have the same advantage.

          The fact is, school systems are NOT going to be able to prepare food that is suitable for kids with sensitive palates – just like the US military isn’t able to!!! I don’t fault the school. They are doing the best they probably can given the equipment & supplies (“food”) they are provided with. But, that doesn’t mean, as a parent, I should allow or be forced to make my kids eat it!!!

          Yes, there are kids with food allergies. I was very diligent in making sure I accounted for those (not to mention that my kids don’t eat high allergen foods anyway). Not all parents are. I understand that. But, let’s restrict certain foods, then, rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater!

          There are also kids with religious restrictions on what they eat. Should they be forced to eat like everyone else? I don’t think so. Is a doctor going to “excuse” that? Not in general.

    • Erin, really you believe whar you just wrote? The government is better equipped to decide what us best gor my child? Please move to Vuba, or Russia. We are a freedom living nation.

      • Actually, there are many more freedoms in Russia now than here in the U.S. My Russian friends are astounded at the way we in the US are trading away so many of our freedoms (including what to send to school with our children for lunch), freedoms they lived without for generations and fought hard to regain, for “protection” from ourselves or others.

        • Hope your Russian friend doesn’t try and speak out for gay rights or criticize the State, because they might just get locked up like Pu**y Riot.

    • I don’t normally respond to posts, but Erin’s post made my stomach heart rate speed up. Is this what our country is coming to? Control what kids are allowed to eat because they might swap lunches – so? There may be allergies? Well, separate the kids to a “safe” area who have the allergies like many schools have been doing for years. The parents may not pack nutritious lunches for their own kids? Oh yes, a perfect solution is to have the government swoop in to the rescue because so many parents are so “stupid.” The lunches my kids on occasion buy at school are complete garbage. I should allow some bureaucrat decide what my kid should be forced to purchase because it knows so much better? Michelle Obama knows all? Do you know how may apples and salads are dumped into the trash each day because the kids won’t eat it? As long as it is put on their plates, I guess it makes the liberals happy – after all who cares about actual results. Erin, maybe you should ask some questions yourself before you blindly follow what the government tells you and raise your own children.

      • I love how everyone somehow deduced I’m all for government control! Whoo hoo big brother! Oy.

        Some key take aways here- no, not every family can provide the healthy lunches that you provide. And it’s very possible that at some of these programs which are funded by the government they see a lot of these families. Leave your little safe bubble for a just a few minutes and try and understand NOT every family is as LUCKY as yours and it’s possible that no matter how hard these parents are trying, they aren’t cutting it on the packed lunch front. This is a government program, so they can at least say hey… we’ve been working hard to raise our standards so maybe it’s best we just give them what we have here.

        And what we have here is SO healthy (which no, I never said was great but they are working on it) that kids ARE throwing it away (like I mentioned in my post) and schools are considering dropping the programs (like I mentioned in my post) because yes- salads and apples are being thrown away. I love how you complain about how unhealthy the lunches are that the schools’ serve but when they try to make them healthy you complain that children won’t eat it. Well, they never WILL eat it if you don’t give it to them- tell me, oh wise parents, how do you get a child to eat something if they have only had junk food?

        I’d also like to know where I’m blindly following the government or giving up my freedom or doing what the government tells me? I send my children to a public charter where today they are going to have ‘meatloaf cupcakes’ which is a turkey meatloaf with cauliflower faux mashed potato frosting and a cherry tomato on top as their main course with a produce bar. I’m ok with this today so I said sure. They also have ‘healthy’ snacks for sale- pirate booty, soft pretzels, etc. but we’re LUCKY and privileged and I recognize this does not happen in every school. If we were in a different position we might have to sacrifice and I might not have such great choices.

        We might need everyone to have the school lunch and we might need everyone to wear uniforms and we might need it for reasons none of you have thought of. Remember when the teens at public schools were all up in arms because they kicked taco bell and mcdonalds out of the schools? Was that big government?

        My entire point was there may be a perfectly good reason they are doing this and if that makes me some crazy liberal than so be it. I suggest you all leave your privileged little bubbles though and see what the rest of the country is dealing with before just assuming.

        • You think because people care about what food their kids ingest and want the right to decide for them not to eat chemicals, we live in a privileged “bubble”. No one is taking away the right for the program to exist, but that no parent should ever have to force-feed their children spoonfuls of preservatives that cause cancer starting at age 4.

          If that makes Linda and I, or any other parent here, living in a world that doesn’t exist, the fact is we have to find that world again. The “perfectly good reason” you are looking for is here: http://www.popularresistance.org/monsantos-winning-the-world-food-prize/

          It wouldn’t hurt you to get educated on what is in that pirate booty and meatloaf and pop out of your own “bubble”. You decide what to feed your kids, I’ll decide what to feed mine.

          • There is a reason I put quotation marks around ‘healthy’ – and made the point to say I chose to allow them to have school lunch today.

            I pack them lunch most of the time- SURPRISE! School lunch, to me, is a treat in some cases. However our cafe’ is all home made by a caterer and not a typical public school lunchroom, thus giving me an advantage as everything is organic, locally sourced, antibiotic free, blah blah blah, etc etc etc. Which is why I consider my family to be very lucky.

            You are all missing my point entirely. No one wants to take away your ‘right’ to pick and choose what you feed your own children, however if you enroll them in a government funded program administrators are going to make decisions that will affect your choices.

            Those decisions may be for cultural, socioeconomic, funding, and who knows whatever else reasons. And in this particular case the school gave parents the option of going to their doctor, getting that note, and then letting you continue to pack whatever you would like. I’m sure my pediatrician would have zero issues signing off on something saying what I pack is necessary for my child. Therefore all your problems are solved and all you had to do was go get a note.

            Not so for the family sitting next to little Suzy who may not have insurance, can’t go see a doctor, was sending her with a bag of chips and a can of coke because that’s what they had. These are the realities that I’m asking you all to take one second to consider. You are all so outraged, even though you have the means and ability to get the note, homeschool- have CHOICES- where other families DO NOT HAVE THESE CHOICES.

            • Ok I get it. So in order to at least make sure some people have *something* to eat, the rest of us should be forced to eat things that contain toxins?

              Instead of just allowing people to “opt-in” to a free lunch if they need it.

              Makes perfect sense.

            • I think the main issue here and why you will no one ready to agree with you Erin, is that it all comes down to government control.

              If I want to send my child to school with nothing but a can of soda, a bag of chips and a candy bar, that is my right as a parent to make that choice. I don’t need the government to step in and try and dictate what I can or cannot feed my child. It doesn’t matter if that is all I have to send or if that is what I decide to send for whatever reason. It is just that. My decision.

              Saying things like there are some children who that is all they get, that is all they have, think of the children is a slippery slope. Who gets the final say? And when does it stop?

            • Erin, If you can afford to buy chips and soda and send your kid to school with those for lunch, then you can damn well afford a bag of grapes and a bottle of water. It’s a parents CHOICE that those kids went to school with a bag of chips and a can of soda NOT bc they couldn’t afford it.

              And as far as federally funded schools goes, allow me to SCHOOL your ignorance since you clearly are the one in your Charter school bubble. My sons elementary school was federally funded. I didn’t “choose” that school for him, it just so happened we lived in the same district as some needy families. So don’t you DARE say that anyone can just CHOOSE to send their kid to a federally funded school. I didn’t have a choice. It was in my district and we couldn’t opt out. But it was fine. And unlike your fortunate self, I don’t have the luxury or means to send my kid to some hoity toity charter school where they feed kids organic an heathy meals.

              My son doesn’t have allergies. But I sure as hell don’t let him eat school lunches except “maybe” once in a while.
              It’s completely ridiculous for a school to ask a parent for a frigging doctors note for my kid to have a homemade lunch.

              • Let me just drop back in so I can clarify for Blondie here since she seems confused about, I’m sorry how did you put it? My ignorance?

                My children attend a PUBLIC charter school. No tuition. Open to all in the district. Federal/state funds just like any other public school except we get LESS money than a regular public school does. That’s how it works in our district and state for this particular type of charter.

                And thank you for proving my point on choices and the differences in families.

                • Don’t be sorry, I wrote it clear as day. I didn’t read through every single comment here so if you already clarified that Charter schools are public where you live, then I apologize for my mistake. I was only going by my experience with Charter schools in Massachusetts.

                  My biggest issue with this whole thing, is the government taking my choice and right away to pack a lunch but if I get a note from a doctor then its okay?! That just doesn’t make sense to me. And if in fact they are trying to “level the playing field” as you put it earlier, then getting a note and being then able to pack a lunch defeats the whole purpose. Little Suzy will still feel left out with her school lunch. However, I don’t think kids ever feel jealous about lunch like that.

                  And trust me I don’t live in a priviledged bubble before you go making assumptions about me. I’m a working single and only parent and honestly, I cant even afford school lunches. I make too much money to qualify for free or reduced lunches but really don’t make enough to afford school lunches every day at $2.50. But for $10, i can get a loaf of bread, ham and cheese, and yogurt for his lunch for the week. The government has programs, which i whole-heartedly agree with, like free and reduced lunches for those families who can’t afford a packed lunch. So why implement a program like this where its mandatory? Is it all free? Even if it is, I should still have a choice on whether or not my child eats it without having to get a doctors note explaining my child’s dietary needs.

                  This is a case of someone taking away my right to choose.

            • Perhaps, Erin, you yourself no nothing of the underprivileged. I was a single Mother of three on an income of less than $25,000 varying drastically over those fourteen years. I had no help from anyone, children’s Father included, and still managed to feed my kids healthy foods, particularly after one fell extremely ill from tainted school chicken nuggets. I drove a crappy Honda and worked my ass off and still managed to convert to fully organic diets for my family and my kids NEVER buy a school lunch. There it is from someone who has truly been there!

        • Wait… are you actually angry because parents want to feed their children from their own kitchen? I mean… is that even a logical thing to get all whipped up about? By providing lunches at all, they are already meeting the needs of families who can’t (or won’t) pack good meals. Let them eat the school lunches. But why on earth should my child, who does get healthy home packed meals, be forced to downgrade because little Bobby brought Cheetos? No one here is saying ‘NO SCHOOL LUNCHES!’ – Make them healthy and then serve the hell out of them. Go for it. But making them mandatory is ridiculous because it limits those of us who would rather control what our kids eat. If living in a ‘bubble’, as you so eloquently keep repeating, means not feeding my child instant potatoes and canned vegetables, then I’ll stay in this bubble – happily.

          • Again, your child is not being ‘forced’ to do anything. Your child is privileged enough to have choices. You can, I assume, go to a doctor? You have access to insurance and can make an appointment that you can afford and get the note? Yes? How lucky for you.

            • You make a TON of assumptions. You really think because parents want to know what foods their children eat we should get in a sheeple line and be thankful? I am quite sure if Kenda has insurance, she pays for it from a hard working job. But again, I dont know her story or her personal information to make that “judgement”.

              And the best irony…the food that these schools are providing to these “underprivileged” children is what winds them IN the doctors office.

            • I see.”You don’t know what it’s like to be poor!” Oh my.. you have no idea how far off base you are. But, it made me laugh. Thank you!

            • So because a kid that sits next to my kid may not be able to have a lunch from home, mine shouldn’t? They are still getting FREE food.

              I don’t even see how this is an argument. It is about feeding our kids. Some can afford to pack a lunch, so they should have the RIGHT to do that. Others may not and that’s OK…but they are also being taken care of and given a FREE meal.

            • Why on earth should a parent have to have PERMISSION from a DOCTOR to feed her child? You miss the ENTIRE point! Her doctor is not the one with legal authority over, and responsibility for that child. Stating she has insurance, and can call her doctor is absolutely ridiculous. Her DOCTOR should not be part of the conversation. I don’t need your permission, a doctor’s permission, or some bureaucrat’s permission to feed my children.

        • There are two issues here Erin.

          The first issue is that of a school taking away parental rights. I am one of the biggest proponents of healthy eating you will find but when it comes to the rights of an individual I prefer to defer to the constitution. Plus, if the government truly cared about the HEALTH of the children eating these mandated lunches, these perceived “healthier” lunches would take on a completely different form. Which leads me to the second issue.

          The human diet in this country is severely stunted. We count calories over nutrients and push ENRICHED grain products filled with chemicals as the savior to our health problems. In the meantime we get fatter and sicker. Allergies, cancer, alzheimers, heart disease, etc.

          IT’S ALL GETTING WORSE.

          Despite our best attempts to focus on our diets. For years we have all been watching our weight. Eating oatmeal. Eating less fat. Fewer calories.

          And the problems only continue to get worse.

          Because our entire food supply is corrupt and no amount of eating more vegetables soaked in salt and chemical butter-like-flavored substances, grown with pesticides that require farmers to wear contamination suits when spraying will cure. Because the “solution” is the PROBLEM.

          I’ll say it again.

          Our food supply is corrupt.

          And until you educate families about proper nutrition and what is really in their food, forcing children to throw away food they won’t even eat anyway doesn’t do much but waste money. It’s not going to stop them from going home and eating chips and soda. It’s not going to change their habits and certainly not going to change their parents.

          I don’t live in a bubble. I live in a small town and we own our own very small business. One bad month and we miss a mortgage payment. But one thing we do not compromise on is our food. We go without new TVs. We don’t have cable. Our vehicles have 100,000 miles on them. We have made it a priority to feed our children properly.

          And everything around us makes it a struggle.

          EVERYTHING.

          Including schools looking to mandate what I feed my kids.

          But there is one common denominator here, and that is a government that is holding hands with a company that not only produces pesticides that make bugs explode (which our children also ingest) and who also make genetically engineered crops that have been linked to allergies and producing toxins and carcinogens.

          I do believe the government needs to mandate what we eat. Not by serving chemical filled, cancer causing franken-veggies but by breaking up with Monsanto and eliminating GMOs and chemicals from our food supply all together. Requiring huge taxes for companies who want to sell products containing anything artificial or anything soaked in poison prior to reaching our tables.

          They stand behind the veil of trying feed those who can’t feed themselves but the sad part is that without education, it’s really just a bandage on a gunshot wound. One of those plastic bandages with the kids characters on it that just won’t stay on and you keep having to replace it over and over again.

          And they will continue to get sicker and sicker, and the sad part is they may even THINK they are eating healthier simply because the government told them they are.

          I’m not even going to get into how this ties into our current healthcare issues…

          • I actually couldn’t agree with you more. However I applaud the efforts of victory gardens and community gardens and SCHOOL gardens that are often overlooked as part of these programs.

            And instead of demonizing the efforts of those attempting to clean up our food supply as they feed it to our children via school lunches, I’m attempting to point out the strides being made.

            The DEregulation of the supply is also an issue and frankly that’s where I have no issue with the government being involved. I want to know my food is safe. I want them making sure my food is safe. And yes we can debate ‘safe’ as it’s filled with antibiotics and what not but we can’t get anywhere if we’re not as least TRYING to clean up the supply and food. It has to START somewhere.

            • But their attempts are misguided and will do nothing more than alienate parents who feel their rights are infringed upon. Plus as you mentioned, the kids aren’t eating it anyway.

              Starting at the bottom by removing an individuals rights over starting with the source is not a start at all because not only doesn’t it actually provide safe food, it treats people like children and we all CLEARLY can see the response to parents being told what they can and can’t do. It devalues the core foundation of our country. The end result is children complaining that they are hungry when they get home, eating more junk and parents who are informed enough to know better pulling their kids out of school.

              And big ag raking in more and more money while they continue to poison our children.

              Imagine the effect it would have if the government said “we are now adding a “fake food” tax to any food products that contain artificial ingredients.” Instead of saying “we are forcing your kids to eat the food we deem is ‘healthy'” The first option would start a tidal wave of education. In this country we allow something until it is proven UNSAFE. In many other countries across the world they don’t allow it until it is proven SAFE.

              Tell the US that red dye isn’t safe to consume. Tell them the truth about what it does to our children.

              Imagine what would happen then.

              But that’s not in the best interest of our government and their bosum buddy big ag. It’s just in the best interest of the American people.

          • I also want to note that I am not the same person as Kim. She is my best friend and VERY educated in what is in food. She teaches me new things every day and I hold her values in high esteem.

            I am a lot more liberal when it comes to food choices then she would ever be. I am about half organic and half not. She has converted me over the years. It is absolutely a work in progress and I strive to make better decisions on a daily basis. But that is why my focus on this showcase was not to argue a specific lifestyle, but a lifestyle choice.

            I am passionate about my parental RIGHT to make that decision. Telling me what to choose is what is infuriating.

            • I would, however, absolutely go to the mat over your right to eat an Oreo or a drink a Coke or whatever. We all have personal choice, the issue is that the government chooses $$ over the health of our children. You can make an a chocolate sandwich cookie that doesn’t contain carcinogens. You can even make a soda that doesn’t.

              Many European countries BAN things in their food supply that our government promotes in this country because they haven’t been proven safe.

          • It is the government that is causing it – so absolutely no way they will ever want to actually solve it. Sure some in government want to and they go there to do what they can but they will lose as long as we continue with our fascist+socialist central government that makes it easy for corporations to buy favors from one central location and exert their control with ease.

        • What you are is exactly what you accuse everyone else here of being, Erin: judgmental. (Don’t deny it. You’re accusing people of living in bubbles, etc, ad nauseum and giving no benefit of the doubt because of your own perspective. Just like you accuse others of doing.)

          My question is this . . . Why should my child have to do without a healthy meal from home just because other kids at school may not be able to afford the same?? School programs seem to help those who need it, but why should those who don’t be forced to fall in?? Where is American Freedom in that line of thinking/enforcing??

          That’s a socialist way of thinking, in my opinion, and not at all something I’m game to stand behind.

    • When our school system has mastered education, then we can talk about them taking over our responsibilities as patents. Until that happens they need to allow me, and everyone else, to parent the way we see fit. As far as food allergies go, if you have a child who is so severely allergic to something that they can’t even be around it, maybe you should keep them home so you can control everything they come in contact with. At some point, children have to learn to take responsibility for their actions. If a parent can’t trust that their child (at a reasonable age) won’t eat food he/she is allergic to, then the parent has failed. We can’t keep blaming everyone else for our problems.

        • No, I never said they shouldn’t be allowed to attend school. My point is, if you’re a parent who is in fear of your child’s safety due to a sever allergy, keep them home. Be a responsible parent and keep your child home. People need to stop holding others accountable for their own actions and they need to teach their children to do the same. I understand that food allergies are very real but we can’t wipe out every food product known to cause an allergy just to satisfy a few parents. My child attends school with a child whose mother believes he has a sever allergy to nuts because he “broke out in a hive” after someone ate a peanut butter cookie. A SINGLE HIVE—-her words not mine. She asked all the parents to consider removing peanut products from their child’s lunches. NOT GONNA HAPPEN. If she is so concerned, she might wanna consider home school.

    • TOO BAD! If your child has a severe allergy do the right thing and keep YOUR child home. It’s foolish to trust that kids that young won’t sneak something in on their own and even more foolish to expect a young child with allergies not to be tempted to take advantage of it. If you throw a child with a life threatening allergy out into the world, basically unmonitored for 8 hours, it only proves that you are an unfit parent. I would not trust anyone with the care of my precious children’s LIVES if I were in this situation. It is the parents responsibility to guard their child’s well being. Parents need to stop expecting the state to raise their child- especially those with medical issues. The parents who are doing the MOST to care for THEIR child are the ones being put at a disadvantage here…

    • I was going to be pretty snotty but thought better of it. All these parents are saying is that they send what they choose. It is their right to chose. If it’s federally funded then let the kids who can’t take a lunch use it. The way you came on here throwing judgement at people who enjoy the freedoms the constitution grants them, I’m sure you’re familiar with it, is why the McJudgersons of Judgervilles feel the need to have their voice heard. This is where it starts.” Oh may I have permission to feed my child what I see fit?” I don’t need their permission. I’m the mom. If I need them to feed my child then that’s different. Accept what’s given when one can’t afford anything else. But to tell someone in America they can’t give their child something better because Sally may next to her can’t have it is beyond…words. We are not all the same it’s a fact. We are never going to be. There will always be someone who has more and who has less than you at all times. That’s life, it’s reality. There’s nothing to say you can’t help your neighbor or that these programs aren’t doing good for those who use them but to make everyone tow the line to make them the same is unrealistic, especially in this country. I hope that you take time to actually consider where other people are coming from. Because you seem to believe that everyone here has everything they need and dwell in luxury. I doubt it. You seem to think they all have insurance. Probably not. But your casting stones from a glass house because you are judging more than those you are accusing of judging. I get your uber lineal points. I can see where your ideology comes from. I’m just not buying it. Because I don’t agree doesn’t make us enemies. It just makes us different. I enjoy the rights that grant us the ability to disagree.

    • What is it with the assumption that schools are better equipped to feed our children a “healthier” lunch? I have a 14 year old boy who is a competitive swimmer. Based on his age, size and activity level, he needs to be eating around 6-7k a day. Our schools are not able to feed him anything close to that amount nor are they interested. If a parent can’t or won’t feed their child a “healthy” lunch, they have the option of purchasing the school lunch but no one should ever be MADE to purchase it.

  75. Wow my son would never eat then. He is very picky and would go hungry if mommy didn’t make his food for him

  76. This is insane! Really and truly. I would NEVER allow my child to continue to attend a school that has this policy. Is this for a preschool or head start program? If that is the case, I would find another school or keep my child home. I am a stay at home mom, so I could make that choice. I do understand that not everyone is in that position though. But at the same time…forcing my child to eat school lunches that may or may not be what I consider healthy is just not an option for me.

  77. when my son was in preschool I always sent his lunch BUT their policy was if they thought it wasn’t healthy they would then go buy my son a lunch at McDonalds and charge me. Lucky for them they never did that. They use to comment how healthy his lunches were compared to the other kids.

    Crazy for them to not allow a bag lunch I worked in a preschool that served lunch to all kids and those kids were better off eating at McDonalds! This was through either a state or federal program not sure what… they also provided formula and baby food. Sad thing was most of the food was passed the expiration date and the teachers didn’t make the powdered formula correctly

  78. I won’t lie…this kind of thing contributed to our deciding to homeschool. When the school called and talked that my teen year old boy was eating two lunches a day…I repeat…Ten. Year. Old. Boy. All they do is eat. But they didn’t like it because…i don’t know. I was paying for it. So i started sending lunches and they complained it took him more than the designated fifteen minutes to eat all the food, and sometimes he dated to buy milk to go with his meal.

    I’m not kidding. Now he is thirteen, third year homeschooling him and his sister, and they basically rest when they are hungry. And i even let them eat until they are full!

  79. Oh my heck! Just another thing to add to the long list of why I homeschool. My two oldest attended a few years of public school before we made the switch. But they will never go back, and my younger children will never attend. Our gov’t is out of control! I saw this today on FB and think it applies here as well: “Regardless of political party, opinion of Obamacare, or who you blame for the shutdown…a government that intentionally makes life harder for its citizens is no longer of, by, or for the people. That is a fact.”

  80. Isnt ice cream during P.E. counterproductive? We have been homeschooling for 21 years and I would never rethink my decision!!

  81. Yet another branch of that awful tree, Teachers Vs. Parents. What troubled me most, working as a teacher, was how this antagonistic attitude came easily, where parents and teachers where a team, in name, but in reality it was usually a tug of war that only hurt the child. The teacher (in my case, me, I am ashamed to say) often asserting their “professional” opinion over the parent. I am ashamed of that attitude. And it did show up on every level, from assignments, to classroom functioning, to lunches even. I remember one training I went to where I was pleased as anything to be affirmed by a professor who told us all “You can train a child to do anything you want at school, no matter their home life, if their parents don’t know anything about how best to take care of them.” I also remember how often teachers bemoaned the change in the child from the moment Mom or Dad entered the room, how they no longer listened to the teacher, but only the parent. It was things like this that looked SO different when I became a parent. I wish I could call all the parents, whose children I cared for, and apologize. 🙁

  82. This is either government control of our children (IE removal of parental rights/choices) OR someone at the food company has an “in” somewhere and devised this policy as a way to sell more crap food. Or both.

    This is RIDICULOUS!

    I’m homeschooling preschool and looks like I will just continue!!

  83. oh my. I would definitely be homeschooling if my child got this note. So sad.

    But what is the REASON for it? I don’t understand WHY….

    • They are doing this to eliminate the incidence of severe, life-threatening allergic reactions. Some parents don’t listen when they are asked not to send their kids to school with products that contain KNOWN allergens to other students. Their precious child would be scarred for life if they had to go 4 hours a day without eating peanut butter. With older kids, it’s a little easier because they aren’t as messy and they aren’t constantly eating each other”s food or touching each other without washing their hands and faces. Also, anyone who uses the whole “they didn’t do that when I was a kid” stands NO ground, because in the last ten or so years, the number of children with severe food allergies has increased EXPONENTIALLY in the U.S.

      • If this was truly about allergies, then it would be implemented country wide for all ages. While I have no issues not sending peanut butter (which btw has never been a rule in any of my daughters classes since she was preschool on), I do have issues with her eating food that is created solely for mass produced cans and preservatives and chemicals out the wazoo. EVERY child is at risk when you serve the type of foods that are served in school. Its around us every day and causes massive health problems, diabetes, obesity, heart disease….I personally choose as much organic and non-gmo food as possible for my children. I think everyone should give a good hard look at what they are putting in our kids bodies…trust me, no doctor would have a problem writing a “note”.

        • “If this was true about allergies, then it would be implemented country wide for all ages.” Ummm that’s not how it works. They have to work within individual state laws, etc. and this was the first and most important thing I said was the reason they were doing this.

          Children have a right to attend school without fear of dying. The ADA assures them they can. That means if the school is having trouble getting parents to STOP packing peanut butter they may have to resort to drastic measures. LIke say, making everyone just eat the school lunch instead. Unless they have a doctor’s note of course.

          Sigh. This was fun kids. I’m checking out of this thread. I frankly just find it depressing at this point. I truly hope you all can look beyond your own families and see the rest of the world outside and maybe, just maybe, try and understand family’s unlike yours are not evil or horrible or trying to take away anything from you. We’re all just trying to raise our kids and create an environment where they are safe. Same goals.

          • You know Erin, I would have respected your passion a little more if you had kept all the assumptions and rude comments out of it. Its hard to really get to the root of what someone is advocating when they tell you how privileged and lucky you are …and they dont even know you.

            I grew up poor. I live in a trailer in Iowa. I was born to teenagers. My father, through hard work, made something of himself busting his butt in real estate and by the time I was a teen we finally had medical insurance. I can remember a lot of fish sticks and mac and cheese. He has medical now, but only catastrophic because he cannot afford regular insurance. My first car was a 1978 Chevy Chevette hatchback…in 1995.

            My husband and I went to college, but I went on full federal loans that I still am paying off. My husband served the military and is a veteran. My mom was murdered in her own home. My grandmother was diagnosed w/ cancer this year and just finished her last bit of chemo last month. She has no medical insurance and trust me, no one wants to hire someone her age. OH, and my grandfather died a year ago with no life insurance, also from cancer, so she is all alone.

            I volunteer in my community on a monthly basis and I am active in my child’s school and home life. I am an animal advocate.

            Do not assume that because we dont share common beliefs on how things are being run, that I am a bad person or have not experienced specific things. I am not rich. I did not grow up rich. I am a hard working middle of the road American that is uninterested in the few making rules for the rest.

            I can see that the only opinion you are interested in is your own, so yes, we all may be missing the “point” you are trying to make, but if you are going to come here and argue political stance, atleast do so without accusing everyone of being Bill Gates.

          • I am well versed in food allergy issues, even life threatening ones. That is not what this school note is about. They are not banning peanut butter, they are banning parental choices, and homemade food. THere is a difference here, even if you fail to see it.

            My nieces are peanut allergic. My sister had to sue the school to quit SERVING peanut butter, because even the residue left on the tables after washing, risked anaphylaxis for her child. She never tried to force other parents to do or not do. Just have a peanut free table, and don’t SERVE it (exponentially increasing her risk). I also grew up poor, one of 9 children raised by a single mother, relying on our church to help where my father would not, after their divorce. The free lunches were not healthy then, and they are not healthy now.

            As a mother, it is my right to make food choices for my children. It is my right, and my responsibility to teach them to make healthy choices. The schools have no right to stand in my way. Nor does anyone else.

          • I understand allergies. (I’m a nurse), But the fact remains that you cannot punish everyone because one child has allergies. Yes , the schools need to take every reasonable precaution to protect that child, but it is ultimately up to the parents to be sure that the child knows as early as possible that they cannot eat whatever it is they are allergic to. They will be dealing with the allergy their entire lives after all. Also, there is someone allergic to just about every food somewhere. Do we ban eating?

      • Any parent of a child with food allergies, which I am a parent of a child with food allergies, is stupid if they think they can 100% trust the fact that if a school says we are “allergen free” then that means hey are allergen free.

        Lets say a child has toast with peanut butter on it at home for breakfast. That child then comes to school and touches everything in the classroom, not knowing he has peanut butter under his nails. What then? The parent who believe that she was sending her child to a bubble has been let down.

    • Last year, a friend of mine was threatened, in writing, that the school would report her to CPS for child abuse and neglect, if her daughter didn’t show up to the “free breakfast” every morning at school. Free breakfast was the hour before school started, and was pop tarts and skim milk.

      My friend’s child did not qualify for free lunch, as her husband makes a VERY good living, and her child eats a very healthy breakfast at home. She appealed to the principal, who backed the teacher up, and reiterated the threat of reporting her for abuse. Solely for not making her child eat a poptart, and claim a free breakfast. The schools’ funding is tied into how many kids eat that free breakfast, so every little butt in the breakfast chair earns them more money. It’s not about health, allergies, or nutrition. It’s about a corrupt system whereby each kid is seen solely for funding dollars.

      She pulled her out and found a better school. Not everyone has that option.

  84. Well, naturally..Trisha…don’t you know Fudgesicles are much more nutritious? Since those frozen treats are served by the school, they automatically get approved. We all know how stupid we are…I mean..who do we (the parents) think we are deciding what to put in our kids’ lunch sacks?? After all…most of us went to those public schools. We couldn’t possibly know how to pack a lunch. 😉

    *oozing with sarcasm*

  85. Every year, we get a note home informing us what “healthy” snack are acceptable for us to buy and send in with our kids. Within a week, we then receive notice that freeze pops (the sugar and food coloring squeeze pops) and popcorn popped in God knows what are available for our kids to purchase for “fundraisers”. Top it off with the fact that the average lunch served contains between 80 – 99% of my kid’s recommended daily allowance for sodium for the ENTIRE day. Yeah, it’s all about health. Right.

  86. This is just one way the corrupt-powers-that-be are trying to take more control from the parents. If not stopped they will continue until they are telling us how much time we can spend with our kids and what we should be teaching them. Makes me sick and scared to be raising children during this day and age. I am extremely unhappy with the school system in many areas…hearing this just adds to the list. I say fight it all the way, all of us parents should!

    • They already do tell us how much time we can spend with our kids each day… they are in school for the majority of it!

      • Then home school, dipshit, if you’re SOOOOO offended by the government requiring children get an education. And if you say, “Oh, I can’t home school! I have to work! We need the money!” then you’re an even BIGGER dipshit. If you’re offended by public school but you can’t afford to home school, then you shouldn’t have gotten pregnant.

        And if you DO homeschool, then sit down and shut up and teach your brats how to count.

  87. I read about this when it started in Chicago in 2011. It began with staff ‘checking’ home lunches at the door and confiscating anything they thought was not ‘healthy’ by school standards. I was angry even then. But this? This is ridiculous. Both of my kids take a packed lunch each day, with my youngest attending a preschool where they are required. I am very thankful for that.

  88. They get money for kids eating the lunches so if the kids don’t get the lunches, they don’t the money. It is all about the money. Always.

    When Grace was in Kindergarten, we got a letter inviting us to come see the school lunches because I packed lunch just doesn’t meet the same nutritional standards. I wish I had saved the letter. I was so mad for months over that letter. I am waiting to see if Sophie gets one.
    There is NO way my kids will be buying lunch at the schools.

  89. I may be wrong, but the “Federal Preschool Program” is something like Head Start or whatever it may be called locally. In that case, it is free to the parents. They do not have to send their kids at all. When you accept free services, you should accept that some strings will be attached. In this case, that would be the right to control what is served for snacks and lunches.

    • I completely disagree. Our taxes, as in we, the people, myself, PAY for the program. It is not free. They do not print money to fund it. We fund it. And our kids attend and we, as the people, should not have to subject our kids to the types of food and chemicals in that food if we can afford to send better alternatives for our kids. Think about that….you should be forced to eat what they want you to eat because why…because some company owns the contract for federal food and it perpetuates the cycle? The government is doing a pretty craptastic job right now as it is, the last thing it needs to do is dictate who has to have chili and a side of corn.

    • Public elementary school, middle school, and high school is just as free (paid for by taxpayers) as head start. There is no reason whatsoever parents who send their children there should have to accept these kinds of strings. Or should the higher levels of the “free public system” also sit back and accept these strings? Would you be willing to do this for your publicly schooled elementary, middle, or high schoolers? Or would you read the note and tell them under no uncertain terms hat they can do with their policy?

    • Class warfare at it’s finest: “If you can’t afford a better school, you have to feed your kids our poison. Healthy food is only for the rich”.

      Lies. And you are not only swallowing them, you are trying to recruit others to back up your position.

      As Shannon said, WE OWN THIS SYSTEM. We need to change it, not duck are heads and fall in line.

  90. Ice cream at P.E.? Yeah, that makes sense… forget the fact that our kids are getting more fat every day! And, who ever heard of having to send a doctors note in order to send a lunch to school!? Ridiculous!

    • Yes and its every week i fight w/ charlotte over snowballs and ice cream and nachos. She said to me last time “but mom, if I dont get it, I have to sit alone.”

      Its like being the odd man out.

      • Awe. Keep at it Momma! When she is older, she will understand and she will appreciate it. While all her friends are jumping from diet to diet, she won’t need to, because you have taught her the proper way to eat. We are ALWAYS the odd man out. It doesn’t feel good, but I just have to remind myself it is the best thing for my kids!

  91. Tell Linda to tell the school, in no uncertain terms that if she’s required to produce a note from her child’s physician stating she needs to bring a lunch from home (for nutritional soundness, because I can promise you, the district can not categorically claim that their lunches are more nutritionally beneficial than what a parent would pack) then they are going to be required to pay for the office visit if the doctor requires it.

    I’m not a constitutional law professor, but I bet it won’t be long before someone challenges this in court.

  92. That is so screwed up & just one more way the government is trying to take over raising our kids. FIGHT it Mama! If they want to pay for your child to see the pediatrician then fine, otherwise you can draft a nice letter that says you choose to opt out of the federal lunch program. Get it notarized (banks might do it free) and make it official.

  93. OMG, I would be LIVID. My son is picky and I pack his lunch. Yeah, I’m sure some people would say make him eat what they serve, but like you said – I don’t want him eating unhealthy crap.

    And ice cream during PE?! UM?

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