Is this a problem and Should all schools have the same lunches ?

Question

I've worked in many schools now and have see many different things.  The township schools have deli line, pizza made from scratch, spaghetti made from scratch, chicken and burger sandwiches and a nacho line with fresh lettuce and veggies, they have fruit salad where the Cantaloupe was freshly cut. The Public school where alot of poor class children are has a option of Peanut Butter and Jelly, A packaged pizza, packaged spaghetti , packaged chicken, packaged fruit and packaged veggies. This lunches are not equal and all kids deserve a good lunch so they can focus better on schooling.  Some would say the other schools have  less money so they wouldn't be able to afford it. Do you think this is a problem ? And do you think all schools should be the same ?

Accepted Answer

Yes it’s a problem. Not just food but basically everything in most public schools are extremely underfunded smh.

Answer

Is it because they dont have the same budget?  or is the budget needed in other  areas (school  supplies, after care  , field trips).  As long as all children  are well fed, I don't  care.

Answer

For school to be required by the government until age 16, they should do better than provide the bare minimum.

Answer

My mother in law ran a school lunch program for many years in one of the poorest counties in the state. When she started, she discovered so much waste and minimal effort - they had been misusing petty cash, they would open a giant can of veggies that would warm for a couple hours before students even saw it (and they were basically mush to begin with), and they sold a ton of extra packaged junk foods to kids to try to help their budget. She got rid of all the junk food, made soups, sandwiches, and various snacks from scratch every single day, used her own money to buy gluten free options to keep on hand for kids who needed them, and saved the department thousands of dollars every year. She also learned which kids had tougher homes and parents who didn’t give them good lunches (or any lunches for that matter) and she always let them take a lunch where the previous manager wouldn’t allow kids to take food if they had more than a certain amount owed on their account (we are talking like $10 here). They would let these poor, neglected kids go without food, even kindergarteners. She retired recently and sadly the school lunches there have gone right back downhill (she sees the parents posting pictures that students take of the abysmal offerings all the time). If someone knowledgeable about nutrition who cares about food quality works in the school, it can be done well, even on a tight budget. It’s pure laziness and ignorance that makes most school lunch programs as terrible as they are.

Answer

All schools should have similar lunches. All should be fresh/homemade. It lessens the risk of kids with allergies accidentally eating something they shouldn’t, as well as being healthier. 
The standard choices are 2 hot options, a veggie option, a cold option and 3 dessert options. With unlimited salad bar. A lot of schools upload the menus online in advance aswell. 
Down here, all school lunches are free for families on a low income, but if you miss a payment, the child still gets fed. The parents will just be in the school’s debt. Its cruel to take away a hot meal from a child. It may be the only decent meal they get. 
Its harder to miss payments as a lot of schools around where I live, especially secondary schools (high school in usa?) you pay with your fingerprint as you go. And you have an online account you can upload money to each week.

Answer

First, to answer the question, absolutely all children should be treated equally. Food isn’t just food. Processed food lead to cancer and other issues, children should not be subjected to that in their schools. 
Secondly, this got me thinking: what is this going to teach our children? These type of social injustices effect our children in strong ways and I believe may lead to the epidemic of “poor stay poor, rich get richer.” At a young age we should be showing kids that other children in other school deserve better things because of their parents social class status. 
Curious if you ladies maybe see this trend as well?

Answer

It all depends on your area I think but I do believe kids shouldn’t have to pay for their lunches or single out a kid because their parents either forgot to give them lunch money or forgot to give them their lunch

Answer

All public schools should be funded equally based on number of students in that particular school. All lunches should be provided.

Answer

In a perfect world, yes, they should all be the same. But it’s only really a huge problem if parents are too lazy to make their kids their own lunches most days. My school only had packaged meals mostly and I only got to buy my lunch on a Friday as a treat if I had eaten what was given to me in my lunchbox all week long. Eating a packaged meal from the school isn’t the end of the world if your kid is eating wholesome lunches majority of the time, and that comes down to the parent.

Answer

School lunches in the US have always been a problem this is nothing new. The only way to make them equal would be to take the power out of the local government and give it to the federal government. Even then, I doubt you would get the outcome you desire as the local government is more in tune with the people directly in a specific area while the federal government is more one size fits all.

Is this a problem and Should all schools have the same lunches ?

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