Pa. Parents slam school’s ‘safe snack’ list

9/15/2014

MAPLE GLEN, Pa. – It came as a surprise to many parents that Oreos, Chips Ahoy and fruit rollups are dangerous.

The School District of Upper Dublin recently sent a letter to parents, informing them schools would be clamping down on snacks the district deemed unhealthy or otherwise unsafe.

That didn’t sit well.

The Montgomery News reports several parents attended the school board meeting to criticize the “safe snack” list.

Listing surrounding districts that do not permit food to be consumed outside of the cafeteria, [Pupil Services Director Michelle] Clegg said, the goal was to continue to permit snacks in the classroom, but control what and when they were permitted with teachers monitoring. …

Having Oreos, Chips Ahoy and fruit rollups on the list is “an embarrassment to the school district,” parent Sharon Griswold Theodorson said. “There is no way to make a safe snack list for every child.

“Reaction to a child with a nut allergy is ridiculous,” she said. Having children wash hands or wipe down a table would be an “acceptable” way to deal with food allergies.

Numerous parents of children with food allergies said their children were able to monitor their own food intake.

“My children are taught they are responsible for what they consume,” parent Alicia Fortunato, who has two children with food allergies, said, according to the paper. “You can’t accommodate for every allergy.”

But the school isn’t backing down.

According to the letter issued to parents, the district will allow fruit and vegetables as snacks.

In an effort to be responsive and provide an immediate improvement to the list, we are permitting the inclusion of ALL FRESH FRUITS and VEGETABLES as allowable snack options effective 9/8/14. These can be sent in whole or sliced per your child’s preference.

The timing is curious, given the number of school districts imposing new bans on snacks and bake sales in order to be in compliance with federal regulations championed by First Lady Michelle Obama.

Upper Dublin isn’t the only one to claim student allergies as the reason for the new rules.

Brooks Elementary School in north Coweta County, Georgia, banned cupcakes, cookies, or cakes as birthday treats for “safety reasons,” EAGnews reported in August.

“Although our first priority above all else is the safety of our students, we are also trying to create an environment in which all students feel included and not singled out,” the principal told the local paper. “So both safety and a positive environment for all students were the reasons for this change.”

An initial announcement to parents said the changes were due to “new national health/food regulations,” but then modified its reason, instead focusing on student health.

That reason is likely much more palatable than the reality that high-educated adults are giving into bureaucrats in Washington, D.C.

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