Article reprinted from Pure Facts February 2004
More than half of the county's income goes to pay for public schools, and a huge chunk of the school budget is spent on special education. The cost of educating one child in a regular classroom is about $9,000 for the year but the cost for a special ed student is a whopping $16,000. With 24,000 special ed students in the system...well, you do the math.
Fairfax is no exception; schools all over the United States are hemorrhaging money.
The cafeteria is a favorite place for school systems to cut costs, and vending machines are a pet source of income. But the foods in both may be costing schools far more money than they are saving. The diet/behavior/learning link has been demonstrated in thousands of families for several decades, in many studies, and and in a growing number of schools. It all points to a simple fact: students who eat good food are calmer, healthier and better able to learn. Many of the children who are currently in special ed classes would not need to be there if their diet was improved. (See the article about Sadie's test scores in the February issue of Pure Facts.)
Students and taxpayers can both benefit.
Cafeteria food doesn't need to be the cause of learning and behavior
problems. Recent issues of this newsletter have described schools
that serve fresh natural food without any increase in cost. Vending
machines can also work on behalf of schools and their students.
Brenda Martin, the principal of the Bethel Elementary School in Gloucester
County, Virginia, has introduced students to a healthier lifestyle. It
involves drinking more water, eating more fruits and vegetables and
increased exercise. PTA volunteers occasionally come in to school
to treat the students to fruit smoothies. Children are also encouraged
to bring in healthy snacks.
La Porte City, Iowa also encourages students to bring fruits and vegetables
from home. Parents of elementary school children are invited to come
to school and eat lunch with their children, and encourage them to
eat healthy foods.
Schools around the country are switching to healthy food.
The principal of the Whitefish, Montana Middle School changed the
food in their vending machines in order to bring about improved student
behavior. The school continues to make money, but now it is from
the sale of healthy snacks. Why not offer good tasting natural food
to students who skipped breakfast, or who stay after for sports or
other activities? Vending machines that dispense junk food are required
to be turned off during much of the day. This would not be necessary
if they dispensed nourishing food, so they would bring in even more
income.
Parent Power
Olympia, Washington not only provides salad bars in their elementary
schools, they are working toward the goal of having 50% of the foods
organically grown. The school has formed a partnership with local
farmers to supply food. This is part of a growing movement to support
local farms while improving school meals. By eliminating desserts
the school has been able to afford the increased cost of some organic
foods.
The changes were initiated by Vanessa Ruddy, the parent of one of
the children in Olympia's Lincoln Elementary School. First, she contacted
the Child Nutrition Supervisor about the quality of the food being
served. Then she arranged for meetings that included the supervisor
and other parents, teachers, community members, and the school's principal. The
first phase of the project was to focus on expanding the salad bar;
later the main entrees were evaluated.
Healthy food is not new to Lincoln Elementary. They began environmental
education in 1984 and created an organic greenhouse in 1991. The
children grow foods and learn how to cook them in a special kitchen. They
sell some of their crops to raise money and each fall the school hosts
a Harvest Festival where the children harvest, cook and serve the
foods they have grown.