I work for a public school district and would like to 'weigh' in (pun intended) on this topic, at least regarding the school breakfast/lunch program.
As recent as 2004, public schools under federal mandate, had to develop a 'school wellness policy' which includes breakfast, lunches, class parties, vending machines, school sports venues, as well as treats/foods/lunches parents allow their children to bring in and have the policy fully implemented by 2006.
Quote: On June 30, 2004 Congress passed section 204 of Public Law 108-265 of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004.(1) It requires each local educational agency (LEA) that participates in the National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) to develop a local wellness policy by July 1, 2006 and implement it by the "first day of the school year beginning after June 30, 2006."(1) (eatright.org) or you can google Federal Department of Education and search their site for wellness policies.
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg...2_ENU_HTML.htm
In addition to rules & regulations regarding consumables within the public school system, programs had to be developed and integrated into the curriculum to teach students healthy eating based on the famed food pyramid and activity. Along with the nutrition program, correct portions are also required to be served during breakfast & lunch.
Now, before we condemn our schools for not doing their part, lets please look at parents and guardians. In my experience with our district (I am not speaking for all here), it is the parents that we are having the problem with. We are following the healthy guidelines and correct portion sizes, including proper nutrition instruction, and all we get are complaints that we aren't feeding the students enough, what we offer is not liked by the student, etc. We have to look in lockers and we find pop, chips, full boxes of sugary cereal, candy, chocolate, sometimes even toaster pastries!!!! We HAVE to confiscate these items and we call the parents to pick them up. What we are told by the parents is that the student is hungry during the day and they need to have 'snacks'. We have had parents bring whole pizzas to school to their children for lunch. We have had to tell them no with a lot of arguing and "I will call my lawyer" in response to our denial.
Prior to this new federally mandated requirement, schools did serve items that were high in carbs, fats, etc. At that time, they also had to follow the nutritional guidelines but it was not a mandate. Schools were following what was considered best practice and scientifically sound nutrition guides at the time. Remember when it was proven that fats and carbs were a must for a successful student and good brain development at a young age? We have government commodities that we order from as well. We just don't go to the grocery store and pick from a variety of items - we have a list of items that are available to us and that is what we have to use.
I hope that I didn't upset or offend anyone. My intention by posting this was to let everyone know that schools ARE doing their part. I am just super sensitive to somewhat negative comments about public schools when people don't know fully what we are trying to do and policies we have in place.
This is a federally mandated program. Parents can request a copy of the Wellness Policy from their school district to see what they are doing. If your district doesn't have one, they are in violation of a federally mandated requirement.