Shocked

Kaitlin'smom wrote: In talking with my parents the weekend I learned that the High School I went to is now allowing kids to eat and drink in class when ever they want. I am sorry but what kind of education are they getting if they are allowed to do this all day. Not to mention IMO they are promiting kids to over eat/drink. The cafeteria is now open ALL day you can get just about anything, and they even have coffee drinks I guess I am old cause we were only allowed water in class, food only if medical nessary. Heck when I sold candy for an orginazation I was in we has to seek it in class to eat it. I am in shock, its a good school system one of the best in our area and one I was considering for Kait. I just dont think eat and drink shoudl be allowed in the class room.

Opinions?

MamaJAM replied: Seems like a bad idea to me. I don't like the idea of the cafeteria being open all day....especially if they are selling junk food.

When I was in high school - we weren't allowed ANYTHING in class -- not even water -- which was a real problem in the horrible heat (the school had no a/c). Some teachers allowed gum-chewing but that's different than candy/food (IMO).

I like the fact that my kids' school allows water in the classrooms (they also have a/c in the classrooms). They also give the kids snacks once or twice a day -- though usually fresh fruit or pretzels. I'd have a problem with them being allowed soda or candy all day.

The school DD#1 will be attending in the fall (high school) - has hot drinks in the cafeteria (lattes and coffee included)....but they are only available during lunch. There is a snack machine in the one lobby -- but the kids are only allowed to snack if they are in the lobby on their free-period.

Momof3inMe replied: Both of my boys can have water in class but thats it. I don't think they should be able to have food in class. With both of my boys on the bigger side I try to make sure they don't snack much and if they do I really try for fruit.

When I was in school kids would sell candy and we could eat it as long as we didnt make a mess.

My DS#1 is in the middle school now and they have different things you can buy at lunch time and I dont give him exta money every often b/c he has told me things that they have and most of it is junk.

AlexsPajamaMama replied: We could eat and drink during class when I was in HS and it was
1) distracting
and
2) very messy!

luvbug00 replied: we were not allowed to do it but we did anyway. chips in the desk and sodas in purses and backpacks. personaly i have no real strong opinion just i hope they plan on more gym activities becuse the kids are going to get hudge with unlimited supplies of junk food!

luvmykids replied: I don't like the thought of that, too much distraction as it is, and too easy for kids to get their hands on junk. And when did teenagers start drinking coffee?

Hillbilly Housewife replied: Yikes. How dumb is that... just wait til the teachers start complaning that the work and the books come back covered in grease stains and liquid spills.

I remember this one tv commercial where this one girl is passing a tiny tampon to another girl... and the teacher sees it - makes her come up to the front, says something about he hopes she brought enough for everyone....

CantWait replied: As long as it's healthy snacks, I don't see a problem with it. Highschoolers don't usually gets breaks in between classes (at least mine didn't) except to get to the next class. This at the very least promotes to eat at healthy intervals and goes with the eating 6 small meals a day instead of 3 big ones. It would be a really good idea so long as the cafeteria was serving good food.

Kaitlin'smom replied:
its not all healthy, infact they really dont offer that much in the way of healthy overall.

My3LilMonkeys replied: We were allowed to snack and have water in my high school and in some cases it was a lifesaver. We had block scheduling and depending on how your classes went you could be eating lunch as early as 10:30am or as late as 2pm! When I was in HS there was no way I could wait until 2pm to eat lunch without a snack to hold me over, especially since I skipped breakfast most of time.

mckayleesmom replied: Well...I went to a school that allowed eating and drinking and I thought it was nice. Our lunch period was only 25 minutes and I hated being hungry and trying to hurry and eat as fast as I could....and you were screwed if you weren't first in line for lunch.

Our school had a rule...if the teacher allowed you to eat and drink...then you were responsible for throwing away your wrappers...cleaning spills etc. If trash was found...you lost the privellege. Nobody ever really brought anything super messy...just crackers or something...and the cafeteria wasn't open all day.

jcc64 replied: I think alot of schools have to address the fact that some kids are eating lunch at 10:00 due to overcrowding or scheduling issues, so by the time the afternoon rolls around, the kids are pretty hungry again. I don't have an issue with it at all, provided it's done respectfully.
As far as the nutritional content of what's served in the cafeteria, that's a whole other discussion. Many times I have tried to raise the issue of gov't regulation of foods targeted specifically at children, and that clearly seems to make many people uncomfortable. So, kids get junk at school, and whether it's in the cafeteria, in the hallway, or in a classroom seems pretty inconsequential to me. Personally, I applaud the efforts of those well meaning individuals who are trying to improve the nutritional quality of foods in schools, but I doubt they can compete with the food industry lobby. Business as usual.

Nina J replied: I think it depends on what food they are allowing. I know of a few school's that allow food in class, but it has to be fruit or something healthy, it can't be junk food.

I know when I was in school I would get so hungry during classes, and since we were only allowed water, I would get distracted.

I have mixed opinions on it.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied:
The fed government has mostly left regulating food in schools to local districts. My local school district has removed all pop and candy machines from schools. Juice/water machines are still available and all three high schools offer a salad bar and other nutritious alternatives to the traditional french fries and hamburgers.

Now when I was in high school, there was absolutely no food or drink in class. I think it was grounds for detention on first offense. We could chew gum and keep a drink in our locker for breaks between classes (6 minutes),