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Newburyport Schools: Parents Are Too Irresponsible To Pack Their Children's Lunches
 The Axiom Of Responsibility Although the new Wellness Policy of Newburyport Public Schools in Massachusetts is well-intentioned, it crosses the line, infringing on parental rights and invading families' privacy. "Newburyport schools are [. . .] permanently banning kids from bringing in everything from cupcakes to candy, [. . . ] also nixing candy and soda in school and limiting celebrations with cakes, pies and other treats." ("Newburyport Bans Junk Food In Schools") The Wellness Policy applies even if children bring lunches prepared at home. "Teachers, nurses and other school officials intend to confiscate any contraband, [Superintendent Kevin] Lyons said, but hope parents will opt to send their kids to class with fruit, vegetables and juice." Essentially parents, Newburyport Public Schools think you are too irresponsible to be in charge of what your children eat, so they are making the decision for you. Admittedly, not all parts of the Wellness Policy are bad: "Under the new plan, the school will encourage milk, fresh fruit, vegetables and 100 percent juices, and push whole grain products and healthy foods listed on the Massachusetts a la carte food and beverage standards list. Celebrations that once featured frosted cupcakes and other sweets will now feature activities rather than food, and parents and teachers will have to adjust to a 'no sweet' reward system." ("A Not-So-Sweet Deal: New Policy Bans Candy At City Schools") There is absolutely nothing wrong with schools: encouraging physical fitness; offering healthier alternatives on their lunch menus; removing vending machines from school premises (or replacing the soda and candy in them with real fruit juice and healthy snacks); or mandating that sweets not be distributed in class for birthday/holiday parties or as rewards (although we feel this option is a bit extreme). In fact, these types of strategies, especially the first three, are ways in which schools can help fight the childhood obesity epidemic. Where the Wellness Policy goes from promoting health to Big Brother-esque is its language allowing school employees to monitor what parents pack in their own children's lunches. This is unduly intrusive and infringes on parental rights, particularly because children do not have to be obese for school employees to take their homemade cookies away from them. According to a "[Center for Disease Control (CDC)] study of Mass. high school students," 11% of students are obese. (Watch "Candy Banned From School") In trying to assist 11% of the student population, Newburyport Public Schools are punishing the other 89%. The real problem with policies such as this is that they erode personal freedoms while failing to accomplish what they intend. If you forbid children from having sweets and soft drinks, you only make sweets and soft drinks more appealing, and worse still, you never teach children how to have a healthy relationship with these kinds of foods. Additionally, children need to get more exercise: The CDC study also found that "28% [of students] watched 3 or more hours of TV a day" and "29% used computer or video games a day." In school, young children should have recess ("Elementary Schools Increasingly Restrict Or Ban Recess For Kids"), and at home, parents must teach their children how to incorporate physical activity into their daily routine. Remember, abiding by Magna Sententia, parents (not schools) are responsible for their children's health. Anna and Ellie Sherise
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