A few years ago I read about Appleton Central Alternative High School's Nutritional and Wellness Program. Basically, they revamped the school's menu, and saw a phenomenal increase in concentration and improvement in behavior. This school's students weren't from the mainstream, but were described as having "exceptional personal needs and [being] characteristically credit deficient, continually disruptive in class, and/or frequently truant. Often they struggle with psychological and emotional problems and come from dysfunctional home environments. Some students struggle with issues of teen pregnancy/parenthood, drug addiction, homelessness, and trouble with the law."
Begining in 1997, junk foods were removed from the school, healthy foods brought in, and no student was denied healthy meals. Those who could not afford school lunch meals were subsidized.
Almost instantly, the positive changes in behavior were noted. Over the first five years of the program, "Junk Food Days" were held occasionally, with "sugar sweetened soda and Kool-Aid and... chips, brownies, cookies, Pop Tarts and candy bars" the daily fare for students and staff. students are “wired” and are unable to focus. Jennifer Keeley's Case Study reports that "throughout the day they complain of stomachaches, headaches, and feeling tired. Dean of Students Greg Bretthauer said that attendance is low following Junk Food Day. After a day of sugar highs and lows, both students and staff have stated that they never want to do it again." Junk Food Days were discontinued in 2003.
Fortunately, other school systems were paying attention. This week, article after article has appeared talking about how junk food is being removed from school vending machines, replaced with healthy choices. So far 42 states have enacted laws about serving healthier foods to students. This is an exceptional turn of events that I'm very happy to see.
Predictably, though, the press pushes things to the extreme, and is now focusing on and complaining that fast food outlets are too near schools for changes in school nutrition programs to make a difference. Will Congress overreact and create Junk Food Free School Zones where you can't build a fast food outlet within one mile of a school? I wouldn't be surprised....
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