Should your child’s teacher have the right to decide what foods in your child’s lunch box are nutritious? A Colorado mom is outraged after she says she was “lunch-shamed” by her daughter’s preschool for sending some cookies in her daughter’s lunch.
Last year, Leeza Pearson’s 4-year-old daughter, Natalee, returned from school with some sad news. Her teacher wouldn’t let her finish the Oreo cookies she’d brought in her lunch bag. On top of that, she gave the little girl a note to give to her mom which read:
Dear Parents, it is very important that all students have a nutritious lunch. This is a public school setting and all children are required to have a fruit, a vegetable and a heavy snack from home, along with a milk. If they have potatoes, the child will also need bread to go along with it. Lunchables, chips, fruit snacks, and peanut butter are not considered to be a healthy snack. This is a very important part of our program and we need everyone’s participation.
Leeza couldn’t believe what she was reading. The lunch she had packed for her daughter also included a sandwich and string cheese. Besides, Natalee has always been a healthy and active little girl so she didn’t see anything wrong with packing some Oreos.
“We’re not the parents that send junk food every day. She has a full, healthy lunch,” Pearson said. “And this was Friday! Why not give her a special treat?”
A spokeswoman for the school says they offered Natalee a healthier substitute for the cookies, but Leeza says they went too far. “They don’t provide lunch for my daughter, I provide lunch,” she said. “It’s between me and the doctor on what’s healthy for her.”
What do you think about the way the school handled this situation? Do you think schools should be able to ban certain foods in kid’s lunches? Tell us what you think in the comments below and share this story with your friends!
