Lunch or dinner? (Packed Lunches)

Member Name: byblox

Product:	Packed Lunches
Date:	25/10/08 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hot food

Disadvantages: Crisps and chocolate

I'm a Teacher and I remember not that long ago at a staff meeting, we were told to keep an eye on the children's packed lunches, to make sure that they were 'healthy'.

Now, I remember at the time feeling pretty annoyed about this. I was thinking, I've enough to do already without becoming a packed lunch inspector. Am I supposed to contact a parent if I find their packed lunch unacceptable? Is this my business?

I know that the children I teach are my responsibility, is their diet? We cover healthy food in the curriculum and even design a healthy lunchbox as part of Science but does a Teacher have a right to dictate to parents in this way? Yes, the school has a policy (there's a policy for everything....I'm sure they'll bring out a breathing policy soon) but if it isn't exactly adhered to by parents what can we do?

I know that the absence of a lunch could be a sign of neglect, not that we'd let any child go hungry. I must say that the parents at the school are great. The only time I can remember being concerned about a child's lunch was when a boy came into school with a box of Cadburys chocolate fingers for lunch, turned out he'd been given lunch money and sent to the shop so he headed straight for the biccy aisle!

School dinners are expensive, our canteen is very good but despite a choice sometimes the children dislike the meals on offer and eat little so why not give them something they like and you know they'll eat? Any uneaten lunch goes home with the child so parents can see what's been eaten.

Summary: Lunchbox snooper?