School Nutrition News: Shutdowns prevented 60 million Coronavirus infections in the U.S., study finds
Shutdown orders prevented about 60 million novel coronavirus infections in the United States and 285 million in China, according to a research study published Monday that examined how stay-at-home orders and other restrictions limited the spread of the contagion. A separate study from epidemiologists at Imperial College London estimated the shutdowns saved about 3.1 million lives in 11 European countries, including 500,000 in the United Kingdom, and dropped infection rates by an average of 82 percent, sufficient to drive the contagion well...
School Nutrition News: Students Compost to Curb School Food Waste
North Andover Sustainability Committee member and mom Joanna O’Connell set out on a mission to cut down on food waste in North Andover schools, and with the help of eco-conscious students and lunchroom and custodial staff, that mission is being accomplished. “We were already recycling really well as a school district,” O’Connell said as she sipped coffee at Good Day Café on High Street waiting for school lunch periods to begin so she could check out...
School Nutrition News: New Bill Would Require Schools to Monitor Social Media
A newly introduced federal bill seeks to heighten security at American schools by encouraging districts to adopt social media monitoring programs. The controversial practice, which uses algorithms to crawl and index public profiles of popular sites like Twitter and Facebook, has grown in popularity over the last several years, as administrators look to new and emergent technologies to heighten school safety — and potentially head off the next mass shooting. Now the Restoring, Enhancing, Securing, and Promoting Our Nation's...
SCHOOL NUTRITION NEWS: Flint Fights Lead Poisoning With Farmers Markets and Cooking Classes
After a public health crisis in Flint, Michigan, triggered by high levels of lead in the drinking water, a number of programs are working to encourage good nutrition for children in order to prevent recurring effects of the neurotoxin on growing bodies. John Yang reports. See Transcript of interview at PBS...
Wisconsin School Breaks Up Lunchtime Cliques With Assigned School Lunch Seating
There's a scene in the movie Mean Girls where new student Cady Heron gets a lesson from her friend, Janice Ian, about the social hierarchy of the high school cafeteria. "Where you sit in the cafeteria is crucial," Janice says. She then maps out the cliques, including preps, jocks and, of course, the "plastics. The scene is an exaggeration of a common experience: the stress of finding your place in a school cafeteria. But Wisconsin resident Smitha Chintamaneni can't...
School Lunch Shaming Now Illegal in CA
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] (CNN) California just took a step toward making its school environments a little more inclusive and eliminating school lunch shaming. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law a new piece of legislation that guarantees all students will receive lunch even if their parents or guardians have not paid their meal fees. The bill, authored by state Sen. Robert Hertzberg, says students shouldn't be denied a meal of their choice because of unpaid fees. It also ensures "that the...
U.S. Prek-12 Schools Explore Adopting Facial Recognition Software
The facial recognition market is a fast-growing industry expected to generate a value of almost $9B annually by 2022. Part of that market includes the education sector. Currently, governments are the biggest consumers of this technology because of its ability to deter crime. The “eye in the sky” watching over everyone is able to detect facial features, allow expedient access or deny it, and identify persons of interest. Large cities like Chicago and Detroit have already opted...
SCHOOL NUTRITION NEWS: From Hot Meals to PB&Js: The Realities Of School Lunch Debt
What happens when a student incurs debt from meals provided at school? One Pennsylvania school district tried to collect on that debt by sending parents a letter threatening that their children could be taken from them. The New York Times reported on the case: “Your child has been sent to school every day without money and without a breakfast and/or lunch,” read the letter, which was signed by Joseph Muth, director of federal programs for the Wyoming Valley West...
SCHOOL NUTRITION NEWS: Nutritionists, dieticians in St. Louis to work on making school lunches healthier, more delicious
Nutritionists and dietitians from around the country are working to made kids’ school lunches healthier and more delicious. The School Nutrition Association hosted its 73rd annual National Conference this week at the America’s Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis. The two-day convention allowed school nutrition professionals from around the country to sample food and recipes, test equipment and software, and share the best practices for meeting federal nutrition requirements. RELATED: Collections Assistant Low Balance Notifications, Negative...
SCHOOL NUTRITION NEWS: 9-Year-Old Uses Allowance to Pay off Lunch Debt for His Entire Class
A 9-year-old boy is reaching into his piggy bank to help his classmates in Napa, California. Ryan Kirkpatrick used his allowance to pay off the lunch debt for his entire third-grade class. KGO reported that Ryan became inspired to take action after talking to his mom, Kylie Kirkpatrick, about kids who couldn't afford school lunches. Ryan then asked his mom to find out how much was owed by his fellow third-grade classmates at West Park Elementary School. That...
