BY JAMES SIMONS
Mothers of children at Manley Park Primary School have complained that teachers confiscated a cereal bar containing fruit and nuts, and a packet of chewy gums made just from fruit.
However, teachers rightfully defended their policy saying they take a tough line on processed food, and say many similar items contain high levels of ‘hidden sugar’.
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Parents have blasted the school saying its healthy eating policy is ‘out of control’ and gives pupils mixed messages about what they can and can’t eat. The ignorance of parents on this matter is so alarming , it beggars belief as to how responsible parents will argue with a school trying to help them.
One mum, whose 4 year old child attends the nursery at the Whalley Range school, told reporters in the area that her upset daughter was taken to another room so not to disturb other pupils after a banned item was taken off her. What the mother conveniently overlooks is the fact her upset daughter doesn’t call the shots in the school. Just because her daughter was upset has no bearing on whether the school acted correctly or not. The teachers were right in confiscating the cereal bar in question because the fruits and nuts in cereal bars clearly have too much sugar, and sugar is bad for the teeth and the gum. Most knowledgeable adults know this, even though as adults we have the privilege of going against the knowledge we have in order to satisfy our taste buds. One of the problems with society today include the weight some parents attach to the reaction of their children, at the expense of common sense. Since when did a child’s reaction become the basis of determining what is right? Many parents today are still children, and need to be lectured on development.
Some parents have argued that it is up to them what they include in their children’s lunchbox, and said the school includes fish and chips and pizza in their own menu. Angry parents in these situations have simply demonstrated a shortage of the required maturity to be effective parents. Many of us indulge in sugary foods from time to time, but no responsible parent should discourage schools from regulating the feeding habits of children under their authority. It is irresponsible. Training children from a young age to eat correctly is good discipline which parents should practice themselves, but unfortunately lack the discipline to do
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The parent of one child who brought this story who is close to a friend of mine who alerted us to this story told eye of media ” the policy of the school is over the top and the way the school is school is controlling the food children eat is too much. We must remember they are just children. We as parents give them healthy food at home as much as we can, but children can have a treat from time to time because their bodies are still changing. All kids like chocolates and ice cream, and a bit of cereal bar from time to time won’t hurt. As much as it is not a bad thing to introduce kids to healthy living, we must allow them to indulge from time to time. I don’t stand alone in my complaints, there are other parents deeply unhappy about this”, she said.
Our contact wanted us to take a supportive stance to the grievance of parents, and became argumentative when I insisted the stance of eye of media is to be supportive of the authorities in schools except where it can be shown that they have departed from reasonable and acceptable standards. Schools must call the shots in areas of discipline and regulations, not children or parents. The burden of proof has to be on children and parents, and in this circumstance if there is a clear policy on what children are allowed to eat in any school, such policy must stand especially where healthy living is concerned. We attempted to contact the headteacher of the school for comment but was not successful today. Instead a spokesperson for the school told eye of media ” we insist of providing nutritionally balanced diet throughout the week and discourage the inclusion of sugar in the diet of children. We have a responsibility to protect the health of children especially considering the high levels of tooth decay among children and even adults in the country. Cereal bars and fruit bars contain excessive levels of sugars, and we consider it inappropriate for parents to encourage their children to bring such products to school.
We at eye of media agree with the school, they are only helping children where a lot of parents fail. The school should be applauded for their strong position.
