Students have protested federal restrictions at other schools
By Jennifer Eisenbart
Staff Writer
While there has been some kerfuffle at other area school districts over the new USDA guidelines for school lunches, Burlington Area School District seems to be experiencing none of that.
BASD Assistant Superintendent Connie Zinnen said last week that she was unaware of any complaints within the district regarding the new calorie limits, which are 650 calories for grades K-5, 700 calories for grades 6-8 and 750 calories for grades 9-12.
The issue had gained some notoriety as of late because of Mukwonago High School football players helping to organize a boycott because they were not getting enough food or calories to sustain them through a long day that included practice.
However, there appear to be few or no complaints in Burlington at this point. Jamie Schumann, the Aramark representative working with BASD, answered questions about the changes to the program.
Questions were sent to her via email, as Schumann said the company has asked to review information given to the media because of recent controversies.
Students are entitled to one reimbursable meal through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast program – which means that the lunch provided cannot exceed the previously mentioned calorie limits.
However, that doesn’t prohibit students from purchasing addition items a la cart, Schumann said.
All students receive the same basics, but can purchase more.
“We offer a variety of different meals all for the same price, so students have the option to choose what meal they want and they also have the option to purchase additional items,” Schumann said.
However, cashiers have been trained to recognize a meal that meets the USDA standards, and all purchases are tracked on the student’s account, which can be monitored by the parents online.
Students are also being encouraged to eat appropriately with signs posted to show them how to purchase a reimbursable meal (if eligible through the National School Lunch program) as well as recognize how menu choices fit into the key food groups.
Some of the specific meal changes in place this year:
• Availability of more whole grains.
• Increase in fruits and vegetables being offered. Students must take at least a half cup of fruits or vegetables each day.
• Offering flavored milk in fat-free or skim varieties while unflavored or white milk is offered as skim or 1 percent.
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