Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Federal government dumps parts of nutrition policy imposed in September and boosts portion sizes for protein and grains.
Under the weight of complaints from students, parents and educators—and even a lunch strike by students at Parsippany Hills High School—the old school lunches are back. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday it will eliminate smaller portion requirements for grains and proteins in school lunches for the remainder of the 2012-13 school year. Those former requirements, which turned out to be unpopular in the township and throughout the nation, were mandated by the federal 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. Under the law, which took effect at the start of this school year, portion sizes for protein and grains were cut in favor of larger fruit and vegetable servings. The change did not go over well with students. Parsippany Hills …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Organizers say the next official strike day will be Friday, but some students say they'll continue to brown-bag it.
Buoyed by the positive attention the Parsippany Hills High School lunch strike has received, organizer Brandon Faris is excited. According to the Par Hills senior, the protest against the new federally mandated school lunch program he organized with junior Nicholas Caccavale appears to have taken on a life of its own. "Nicky and I decided we weren't going to do [the strike] every day this week," he said."It'll be on again officially this Friday, but people still aren't buying lunch on their own. "I'm happy, Nicky's happy , we can't believe it actually is going so well," he said, marveling at the attention the school has garnered for students' decision starting last Friday to refuse to purchase anything from the school cafeteria. "People …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Schools chief says he plans to talk with state and federal school lunch representatives about the controversial healthy lunch program that leaves some students hungry.
The cafeteria boycott continues at Parsippany Hills High School. The student-organized move to deny business to the cafeteria in protest of the new government-mandated school lunch program began Friday and entered its third day Tuesday. Students at schools throughout the nation have said the program instituted through the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act is having the opposite of its intended effect. Under the plan, protein and bread portions are reduced by a third and fruit and vegetable portions are given greater emphasis. But because fruits and vegetables are more expensive, lunch prices have risen. And many teens say they are left feeling hungry. Organizer Brandon Faris, a senior, told the Daily Record that the strike will go on through at…
Friday, September 28, 2012
Superintendent commends students for initiative in leading Friday's boycott.
Parsippany Superintendent of Schools LeRoy Seitz has words of praise for the Parsippany Hills High School students who organized a Friday boycott against the federally mandated school lunch program. Most students refused to buy anything in the PHHS cafeteria to protest the new Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. Under the law, passed in 2010 and begun at the start of this school year, basic school lunches offer smaller portions of protein and bread, a bigger emphasis on fruits and vegetables and price increases to cover the higher cost of healthier food options. Dr. Seitz said in a statement that the boycott went forward in a positive manner. "During their lunch periods the students were respectful and simply reported to the cafeteria with brown…
An assistant principal says the cafeteria isn't making sales, but students enjoyed peaceful brown-bag lunches without disruption.
The cafeteria at Parsippany Hills High School is doing little or no business today, as a student protest against the federally mandated school lunch program is underway and going peacefully, according to a school administrator. Assistant Principal Todd Ricker told Patch that media are being turned away at the school door. "We want to make sure the students don't have to deal with distractions that could get in the way of them making their point," Ricker explained, adding that in addition to Patch, CBS, Fox News and News 12 were barred from visiting the school. "The students are eating lunch and everything is calm." Asked whether the kids are buying anything in the cafeteria, Ricker said, "No." Senior Brandon Faris agreed. "It's gone really…
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The president of Pomptonian Food Service and Parsippany's schools superintendent say they understand why students are going on strike.
As students at Parsippany Hills High School continue to spread the word about the planned Friday School Lunch Strike protesting the government-mandated smaller portion sizes and higher costs of lunches provided at township public schools, the man in charge of the company that supplies the meals says he feels their pain. "People don't like when something is imposed on them," said Pomptonian Food Service President Mark Vidovich. "The New York ban on soda has not gone over well there.'' And Par Hills isn't the only school taking action against the change to the lunch program. "We are getting concerns from every school district we serve with the healthy lunch program. It's been companywide and nationwide complaints and protests since this …
Some students upset about getting less and paying more for the new reportedly healthier lunches being served in Par-Troy schools.
The new, reportedly healthier school lunch program being offered in township public schools is not receiving an enthusiastic welcome from many students at Parsippany Hills High School. Two students, upset over smaller portions and higher prices, aren't taking the matter lying down: They're organizing a strike. "On Friday, we're asking everybody not to buy lunch or anything from the cafeteria," explained organizer Brandon Faris, a 17-year-old senior. "Nothing from the snack line, no water, no cookies. Not a dime will be spent in the cafeteria." For the past week, Faris and junior Nicholas Caccavale have been handing out fliers and spreading the word. The duo has also launched a Facebook group, PPHS Lunch Strike (yes, the title contains a …
Friday, June 29, 2012
Parsippany Board of Education learns of big changes to menus in fall 2012.
School lunch won't look quite the same come September. At its Thursday night meeting, the Parsippany-Troy Hills Board of Education learned details of the new nutrition program coming to township public schools. The changes are coming to allow the district to comply with the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, a federal law designed to address childhood obesity. Mark Vidovich, president of Pomptonian Food Service, the district's longstanding vendor, said the basic concept for the effort is to promote consumption of fruits and vegetables, limit bread and meat portion sizes and cut the amount of fat available in the standard school breakfast and lunch. In a presentation before the board, Vidovich explained the highlights of Parsippany schools' new …
VietNam Vet
1:52 am on Thursday, December 27, 2012
Now if we can just Boycott the federal gov. and stop the needless spending going on in this country. We need another Boston Tea Party, no more higher taxes without the feds tightening their belts like everyone else. more ›