Food, Glorious Food?

            The Baltimore Sun caught my attention this week, as it relayed the news that Maryland’s Court of Appeals ruled that “Maryland, its Department of Education and its superintendent of schools are not responsible for ensuring that school-provided lunches won't send students to the hospital in anaphylactic shock” because “a state cannot be found negligent under the National School Lunch Act, which requires states to provide nutritious meals to students in need.” 

Who makes this up?

The startling ridiculousness of the article’s headline and first few paragraphs explains the story of Liana Pace, a five-year-old with a severe peanut allergy, who was accidentally served a peanut butter sandwich in her school’s cafeteria.  Although Liana’s mom informed the school nurse of her daughter’s allergy, the nurse did not convey this information to the cafeteria worker.  As Judge Clayton Greene Jr. opined, “ ‘On this particular day, a cafeteria worker gave Liana a peanut butter sandwich [because she had neither her own lunch nor lunch money]. Liana resisted eating the sandwich, informing the worker that she was not allowed to have peanut butter…The worker mistook her protests as misbehavior and ordered her to eat the sandwich. Liana complied.’ ”  Apparently, not everything’s fine down here in Lunch Lady Land.

I do not intend to overlook the seriousness of these events; although Liana survived, she developed anxiety and transferred schools.  This is certainly a traumatic experience for her, and it will likely condition her view of school and education for a long time.  School should be a safe place, and even when the classroom does not feel like one for many of Baltimore City’s and America’s struggling students, the cafeteria and the free time to socialize that it supports should be.  Given my students’ complaints about their thirty minute lunch period – lines are too long, the food is garbage, there is not enough time to eat or relax, the cafeteria is too crazy – should we not reconsider the importance of giving kids downtime each day?  If not recess or an open gym to discharge their energy, then perhaps a longer lunch period, which would at least give them more time to socialize and unwind?  While such a move is typically unpopular in today’s high-stakes testing world, adolescent developmental theories make a strong case for giving kids time to interact with one another during the school day.  Maybe such a move would develop calmer, more focused students?  

            If nothing else Liana’s case reminds us of the value of teamwork and communication, especially among school employees like nurses and cafeteria workers.  If Adam Sandler is correct, we can all learn from Lunch Lady and her beloved Sloppy Joe.

To learn more, check out http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/breaking/bs-md-school-lunch-suit-20120223,0,2839957.story