Call for lunch box 'cops'

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

TEACHERS should have the power to be lunch box police so they can confiscate chips, chocolates and sugary sweets to ensure children are healthy, principals say.

More than half of the state's top educators support a total junk food ban.

"Disruptive'' mobile phones were also on the ban hit-list for 60 per cent of principals.

And the State Government has been given an end of year fail mark from principals over the

"disgusting'' condition of school toilets, with 54 per cent saying their blocks needed to be rebuilt or

upgraded.

Some reported that students were so repulsed by smelly, dirty toilets, they would hold on all day instead of going at school.

The call for a total junk food ban follows a State Government move to ban confectionery from school canteens from next year and a ban on high-sugar soft drink in schools since 2007.

Victorian Principals Association chief Fred Ackerman has backed the move, saying teachers needed the authority to enforce healthy eating habits.

But parents are against schools becoming a "nanny state'' and say they will continue to put treats in their child's lunch.

An exclusive Sunday Herald Sun survey of 217 of the state's 1600 government school principals revealed:

THREE-QUARTERS are worried they do not have enough welfare officers to help students dealing with family violence, behavioural problems and depression;

TWO-THIRDS say their schools are not safe against intruders; and FOUR out of five schools say they do not have a bullying problem.

Opposition education spokesman Martin Dixon has also supported the junk food restrictions, saying there was no down side to a blanket ban.

"The idea of a junk food ban in canteens is a good move, but it's only a drop in the ocean. Kids find ways around it,'' he said.

Parents Victoria chief executive Gail McHardy said education about healthy eating was better than prohibition.

"Lunch is only one meal of the day and healthy food is not always affordable for some community members,'' she said.

Education Minister Bronwyn Pike also said she was against the idea of taking parents' lunch box rights away

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,2...97-2862,00.html

[doodlebugg 10]

What the heck. Try focusing on actually teaching the students something worthwhile and leave the lunches to the parents! I pack my kids a lunch every day that includes cookies. Who wouldn't want cookies for desert after lunch and what the heck is so bad about cookies? It's not like I'm packin' a bag of weed or a bottle of beer in there.

But seriously schools should focus on teaching children history, math, english. My 12 yr old is a straight A student according to her report cards each quarter and guess what, she actually thought Martin Luther King was the first black president of the US! Something's rotten in Denmark if she can get high honors and not know basic American History. I've since decided to give her my own history lessons on the side but heck I wonder what else they're not teaching her.

Lunch boxes? Try focusing on academics!

Edited January 25, 2009 by humpkinpumpkin

[alienlovechild 75]

My 12 yr old is a straight A student according to her report cards each quarter and guess what, she actually thought Martin Luther King was the first black president of the US! Something rotten in Denmark if she get get high honors and not know basic American History.

The article is about Australian schools but I'm sure you could find something like this in America, too.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Those crazy Aussies.

[doodlebugg 10]

My 12 yr old is a straight A student according to her report cards each quarter and guess what, she actually thought Martin Luther King was the first black president of the US! Something rotten in Denmark if she get get high honors and not know basic American History.

The article is about Australian schools but I'm sure you could find something like this in America, too.

oh. Guess I know where my daughter gets it from. I didn't realize it was about Australian schools. Still, don't mess with the cookies.