EDITOR: As the new food service director for the Morgan Hill
School District, I feel obligated to respond to the recent
complaints printed about the food service program at Live Oak High
School.
EDITOR:
As the new food service director for the Morgan Hill School District, I feel obligated to respond to the recent complaints printed about the food service program at Live Oak High School. My goal is to clear any misconceptions about the way in which food is served at the high school and to assure the community that we are and have always been in compliance with federal regulations.
The guidelines state that we cannot separate students who qualify for either a free or reduced lunch from those students who are full-paying students. There are full paying students that participate in the meal program everyday and are served in the same line.
We also have à la carte lines that are separate from our meal lines, as do all school districts. Under the regulations, we cannot sell carbonated beverages or sugar candy out of the same window that we sell our meals. So if a student wants to purchase a meal, he or she goes in our meal line, and if a student wants to purchase individual food items that we offer, he or she goes to the à la carte line.
Regardless of the interpretations of the regulations, it is our goal to see that improvements are made to ensure that no student feels that he or she is being singled out as a participant in the meal program. Starting April 1, we have implemented “meal deals.” These are food combinations that we put together at a reduced price for students. By incorporating à la carte items and popular entrée choices in the “meal deals,” we are hoping to increase participation of all students in the meal line.
Also, for the next school year, we are starting a Food Advisory Board and will encourage students and parents to participate. The purpose of the board will be to open up lines of communication between the Food Services Department and the community. Advisory board meetings will be announced on our September menu and will be posted on our district website, www.mhu.k12.ca.us
Working together, we will continue to provide nutritious, economical food choices for all of our students.
Janet Felice,
Food Service Director
MH School District
