newjerseynewsroom.com

BY JANE WOODRUFF

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Talk about the cold shoulder! The school district in Parsippany, New Jersey, has told the PTA they must stop selling ice cream during school lunches.

As reported on FoxNews.com, the ice cream sales are a no-no because federal and state laws prohibit ANY food sales during the hours when the school nutritional program is in session. PTA President Liz Kadian noted that the ice cream was only on sale once a week, and that the ice cream cups met the state guidelines for portion size; the ice pops were sugar free.

The PTA sells the ice cream as a fundraiser. Money raised from PTA efforts is more vital to districts than ever before, because the poor economy has forced schools to trim budgets. PTA monies can pay for field trips, smart boards, or playground equipment.

Parents in the district have expressed their anger over the ice cream ban, which comes on the heels of a “cafeteria strike” by some of the high school students to protest the new federal lunch program. The local Patch has been reporting on the strike, and a few of the organizers have been on television as the media covers the event. Students have refused to buy food from the cafeteria, and bring their lunch instead, in opposition to the new Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, which makes the lunches more expensive, smaller, and full of fruits and vegetables.

The New York Times profiled many different schools across the country last week, determining that the new lunches were wildly unpopular. Kids were throwing away fruits and vegetables untouched, and complaining that the new “healthy” food was flavorless, and worse, left them hungry.

In Parsippany, the biggest issue is what to do about the loss of revenue from the ice cream sales, which could jeopardize many activities. The PTA will meet next week to discuss alternatives.