An article my son came home from school with

[Raineyrocks]

I was homeschooling my kids in Maryland but I caved under their pleading to go to public school when we moved up here this year and I am seriously reconsidering my decision now.
It's such a shame I have to even think of pulling them out because they love being with other kids, in Maryland I didn't fit in with the homeschool "clicks" so they didn't get to be around alot of kids because the homeschool parents didn't approve of my family as we are not christians.
Anyhoo, back to the article!  The government wants schools to start serving healthy lunches, okay that's cool I thought until I read on.  Public schools are going to start monitoring what kids are bringing into school from their homes, to see if there is anything "unhealthy".  The article said, 2 or 3 peices of candy would be fine if there were a Halloween party or something like that but no way are 35 peices of candy acceptable.
When my son gets home today I can write the exact article and name of the publication if anyone wants me to, let me know. 
The government is and have been really over-stepping their bounds into people raising their children, it is the parents/kids choice what the hell they want to eat.  I may not agree with people that shove tons of junk food on their kids and that is my right to disagree, but that's it, it is not my right to tell them what to do.

[CNHT]

Isn't it amazing how they think they can intrude on your life like that?
This is why public education is getting to be more and more unfeasible.

MOST ADULTS with a brain in their heads know and understand that kids should not be eating candy bars for lunch. It's just common sense!

Some kids might find a way to get them for themselves.

But to have all kids be subjected to their lunches brought from home to inspection is to me, a serious breach of privacy!
What next, turn you in for child abuse if you kid somehow got hold of an extra candy bar???

Why not just have them study in their normal course of science or health classes about what healthy foods are and then let the education do the job. 
After that, everything else is force and intrusion.

[slim]

I cant wait until the black market candy starts circulating in the schools. The will then have to strip search all children entering the school to make sure they are not carrying excessive candy. The kids will pay off the monitors so they can move their product in the schools. The price for a kit-Kat will be $3.00 rather then the $0.60 that they are normally sold at. The school will then have stings to catch the illegal candy rings in the schools. I can see the press conferences now a big pile of money on one side of a table and a bunch of candy on the other side of the table and the prosecutors touting that they had the largest bust in the schools history.

[Raineyrocks]

Slim,
You crack me up!  Candy snuck in will cost as much or more than movie theaters!  Evil, evil little kids and their candy, what is the world coming to? LOL.
Can you see it in the newspapers?  It will become even more important than wars, drugs, drinking and driving.  We can even get Superheros on kid cartoons fighting the evil battle of Candy Capers!
First time I laughed all day, thanks!

[slim]

Slim,
You crack me up!  Candy snuck in will cost as much or more than movie theaters!  Evil, evil little kids and their candy, what is the world coming to? LOL.
Can you see it in the newspapers?  It will become even more important than wars, drugs, drinking and driving.  We can even get Superheros on kid cartoons fighting the evil battle of Candy Capers!
First time I laughed all day, thanks!

Well if you can't laugh at the government then nothing will make you laugh. The really sad thing is that I can see it happening in the insane country we live in now.

[error]

Oh, it happens all right. This will be Reason #1447 why I'll never send a child to a government school.

[aries]

What school district/town is this anyway?

I'd send him with 5 snickers bars, 10 milky ways, and some M&Ms... go to the school at lunch time and stake him out. The moment a teacher or administrator causes a problem, make the scene of a lifetime. Chew em out. Tell them what you think of their policy and then some.

[Rochelle]

I cant wait until the black market candy starts circulating in the schools. The will then have to strip search all children entering the school to make sure they are not carrying excessive candy.

In some school districts where they've already banned sweets, some of the more interprising students have started stocking up their backpacks with candy and pop to sell to other students--at premium prices, of course

My nephew brought home a sample survey that was going to be given to students at his school. Parents had to approve of their children taking it and for good reason: it was filled with questions like "How often have you smoked marijuana in the past year?" and "when was the last time you engaged in a sexual activity?" All of the questions assumed that the kids were doing pot, having sex and robbing convenience stores  Yea, his parents declined to give permission for that doozy.

I just hope the teachers don't tell all the kids to just shut up and take it anyway. It's happened before...

[CNHT]

I cant wait until the black market candy starts circulating in the schools. The will then have to strip search all children entering the school to make sure they are not carrying excessive candy.

In some school districts where they've already banned sweets, some of the more interprising students have started stocking up their backpacks with candy and pop to sell to other students--at premium prices, of course

My nephew brought home a sample survey that was going to be given to students at his school. Parents had to approve of their children taking it and for good reason: it was filled with questions like "How often have you smoked marijuana in the past year?" and "when was the last time you engaged in a sexual activity?" All of the questions assumed that the kids were doing pot, having sex and robbing convenience stores  Yea, his parents declined to give permission for that doozy.

I just hope the teachers don't tell all the kids to just shut up and take it anyway. It's happened before...

Was this the same survey that asked if there were any firearms in the home? 

[Dreepa]

Two things about 'healthy foods' in schools.

One make the teachers abide by the same rules. (Take out the soda machines!)
Two I think that this is one of the reasons why public education is going downhill.  Teach kids how to read and do math let parents parent their kids.

[Dave Ridley]

If you can give me the location of the school i would be interested in doing a silent demonstration there.

[mraaron]

   Public schools are simply prisions with a home-release program.    ID cards, cameras, policy manuals, food on trays, overseers, trustees, buses, locked doors, walking down halls with passes, see thru bags for searches, metal detectors, drug dogs, "resource officers", and now contraband searches for candy.  How can people send someone they love into that environment?

[Raineyrocks]

I can relate with your opinion of public schools being compared to prison, somewhat but the entire world is becoming like this too, not just schools.  I am pretty sure alot of people on this forum went to public school and we grew up open-minded, I know I did.  I think if you let the schools raise your kids and don't teach them the truth and your values then the schools replace "parenting" but I don't give schools that power.  I have older children that went to public schools and when they would come home, I would ask them what they did and what the teachers taught and if it was crap I would tell them and explain why.  Also I don't think we have the right to question a parent's love for their children just because they send their kids to public schools, some people are divorced and have to work 1 or 2 jobs to keep a roof over their children's heads and food on the table.
The publication wasn't from a certain county it is the Scholastic News pamphlets that kids come home with, the school didn't issue a memo or letter.  It's very creepy though, I have the paper in front of me now and the title is Law for the Lunchroom, and on the front of this pamphlet says, Eating Healthier at School - Across the United States, schools are making big changes to help kids eat healthier foods. Doesn't it sound like they are calling parents, incapable morons to teach their own children what to eat?
Dada, I am going to talk to the principal and bring this article in on Monday or Tuesday and discuss it with him. Since it's not a letter from the school, it seems like this is happening all over and I bet he will say his hands are tied and he must implement this "law".  I will let you know and then if you want we can talk about a demonstration, does that sound good? 
I am going to post the entire article on a 2nd post here because this post is pretty long.

[Raineyrocks]

Okay here it is: up in the corner of the page they have a picture of a "healthy meal", sandwich, carrots, peas, milk and an apple and the caption says, "This is one example of a healthy lunch. Does your lunch look like this?"  Deepra, on the other corner they have soda machines with a big "no" circle on them and the caption says, "A can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, but no vitamins or minerals.  Some experts say these drinks help cause weight problems in kids."  
Law for the Lunchroom
You may have heard the saying, "You are what you eat."  It means your health depends on the kinds of food you put into your body.  A new law says schools must make sure kids eat foods that are good for them.
New Rules for Schools
This law affects public (and some private) schools across the country.  The schools will now have to serve healthier, more nutritious food to students.  The law also says schools must have rules about what kinds of food can be brought from home, such as candy and other snacks.
"During a holiday or special event, a few pieces of candy may be all right," says Mark J. Innocenzi.  He helps create school health programs in Pennsylvania.  "But giving out 35 pieces of candy on Halloween? No."
Farewell to Fatty Foods
School lunchrooms will now serve more salads, fruits, and vegetables - and a lot less greasy hamvurgers, fried chicken, and french fries.  The law also means "so long" to sodas.  These sugary drinks will no longer be sold to kids in schools.  Water, sugar-free juices, and low-fat milk will be sold instead.  
Why are these changes being made?  One reason is to try to keep every child healthy and at the best weight for his or her height.  Eating right - and getting plenty of exercise - helps kids do just that.
The above article was written by Glenn Greenberg and the paper is Scholastic News, September 11, 2006, Edition 3.

Ouch my hands hurt now, anyway, ironically on the next page they are telling kids about Constitution Day!  Sure they will replace sugar with nutrasweet and the vegetables and fruits will not be organic of course, but remember "they" are saying it's healthy so it must be.  Deepra I did catch where they specifically mention sodas will not be sold to children, so your probraly right the teachers will keep chugging them.

[Raineyrocks]

P.S.  I will keep this paper right next to my bag of Snicker Bars, oops, I meant uhh, uhhh, oranges in case we want to do something.