Turning Teachers Into Food Police

The Healthy Kids Act or House File 2279 passed by the legislature and was signed into law by the Governor last year. This act will create undo stress on our schools if implemented next school year. All but one Senate Republican voted against the bill and many people are calling upon the Department of Education to seriously consider what schools should spend their time and resources concentrating upon: student achievement or the lunch menu.

Iowa schools need to concentrate on teaching children rather than being the food police. This is a local control issue, and should be left to the discretion of the district. Many principals are outraged by the act and say it is too vague and has no accountability.

The bill requires students in grades 6-12 to complete 120 minutes of physical activity a week and kindergarten-5 graders must complete 30 minutes of physical activity a day. There are no stipulations as to what constitutes physical activity and students may participate in extra curricular activities, which are not monitored, to complete the requirement. As of right now, band and show choir would qualify under physical activities.

A lot of time has been spent talking about how Iowa’s education system is slipping in the national ranks and how we need to get Iowa kids sufficiently educated so they can compete in a global marketplace. This bill is drawing attention away from instructional time in the classroom and into the cafeteria.

The price of school lunches will increase as the strict nutritional standards recommended by the Healthy Kids Task Force will force the cost of the average school lunch to increase by 36 cents. Schools will be forced to pass the increased cost to the family. This is yet another demonstration of the Democrats' willingness to increase the cost of living in Iowa.

The Department of Education must make a decision regarding the rules of the Healthy Kids Act by June 2009. Educators are left wondering how they will implement the guidelines, hold students accountable and what happened to the emphasis on reading, writing and arithmetic.