From Susan Rubin on Thu, April 15, 2010

I was able to watch the last hour or so online and I was very much impressed.
I heard things discussed that were in complete alignment with my idealism. Here’s a few tidbits I heard mentioned:

  * Re-training teachers on classroom management techniques that do NOT involve junk or food rewards.
  * Integrating “food studies” into curriculum. Art, math, social studies, science.
  * Training of lunch professionals in food preparation skills
  * Local procurement of food
  * System changes on the superintendent level (how’s that for starting at the top!)
  * Staff wellness ( you bet! raise the Food IQ of everyone in the school district!)
  * Campaigns to support parents in creating a better food environment.
  * Preparing food, giving kids an opportunity for ownership of the food. (thank you, Tony Geraci)
  * No more bottled water! Have filtered good tasting, clean, safe water available everywhere to every child in school. (BRAVO!)

http://www.betterschoolfood.com/great-ideas-kids/

From Liam O'Malley on Mon, April 19, 2010

This is such an exciting time for the food movement in our country!

From Angela Kortz Funke on Fri, April 23, 2010

I am not only concerned about school lunches but all school activities on school property. I recently was sent an email (during school hours) for parents of South Oldham Middle School to donate plastic containers of Mountain Dew and hostess donuts for the 2010 Spring Fling fundraiser. Diane Sawyer had just done a 20/20 documentary on how 16 counties in Kentucky had a crisis with Mountain Dew Mouth (a medical diagnosis).  The local dentist was as outraged as I was (her husband had written tough legislation that passed in a watered down version of a Kentucky bill and they had battled the School Board. The school had a doing the dew booth and gave away Mountain Dew as prizes, they sold it too at the cafeteria.  What do you all think about this?

From Angela Kortz Funke on Fri, April 23, 2010

The school’s have to be accountable for the decisions they make. They are leaders in our community. The local PTA should follow the National PTA’s goals who have taken a position on healthy food alternatives. When I complained about the Mountain Dew booth and the request that I give my 11 year old sixth grader plastic bottles of Mountain Dew to carry into the school and donate it so that the School & the PTA could have a “Doing the Dew” booth and give it away at the school fund raiser I was quite surprised that the school principal and the Oldham County Superintendent supported the principal and the game went on as planned. Kids ran around the school buying and winning and drinking Mountain Dew on school property. I was told to be part of the solution (as opposed to being the problem) and encouraged to participate next year because after all the PTA begs people to get involved. But I do get involved and I was offering my help and my opinion in requesting them to reconsider their decision eleven days before the event. All they had to do is send out another email and remove Mountain Dew from the event. HOW HARD IS THAT. Their reaction was defiant, protective and discouraging when I brought this issue to their attention.

From Angela Kortz Funke on Fri, April 23, 2010

By the way, the local paper in Kentucky did not even do a story on the issue even though in the week I was battling the school board (it took eleven days to learn the school board had an unpublished wellness policy that was passed in 2005) Pepsi Cola (Mountain Dew) issued a press release stating they were going to remove soft drinks from schools by 2012, The President’s wife gave a national speech on the topic… the press was all over the issue nationally, and the local paper in Oldham County was silent on an important issue. So how do you change bad policy, and attitudes that are entrenched? National law cannot leave the after school event loop hole, if they are going to address this it has to be anytime on school property.

From Susan Rubin on Fri, April 23, 2010

Angela,
Please contact me directly via http://www.betterschoolfood.org, let’s strategize together on how to un-do the Dew in schools!
susan rubin