JCS Students Petition to Bring Back Chocolate Milk [POLL]

Parents and students have been abuzz lately, due to schools no longer serving chocolate milk. In an effort to bring the beverage back to , students have started a petition.

According to Principal Riitta Bolton, 18 students signed the petition.

“It’s always good if kids have the opportunity to speak their opinion,” Bolton said. However, she still supports the lunch program’s effort to get kids eating healthier.

Superintendent Dr. Patricia Ansay agreed, saying "I think that it is great that our 8 year olds feel comfortable enough to express their opinions and try to affect change in a positive manner. It gives us adults a chance to explain why things are done and to remind us all that communication is key, and in this case prior communication would have been beneficial. We all learn from these types of situations."

While schools will no longer serve chocolate milk, it has not been completely banned at public schools. Kids are still allowed to bring chocolate milk and syrup from home. Many parents have been doing this, as they believe flavored milk is still better than their kids refusing to drink any at all.

While supporting the petition, some parents also believe there are bigger fish to fry.

“I wonder why they can serve ice cream and fruit snacks everyday?” said Lynn Murray Robbins via Norton Patch’s Facebook page. “Is it because we pay extra for it? Flavored milk is NOT the problem!”

“It's sad when a six year old notices that there are so many restrictions and wonders if he lives in a free country or not,” said Tina Carroll Guerrini. “It's not up to the government or the school to decide. Lunch is the parents’ decision…”

Other parents believe the school should also stop serving pizza each Friday, make portion sizes smaller and get rid of fatty meats.

With all the attention these changes have garnered, the new director of Food Services for Norton Public Schools, Suzanne Souza, has defended the decision.

“I think it is a shame that parents are allowing their children to do this petition,” Souza said. “I thought they would explain to their children the importance of eating a healthy meal.”

Other than wanting to reduce sodium and sugar in meals, Souza implemented these changes is because of legislation being passed down from the Public Health Council. State and Federal governments are trying to regulate school lunches to ensure each child eats a well-balanced meal.

“The way the government is changing things, [chocolate milk] will be out of the schools soon anyway, so we are being proactive,” Souza said.

Ansay has come to the defense of Souza and the program as well.

"Our new Foods Service Director is only following the National Standards for School lunches, as she should," Ansay said. "The move to no flavored milk has to be implemented in 2013, according to the standards. The thinking, as in most districts, I’m told, is to go that route now, as we all have to go there eventually. To delay is to put off the inevitable. The regulations mandate the limiting of milk choices to low fat or fat free unflavored milk."

The feedback hasn’t all been bad, however. Teachers have reported that children are paying more attention in class and haven’t been hyper from having too much sugar at lunch.

“We gave the students plums for lunch the other day and the students came to the head cook and asked what it was because it was so good and they had never had on before,” Souza said. “I think that is great.”

Whether parents and students are for the changes or not, the petition will likely not change the policy.

“I would not compromise my principals to go back to serving chocolate milk unless instructed to by the administration and I would not agree with it,” she said.