This article is cross-posted at Parents Across America Oregon.
This is an update of an article that I wrote several years ago and have updated a couple of times since. It originally appeared on the Great Schools for America website in 2014 and again in the Answer Sheet at the Washington Post. This update is a report on how school lunch regulations fare under Trump's rule. But, mainly it is an opportunity to retell the original tale -- and exceptional story about the intersection of kids, nutrition, test scores, caring parents and school officials, and billionaires, and how one may affect the others.
Many wondered if the era of Trump would transform school lunch programs. He, himself, was known to have not the healthiest of eating habits. As expected, Trump reversed some nutrition standards in May of 2017. Michelle Obama had a strikingly successful record of fighting the obesity epidemic and improving nutrition, but many Obama-era efforts seemed to be under threat. The more successful the program, the more likely that Trump would undo it. Then in November, the Trump administration blindsided the food industry by supporting Michelle Obama's labeling initiative. This positive move by the administration, in light of other food and agriculture regulations that it has dismantled, was a breath of fresh air and exemplified “doing the right thing.” Then in December of 2017, the Trump administration decided to take further steps to quash the former First Lady's dream project by among other things reintroducing chocolate milk back into the school menu. A spokesman for the USDA said there's no point in putting out healthy foods if children put them in the trash anyway. The ruling will take effect on July 1, 2018.
All of this tit for tat misses the entire point: Feed children food they like that is also good for them, and they will thrive. It's not rocket science.
And now the original story. It warms my heart every time I tell it. And if we have the will, it could happen again.