Food Options – What Are They?
We need more food options. Don’t get me wrong, there are many options for us to pick from. There just aren’t many options that consider students with allergies readily available.
Some students have allergies, are lactose intolerant, gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian. For these students the food options are limited. In the Shared Decision Making meeting on January 25, 2021, Brooke Stephenson from Food Service said, “the district is working on acquiring more foods and drink for students with allergies like soy milk, almond milk.” But what about the other students?
Students with allergies can go to the cafeteria or the health office to inform them of their allergies and come up with a plan for food that is safe for them to consume. Brooke Stephenson stated, “if a student has a true food allergy, they need to bring a doctor’s note and fill out the required paperwork with the school nurse; then we will make sure to have available food options.”
The majority of students’ breakfasts and lunches come from the carts on campus. The food carts that are out during nutrition and lunch have fewer options than the cafeteria though. They serve pizza and wrapped foods. Food runs out quickly at the carts; the students at the end of the line are left with PB&J as their only option.
When going to the cafeteria for lunch there are a couple of options with no cheese. There is an option to request no dairy. Although this is an option, it would be difficult to request, as it is hectic when choosing food and the line keeps on moving. Unless you go to the cafeteria when there are fewer people getting lunch, you won’t be able to get an option with no dairy.
Another option that students have taken advantage of is getting food delivered to the school. Near the library and by the office students can be found with their bags of food from restaurants and fast food places. The food is dropped off at the office and set on a table.
A Junior that has opted to get food delivered had a family member drop it off. She said, “my mom dropped it off because I forgot my lunch bag.” She chose to bring food because she “didn’t like what they were serving at lunch.”
The other students that get food delivered get their food through an app. The junior said that the other students get their food through “Door Dash, or they call their parents.”
This is working out for some students, but what about the students who can’t get food delivered? Will they have to continue bringing their own food or continue settling for the food offered? Let us know what you’re doing in the comments below.
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My name is Maria Gallardo, and I am a contributor to the Breeze website. The 2021/22 school year is my last year here at SMHS. I'm hopeful that my last...
Mr. Lopez ♦ Sep 22, 2021 at 10:10 am
Great article, I am curious how many students aren’t able to eat food on campus due to food allergies. Maybe a survey or poll of students would give some insight?
Mrs. van D ♦ Sep 22, 2021 at 10:26 am
Great idea! The student went through SDM notes with the district employee in charge of our food service. I’ll pose this idea to my class.
Adrian Salazar ♦ Sep 21, 2021 at 9:49 am
I enjoyed reading your article and glancing at the picture of fast food, made me smile seeing the large drink from Jack and the bag of food from Chick :). I must say, when I attended SMHS in the early 90’s I loved the deep fried burritos and enjoyed washing it down with a large Coke (we only had one size).
have a great year!