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Students ask MCPS for clearer labels on school‑lunch items; board asks administration to follow up
Summary
Students asked MCPS to add clear, individual labels or symbols to school lunch containers so students with dietary restrictions and allergies can identify safe options; the board asked administration to follow up.
A group of middle‑ and high‑school students urged the Montgomery County Board of Education May 8 to require clear, individual labels for school lunch items so students with religious restrictions, allergies or intolerances can quickly identify appropriate meals.
Charlie Horiuchi, a student at Leuterman Middle School, described how friends and family members struggle to find vegetarian, vegan or allergen‑free options in fast moving lunch lines and recommended simple visible labels or symbols on food containers to indicate vegetarian, vegan or common allergens. Horiuchi said some schools use informal labeling but that countywide adoption would prevent missed meals and dangerous allergic reactions.
Board members thanked the students and asked administration to follow up. Student member Pernil Sivarna and board member Pernil Sivarna (student member of the board) asked staff to return with an implementation plan; board member Rita Montoya later said she had visited the school and would advocate for follow‑up. No formal action was taken; district staff agreed to review current practice and report back to the board.
