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Board questions food-service survey, scratch-cooking offerings and after-school snack access
Summary
Board members raised concerns about a district food-service survey that suggested many meals go uneaten and discussed sustaining scratch-cooked menu items and availability of after-school snacks for teams; district staff said the survey targeted students and federal guidelines constrain menu options.
Members of the Chester County School Board spent part of the meeting questioning the district's food-service report and a student survey that showed limited participation for some menu items.
Board members said they were concerned that made-from-scratch lunch items could be discontinued if the survey sample (for example, a small number of high school respondents) showed low interest. One board member said, "I like the fact that they were doing more from scratch items, and I wish they would give it a little bit longer before rolling in a towel on that." Kilzer said the district has added more scratch-menu items since the earlier presentation but that staff are still gathering data and surveying students to guide decisions.
The board also discussed waste reported in the food-service survey and asked whether prepared-but-uneaten items could be redirected; Kilzer noted federal nutrition guidelines limit what can be offered and how food may be redistributed, and said the district is trying to balance compliance with making meals appealing to students.
Separately, members asked whether coaches and teachers were aware they could request after-school snacks for teams; Kilzer said schools and coaches can request two meals and a snack per day and that athletic programs have been allowed to request after-school snacks.
No policy changes were adopted at the meeting; board members requested more data from students and staff before making programmatic changes.
