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Students urge healthier high‑school food options and request ad blockers on district Chromebooks
Summary
Two Westfield High School students used the public-comment period to press the board on student health and device policy: one asked for healthier, lower-sugar snack options and cited studies; another proposed installing ad blockers on school-issued Chromebooks to reduce distractions and security risks.
At the May 12 Westfield Board of Education meeting two Westfield High School students delivered public comments calling for policy changes on school food and district-issued devices.
Ellis Manzo, a senior and D‑1 lacrosse recruit, asked the board to improve high‑school meal and snack offerings to reduce added sugars and ultra-processed foods. Manzo gave a list of commonly sold items and their added-sugar values (for example, he cited an Otis Spunkmeyer banana-nut muffin at 31 g added sugar and Pop-Tarts at 30 g), referenced research linking ultra-processed foods to cognitive decline and to poorer academic outcomes, and suggested whole-food alternatives such as RX bars, nut snack packs and edamame snack packs. The board asked Manzo to email his packet for consideration.
Junior Riley Brickman asked the board to install ad blockers on district-issued Chromebooks. Brickman said ad blocking would reduce distracting advertisements and inappropriate pop-ups, speed page loads, reduce bandwidth use and protect devices from ad-based malware — concerns he said were particularly relevant because the district will require school-issued devices in 2026–27. Brickman described classroom interruptions while waiting for ads to clear as a loss of instructional minutes.
Board response and next steps: Board members thanked both students and asked them to submit supporting materials electronically. No formal action was taken during the meeting; the items were placed on record for possible administrative follow-up.
Why it matters: Student-driven requests highlight operational choices (food contracts, vending and a la carte options, device configuration and content filtering) that can be changed administratively but may involve vendors, nutrition contracts or district IT policy. Both proposals will require analysis of procurement, health regulations and technical feasibility before any policy change.
Closing: The board thanked the students for concrete proposals and invited them to provide written materials to the administration for review.
