Food Allergy meeting report

The turnout was huge for a simple committee meeting last night, but then the topic was very big in its own right.

The meeting led with an introduction to the experience of being the parent of a child with a life-threatening food allergy by Loudoun Allergy Network (LAN) president Maria Hardy. There was a presentation by LAN's advising board certified allergist, Dr. Trivedi. Then Assistant Superintendent for Support Services Jeff Platenberg and Student Health Services Coordinator Kathy Sturgeon gave the LCPS side of the story.

Many key LCPS folks including Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Sharon Ackerman, Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Services Dr. Mary Kealy, Supervisor of Elementary Education Dr. Mike Martin, Director of Student Services Anne Lewis, the senior nursing staff and several elementary principals. Thanks to Blue Ridge District Representative Priscilla Godfrey for devoting her meeting this subject and leading the Q&A. Broad Run District Representative Bob Ohneiser also attended and had insightful questions and answers.

Dozens of parents (and some kids) were there, more than at any committee meeting I've ever attended. As I characterized it to the parents last night, the meeting was neither the beginning nor the end of the communication between parents and LCPS on the matter of food allergy safety. It was however a very important milestone and demonstrated to everyone in the room that it is a topic of is great interest from parents and LCPS employees at all levels.

I hope that the excellent presentation made by Ms. Sturgeon will also get wide distribution. Many people would be surprised to learn that every school-based staff member receives food allergy safety training and that many procedures are in place to ensure the safety of each child.

The Loudoun Allergy Network expressed a desire for new policies regarding food safety during and after the meeting. Mrs. Godfrey asked LAN to continue their research into best practices and report back to the committee at a future date. I hope that LCPS elementary principals will pay special attention to the benefits of the healthy snacks policies implemented by Belmont Station and Hamilton Elementary Schools and consider implementing them in their own schools for the benefit of all children.

School Lunch Budgeting

Today's Washington Post features a poorly-titled front page story called Schools Get a Lesson in Lunch Line Economics about the cost of providing school lunches and the cost of not providing them well. It leaves out statistics about Loudoun County, so I thought I'd provide a few for you.

• Most Loudoun Schools serve both breakfast and lunch. Menus and prices are available online.
• Prices range from $1.30 for breakfast to $2:30 for lunch in Middle & High schools. Adults pay $3.20 for lunches.
• Breakfast meals, even at that inexpensive price, actually turn a profit for LCPS.
  
• The price of all full-price meals will increase $0.10 for the next school year.
  
• There is a separate line item in the Board of Supervisors budget to reduce the cost of lunches for all full-price meals. This year the amount is $900,000.
  
• Four kids eating lunch at school every day will cost their parents about $184 per month. The $0.10 increase pushes that up to $192.
• LCPS is the largest food service provider in the County, providing more meals to more people.
  

Note that the cost of the things that LCPS must buy (milk & bread are cited in the story) is increasing much faster than the 3% inflation that most folks like to reference. The same is true for most other items in our budget.

I have had lunch with my kids in their elementary cafeterias nearly every Tuesday for the past five years, and this year I have breakfast at a Middle School every Friday. By my count I am approaching my 200th meal at LCPS. I have seen significant improvements in the food quality over time, and I hope that the budget pressures will not reverse that trend. The food service workers will always have my thanks for how well they serve our kids.