Letter to the editor: Schools should serve kids healthy meals – Glens Falls Post-Star

As a nurse in this region, I have a responsibility to my community to educate and provide community-oriented, population-focused care.

That being said, I can’t help but focus my concern on the rising rate of overweight/obese individuals in Warren County. In the county health rankings and road maps for 2020, Warren County scored worse in the area of obesity in adults than the average for both the state and the nation.

In children, the state Department of Health states that one third of the children in New York are considered overweight. This rise in obesity starts in the eating habits and practices of our children. And in Warren and the surrounding counties, a large number of our children are eating food served to them by the public school systems.

Unfortunately, our local public schools across the North Country have traded home-cooked lunch options for outside contractors and preservative-packed and highly processed lunch options.

Many of our local cafeterias don’t even have the option to make homemade food because they no longer have the proper kitchen equipment. Even though the state requires fruit and vegetables to be served, many of these options are mushy, canned options and not fresh.

If schools prioritized half as much of their funds on students’ nutrition as they do on having brand-new auditoriums, this would be a non-issue. What if the state gave financial incentive to schools that offered freshly made meals and supported local farmers?

Schools can save money by allowing students to earn credit in culinary arts and food prep during school hours by participating in food prep, menu options and nutritional education. As our kids are heading back to school, I hope I have given our community some food for thought.

Tommi Sachleben, Warrensburg