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BVSD is part way through an independent consultant's study of the district's student food practices. The Daily Camera did a solid job of summarizing the preliminary "scathing" reports (http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/aug/04/bvsd-takes-food-criticism/). But, should you want to learn more, please skim the interim reports themselves. We have a new link in the left column, "BVSD Documents", there you will find a folder with the two reports (blocked out words are those censored by BVSD). Here are some highlights:
-- Food: Read about "the ubiquitous 'Juice Alive,' a neon-colored slushie" which counts as a fruit by Federal guidelines for reimbursable meals, "ramen soups which are an ala carte mainstay at all grade levels, which are known by their nick name of 'Sodium Soups'," and "4 mini pancakes in a cellophane wrapper that is heated in a warmer and served with maple flavored high fructose corn syrup...a very poor excuse for a nutritious breakfast..."
-- Sanitation: But "the primary area of concern" in these reports is that "basic food safety practices...are spotty." There are concerns about lack of hair nets and aprons as well as inappropriate food service employee clothing, lack of temperature logs, no consistent linen and towel cleaning services, and inadequate practices with respect to cleaning dining rooms. "The fact that various schools are passing Board of Health inspections means nothing, as it was clear from talking to long time managers that the Board of Health inspections are brief and perfunctory." Sanitation is a serious problem now even when "the menu does not require much actual cooking", but becomes an even more serious problem as the district forges ahead with its fresh food salad bar program.
-- Management: "The degradation of the overall skill set both at the hourly worker level and the site managerial level has resulted in an uneven quality of service throughout the district." A consistent theme through the reports seems to be lack of coordination between BVSD departments, such as between the Nutrition Services Department (NSD) and IT, between NSD purchasing and the warehouse, and between the janitorial services and NSD. It appears to us that achieving the necessary significant improvements in food safety and operations may well require that Superintendent King explore meaningful changes in the administrative organization.
Many parents who read these reports will probably start packing a lunch for their students. Unfortunately, its those children in our district who rely on school meals (i.e. those on "Free or Reduced Lunch" programs) who will suffer the most from the inadequacies of BVSD's food practices. Its a population that seems to frequently get the worst part of the deal within BVSD.
We are also dismayed by the fact that this is not an area that has been neglected by the BVSD Board, but one that Board president Helayne Jones has worked on diligently for many years. Well over four years ago, Helayne gave constituents an update on "my campaign priority of highlighting the importance of proper food and nutrition in our schools", explaining that "these efforts have resulted in the formation of district task force (sic) that will bring recommendations to the Board for ensuring that each student has a healthy lunch and creating district wide nutrition policies." (Source, which was available for viewing as of the date of this posting: http://www.helayne.org/NL_April.htm) If proper food and nutrition has been a "priority" since the election in '03 and these preliminary reports represent BVSD's progress into '08, then we must question the Board president's credibility and ability to perform.
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