West Babylon schools propose ban on home-baked goodies

October 8, 2009 by JOIE TYRRELL / joie.tyrrell@newsday.com

Save the cupcake!

That was the rallying cry from some parents at a public forum on a proposed change to the West Babylon school district's Wellness Policy that would ban home-baked goods in class.

"It's hard to think that we would ever believe that prepackaged food would be any healthier than something they would make in their own home," said John Slater, at the West Babylon High School forum Thursday night.

Under consideration is a policy requirement that all snack foods served during the school day meet nutritional guidelines and are commercially packaged, school officials said.

No decision was made on the policy Thursday night and some parents supported it, citing food allergy concerns.

"It is not the school's job to celebrate the kids' birthdays," said parent Diana Doerbecker.

Snacks shall either meet the nutrition guidelines set by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation or the New York State Nutrition Association's Choose Sensibly guidelines. Items on the association's guidelines include snacks such as baked chips, fruit pops made with real fruit, trail mix without nuts, low-fat pudding or animal crackers.

There are "snack foods that do fit in guidelines, literally hundreds," said Dominick Palma, West Babylon's assistant superintendent for curriculum and student services. Carol Beebe, executive director of the Nutrition Association, said many schools have become conscious of trying to make improvements in students' diets.

"Maybe cupcakes aren't the appropriate treat in school because maybe the family is going to do that at home and we don't want to overload a student with sugary treats," Beebe said. "But is a cupcake an evil thing in itself? No."

School officials have said the district would have complied with the Suffolk County health code, which prohibits serving foods prepared in a private home and allows only commercially prepared and sealed foods. In a response to the district, Suffolk health officials said that in-classroom parties are not regulated. However, Linda Mermelstein, acting commissioner of the Department of Health Services, said in a letter there still is "a potential health risk."

"It is basically impossible to ensure that no food allergens are present in home-prepared foods," Mermelstein said, adding that many districts serve only prepackaged foods.

In Valley Stream School District 13, for example, birthday foods were banned in 2007. Huntington has also ruled out birthday foods.

Darren Gruen, principal of the James A. Dever Elementary School in Valley Stream, said the school still recognizes holidays and birthdays in classrooms, but celebrations no longer center on food.

"One of the most important reasons we did this was we felt nobody had the right to decide what a child eats except for that child's parent," Gruen said.