Seattle Press on Line - Food-Service Workers Union Considers the Problems at Marshall High School

My Two Cents

Food-Service Workers Union Considers the Problems at Marshall High School

Feb 08, 2001 -- In the January 10 Seattle Press article about Marshall Alternative High School, Marshall's principal, Dr. Joe Drake, made several assertions regarding the lunches served there that are deceptive or, at the very least, inaccurate. As a member of the union representing Child Nutrition employees at the Seattle School District, I would like to set the record straight.

For instance, regrettably Marshall does not have a "fully equipped kitchen." Dr. Drake should already be aware that his school's kitchen is woefully deficient as a food service facility. There is no deep sink, as required by law, and there are no dishwashing facilities. The kitchen also lacks food warmers and other vital equipment.

This, as I say, is unfortunate, but I certainly don't believe that it is a result of the school district not liking alternative programs, as Drake asserts. Several other such programs operate quite successfully within the district. However, they enjoy a more active administrative presence than Marshall does.

As to the possibility of a culinary training program, which Dr. Drake mentions, I am not aware of anyone connected with the school district that Dr. Drake has discussed this possibility with. His published interest is a new one, and one that must have originated not too long before your interview.

The National School Lunch Program

The National School Lunch Program was begun in 1946 to recognize that the youth of America are one of our greatest assets. One of the sponsors of the original bill shockingly reported that "40 percent of the boys of America, when called to the service for World War II, were rejected because of physical defects brought about largely by malnutrition during youth." The objective of the program is to serve nutritionally sound meals at an affordable price, and at a reduced price or free to needy children.

A fundamental element of the free and reduced-price program is that kids in need should in no way be stigmatized or identified as receiving this discount. In essence, however, that is exactly what Dr. Drake's staff had done. The needy kids ate school meals, and the ones with disposable money ate at the staff's "Snack Shack." In a sense, the Snack Shack was in violation of federal law. That being said, however, Drake's first concern should have been the stigmatization that less fortunate Marshall students suffered at the hands of his staff.

The school lunch program aims to give poverty-level students an equal chance, making sure they are ready and able to learn by ensuring that they have at least one, if not two, hot meals during every school day. Fried chicken at the corner store does little to accomplish that goal.

The success of the school lunch program is contingent upon high participation. Every dollar that is spent or not spent in the lunch room manifests itself in the number of labor hours the kitchen is allocated to turn out meals. If the paying children drop out of the program, the children receiving free and reduced-price meals also suffer. The lower the participation, the less money there is to pay for equipment, food, and staff salaries and benefits. The erosion of participation affects dedicated lunch room workers in a variety of ways, not the least of which is the loss of hours and thereby the potential loss of medical benefits.

Food Rules and Regulations

As you may know, the U.S. Department of Agriculture both oversees the school lunch program and promulgates rules that restrict the sale of competitive foods of minimal nutritional value, in order to limit access to those products during the meal program. We are certain that the snacks sold in Marshall's Snack Shack fell short of meeting the nutritional criteria set by the national school lunch program.

In addition to the USDA, the state, county and city of Seattle also have regulations designed to protect the public from unsafe food-handling practices. All of the school lunch rooms and their staffs conform to standards not required of others within the school environment. It is these regulations that were being violated at the student store at Marshall. For instance, on a recent visit, students were observed sleeping on the serving counter. I took a photo of that! There were no facilities for the washing of utensils beyond a shallow hand-washing sink, and only one person there had a health card (he owns a salsa-producing company). The facility simply would not be permitted by regulation. I'm sure Dr. Drake's attitude would be different if one of his students got a disease from poor food-handling procedures, as occurred several years ago in the Findley district. There, a student almost died from e. Coli from an improperly handled food item.

Furthermore, the Snack Shack was not being run by the kids, but rather staff members who apparently had nothing else to do during the work day. Dr. Drake might turn his attention to that problem sometime.

One continuing cause of confusion to young people is the message that "rules are made to be broken," or that the law only applies to some. This is precisely the message Dr. Drake is communicating to impressionable kids when he blatantly violates school board policies against competitive foods by selling them right in the lunchroom.

We have all been in schools where popcorn, whole fruit, limited types of candy, juices, and so on have been sold to raise money for the student body fund. We have never made an issue of these types of activities. We do, however, feel compelled to make an issue of the type of flagrant competition with the school lunch program that we observed and had stopped at Marshall. These sales are beyond the pale.

Admittedly, the "pre-pack" lunches offered at Marshall are not the optimum offering for high-school-age students. We have been working with the school district to increase the offerings there with a hope of getting kids what they want, and eventually to making "site-prepared" meals possible. Cheap shots (like Drake's) at the nutrition program sets those efforts back at a time when small steps are already underway. Until Dr. Drake is interested in assisting the school district and its food service employees in designing practical solutions, his childish views about school lunches should be viewed as what they are: sour grapes.

We do, however, agree with and applaud the efforts of the teacher you profiled, Mr. Ron Carr, regarding other physical problems at Marshall High School. It is a shame that more attention hasn't been paid to Marshall. With a little effort it could be a much-improved environment.

David Westberg is the Business Manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Classified School Employees Union Local 609, AFL-CIO.

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