Our school has implemented a strict snack policy in fourth and fifth grades. The snacks are now required to be on the "approved snack" list. The approved snack list is a list of four items, beef jerky, dried fruit, granola bars or string cheese. When I first heard of this new policy I assumed it was a suggested snack list, but I would later find out that this is a mandated list. Any child bringing other foods would be held accountable for doing so. This issue was unsettling to both myself and my husband. What right did anyone have to dictate to us what we feed our child? I completely understand making a request for snacks that are not messy. I support teachers and their need for order in the classroom. However, I cannot allow  someone else to control what my child eats. After conducting some research, I found many cases in the country where this has become an issue. Some school's mandate snacks while others have taken away the right to bring in a homemade lunch altogether.  Please support parental rights by signing this petition and protecting a parents right to choose what their child eats.

"Food is not merely a matter of sustaining life. It is one of the main ways people express themselves in terms of culture, ethnicity, religion, psychology, family history and pure preference" - Wendy McElroy