Lake County considers 'trash-cams' at school cafeterias

WKMG ^ | 10/2/2012 | Kristin Giannas

[markomalley]

Lake County School Board officials are considering attaching cameras to school cafeteria trash cans to study what students are tossing after officials found that most of the vegetables on the school menu end up in the trash can.

New federal laws require students to take a healthy produce at lunchtime, but last year in Lake County, students tossed $75,000 worth of produce in the garbage.

"It's a big issue, and it's very hard to get our hands around it," said School Board member Todd Howard, who suggested "trash-cams." "They have to take (the vegetable), and then it ends up in the trash can, and that's a waste of taxpayer money. It's also not giving students the nutrition that they need."

Laurel Walsh, whose daughter attends Tavares Elementary School, says getting kids to eat their fruits and vegetables is not the job of the respective schools.

"I think it starts at home with the parents. If the kids just don't like it because they've never been given it at home, they're not going to try something new here," she said.

No decisions have been made on the cameras, but school leaders say they wouldn't capture students faces, just what they're throwing away.

[Ezekiel]

I’m all for healthy eating but not if its force-fed by our “betters”. Makes me want to give each of these poor kids a big bag of candy. Kids can sense these bullies. They know they can’t reason with the Mooshill mob, so they’ll have to compensate by creative disposal methods such as you describe.

You know that the students who are budding patriots (and the rightful heirs to America) will be the most creative, even “in your face” about it. Carrots “hiding” in the teachers’ pencil holders... lettuce leaf bookmarks in the teachers’ answer books... attack of the killer tomatoes... celery boats filled with pea-people refugees floating in the teachers’... well you get the idea. :)

[cyn]

"It's a big issue, and it's very hard to get our hands around it," said School Board member Todd Howard, who suggested "trash-cams." "They have to take (the vegetable), and then it ends up in the trash can, and that's a waste of taxpayer money. It's also not giving students the nutrition that they need."

[cyn]

We don't need no stewed tomatoes
We don't need no cel'ry stix
No camera peeking in the trash cans
Mooshell leave our food alone.

Hey, nannies! Leave the kids alone!

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Our Great Mother Moochelle will be pleased with this action.

Nanny State PING!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[TigersEye]

The evil teenager in me has so many ideas for things to put in front of those cams. lol

[TigersEye]

The solution for stubborn students is obvious.

Have some MO lunch!

[ichabod1]

Just assign a monitor to stand by the trash cans with a clipboard and evaluate whether the child has finished their vegetable medley sufficiently and if not, find out why not, record their names, and if a repeat offender, give them information as to why they should eat their vegetable medley along with their pig in a blanket and potato surprise.