It’s about freedom, not the fries. So says new Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who announced Thursday that the state is repealing a decade-old ban on deep fryers in public schools—an unappetizing reversal to national health advocates, school nutritionists and even his predecessor in the post. Miller, a self-described “pot-bellied” calf-roper and former teacher, says his focus is firmly on combating childhood obesity. But he says government mandates have failed to make kids healthier in Texas, where roughly two-thirds of residents are considered overweight or obese. He is also relaxing restrictions on certain soft drinks in campus vending machines, saying...