Recently, SCUSD released a district-wide notice about the law banning the selling of food by students at schools in Sacramento, C.K. McClatchy included.
This law affects clubs, classes, and other student-run organizations that depend on the earnings they make off of food sales to run their groups. This also entails the end of schoolwide traditions like the Harvest Festival, International Day, Hearts Festival, Oktoberfest, and Eco Jam, all events based around the selling of food.
At C.K. McClatchy, clubs like German Club, whose successful existence relies just on the profits they make selling treats and food to the student body, are now left stranded, struggling to figure out their next way to make money.
This also greatly affects graduating classes. For example, the graduating class of ‘20 had plans to sell at upcoming festivals, along with dedicating a day every week to sell coffee and hot chocolate to make money for prom, which is no longer possible according to the district’s ban.
As for the origin of the law, the meaning behind why the state decided to issue it is unknown.
“From what I understand it’s not just a district thing, it’s a federal law,” ASB Junior class Vice President, Mackenzie Crall, explained.
Crall explained that the idea of this ban being a federal law could be based around the district wanting to promote healthy eating habits and trying to implement healthier lifestyles.
The law states, “Only those foods and beverages that comply with state and federal competitive food and beverage requirements are allowed to be sold to a student on the school campus during the school day outside of the federal meal programs.”
The law defines competitive foods as all foods and beverages sold to students on school campus during the school day outside the reimbursable meal programs.
As the district can’t oversee and control every sale or event centered around food in each school throughout the district, banning all sales can help reduce chances of unhealthy habits originating from school.
There is controversy about whether or not C.K. McClatchy is going to abide by this rule. The discussion that took place in C.K.M.’s Associated Student Body upon hearing about the ban went along the lines of, “So we’re just gonna ignore the law right?”
It’s not that McClatchy’s ASB wants to break the rule, it’s the matter that lots of funding, for clubs, classes, and programs, come from food sales, and now that it’s against the rules, it’s going to be difficult to find alternative solutions for fundraising.
Crall concluded with, “Now we have to find some other way of fundraising which is a challenge because it’s high schoolers, and they’re not likely to buy much else.”