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Schools

Sugary Snacks a No-No at One Hartland Elementary

New policy at Village Elementary eliminates edible birthday treats at school.

School birthday parties, traditionally a time when the birthday boy or girl is allowed to pass out colorful cupcakes or chocolaty cookies to their classmates, are going to look and smell a whole lot differently at one local elementary school this year.

Students at Village Elementary School can no longer bring treats to celebrate their birthdays. Principal Bill Cain said the new policy is the best way to insure the health and safety of students.

“The purpose, the basis of the whole thing is that we want to make sure that, as best we can, that what’s coming into our building is healthy and safe for children,” Cain said. “We want them to feel good about the choices they would have.”

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With childhood obesity on the rise as well as certain food allergies in classrooms, parents and students are being encouraged to steer away from the sugary treats and get creative with their classroom birthday celebrations. With suggested ideas that range from donating games to the class to pencils and erasers for each student, Cain says that already he has seen great alternatives coming in to his school.

“We are coming up with creative ideas for what the kids can bring in to help celebrate,” Cain said. “It’s just another way that parents have a little more control over the day to day of what their child has in school.”

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Not all parents may agree with the new policy, but Hartland parent Jacqi Schaller, whose three children all attend Village Elementary, says that after the initial disappointment in hearing about the new policy, she now agrees and supports the rule.

“There are many other creative ways to celebrate a child’s birthday than a sugary treat that could perhaps have life threatening reactions to a child,” Schaller wrote in an email to Patch. “I think it is a great idea! Principal Cain’s decision helps insure the well-being of every child at our school.”

The school will also still allow seasonal sugary snacks for upcoming Halloween and Christmas parties, however, since, according to Cain, the staff at Village understand the importance of traditions during the holidays. 

“There’s a lot of opportunities to still have celebrations that include treats,” Cain said. “We have Halloween coming up, Christmas time activities- that’s always fun for the kids- so we didn’t eliminate those, that’s a big part of it.”

For several years, Cain had heard off and on from his staff that the idea of having non-food items brought in instead of the traditional sweet treats was something they would support. After consulting with the schools PTO on the new policy at their Sept. 7 meeting, Cain decided that this was the year he would make the change.

“We didn’t want to make a big deal out of it because we’re not eliminating the special time for the child in the classroom,” Cain said.

Schaller says that her children, who are learning the importance of healthy eating habits, weren't too upset with the new decision.

"They have a cousin with (a rare autoimmune disease) and understand the dangerous complications of food allergies," Schaller wrote. "They are thinking hard on what they would like to do for their birthday celebration at school."

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