Remembering The Classic WA School Lunch That Is Now Extinct

My kids are back to "mostly normal" school after multiple strange years of a pandemic. Adjusting to the new schedules has been difficult but we seem to be sliding back into a good routine after the first week. One thing that can be difficult to get finished on time in the morning is packing their school lunches. Last year my kids ate lunch offered at school but started asking for something else instead. I couldn't believe the thing they were asking me to make was not offered in their school hot lunches.

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY - My kids were asking for regular peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The sandwiches they serve at school are made with a substitute that neither likes. You may not know that schools all over Washington State have not been serving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches since 2001 according to reports. Specifically, they were taken out because of the health risks that certain students have with nut allergies. Not only do schools not serve any peanut products but some encourage parents not to pack them for their kids lunches either according to the same reports. In the Tri-Cities, kids are free to pack peanut butter in their lunches but there are peanut free sections for students with allergies.

THE GOOD OL DAYS - When I went to school, I lived almost completely on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. My dad would make us get up, make our own lunches, and mine was always PB&J. If we didn't make our own, I ate the PB&J sandwiches served at school "hot lunch." Sometimes they had pizza on Fridays and I would make an exception, but mostly I ate PB&J. The rest of the week was some kind of casserole and canned vegetables scooped from those large metal trays behind the window. Believe me, you would have chosen the peanut butter & jelly sandwiches instead also.

NOT JUST PEANUT BUTTER - Things that are not approved for classroom parties in some Washington State schools might surprise you also. One Spokane elementary school approves gummy bears, fruit loops, and Krispy Kreme donuts but have banned grapes, cheese sticks, milk and bread according to the Inlander. Some other restrictions reported: "apples are allowed only if they are purchased pre-sliced and packaged in individual bags" and "fruits and vegetable trays require a label from the manufacturer certifying they are nut-free and processed in a nut-free facility."

LOOK, I GET IT -  Kids can get sick or even die from food allergies. I understand how serious it can be because my wife used to suffer from food allergies. I once had to take her to the emergency room after she was exposed. I just think in some cases we have gone too far in order to keep kids safe. I don't pretend to be an expert. I just wish that my kids could get a good old wholesome peanut butter and jelly sandwich if they wanted for lunch at school. There has to be a better way.