While listening to the Cam Edwards show yesterday, I caught a story about an Australian school that had concerns about what their students were bringing in their lunches. So the school instituted a policy...teachers would be handed a list of acceptable foods, and if the lunches did not have those foods the offending items would be taken away from the student. The parents would then be called to a meeting with the school principal.

A few thoughts....

First, have you ever HAD a school-provided lunch? I can only imagine what a Commonwealth lunch would taste like. It ain't Outback, folks.

Second, do teachers really have nothing better to do with their time than audit a kid's lunch? Is that really the opinion of the administrators?

Third, I, the Parent, claim the right and responsibility to feed my kid. If I want to give him the new Burger King Omelette Sandwich then that's my decision. I know the motives of the school are likely pure, but still...

Fourth, if you take away my kid's lunch then I will come down to the school and eat yours. The message here is it's better to starve than to eat a Ding-Dong (and dammit, what IS the deal with starving these days?!? Is this the new liberal cause celebre?!?). Well I want to pack a lunch for my kid to eat, and the standard will be his willingness to eat it, not your willingness to let him.

Fifth, what are you going to do on evenings and weekends? Send the teacher over to my house?

I should point out that after looking into this, it doesn't appear to be an official policy of all Aussie schools. To me the most objectionable thing here is the taking away of the items not on the school's approved list. The Aussies already distribute recommended food lists to parents, and I'm thinking that's about reasonable. Anything more than that, and there are boundary issues.