Chat About School Lunches with White House Chef

When polled recently about , Patch readers had a lot of different opinions. Now, local parents can participate in a larger discussion about what kids eat at school.

Maryland PTA President-Elect Ray Leone will be one of several people attending a special event Thursday night with White House Chef Sam Kass to discuss the future of school lunches.

The special meeting Thursday night only has limited space, but Leone said parents can “virtually” attend the event with a special live stream broadcast.

Starting at 7 p.m. Thursday, parents and educators are encouraged to tune in live at pta.org/healthierschoolday and participate in the discussion. The online broadcast allows for an interactive question and answer format, where people can ask direct questions to speakers like Kass and other national school officials. In short, the whole meeting will cater towards parent opinions on how to improve school meals.

Over the past four years, Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) has revamped its school lunch menu to include special dishes such as teriyaki chicken and spiced apples. During the first week of school, many officials including Superintendent Kevin Maxwell ate school lunches nearly every day of the week, sampling many of the new dishes to hit school menus.

With an emphasis on getting students to eat more fruits and vegetables, AACPS lunch menus offer several new and unique items this year—such as baked pineapples, baked bananas, steamed Brussels sprouts and baked acorn squash.

Parents can submit a question for Thursday’s event, or simply watch online at pta.org/healthierschoolday.