SAN ANTONIO – Some Northside Independent School District parents are concerned that their kids are not getting enough to eat at school after portions from their breakfasts and lunches were cut.
Northside ISD spokesman Pascual Gonzalez said the change to the portion sizes is coming from the state.
Kimberly Jones said when she took her two children to breakfast at Northwest Crossing Elementary, she noticed that their fruit portion had been cut in half and that the breakfast was significantly smaller.
"It's just really concerning because they're trying eliminate food waste, but in the process, they are eliminating some of the items that children need most," she said.
Gonzalez said the district cut down the portions for the fruit and vegetables, as mandated by the Texas Department of Agriculture.
"In October of last year, we were cited by the state for being out of compliance with our portions that we were serving," said Gonzalez. "And it is true we used to serve a lot more food, but it was contrary to guidelines provided by the state."
Jones said parents should have been notified to make adjustments for the change.
"I'm probably going to stop having my kids eat at school," said Jones. "And just try and make te extra time to feed them at home or pack something additional for them to take."
"They're not getting enough fruit in their lunch," said Ashley Zufelt, a parent. "They pick up an extra item and they're charged a la carte for it outside of reduced lunch price."
"Usually when we communicate to parents about an issue in the cafeteria, it's a sanitation issue, a recall or health-related issue," Gonzalez said. "This isn't one of those, so we didn't."
Jones and Zufelt said they believe that the district is profiting off of this change, but Gonzalez said they are not making money and that they are bound by state and federal guidelines.