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Each year in December or January, RFKM polls its members on their top
priorities. For our 2015 survey, we were very pleased to have 404
responses, which was a 27% response rate for our parent members at that
time. The
top ten priorities of our members are listed below. Parent
priorities have not changed greatly from last year, but we do have
two new items (numbers 8 and 10) in our top ten list this year, as
we have suggested new possible solutions/goals for addressing member
concerns. The greatest concern of parents this year (and number 2
from last year) is a menu populated with typical kid foods like
chicken nuggets and pizza and the desire for a more diverse menu.
Most notably absent from our top ten list this year was our number 1
priority from last year: "Advocating for a system-wide solution for
easier access to free, unlimited water in cafeterias." This is
likely due to our success in addressing this issue through advocacy
last year that resulted in the offering of free bottles of water in
elementary schools this year to children buying lunch. However, we
recognize that this solution does not address children bringing lunch or
middle or high school students and is not the best solution from an
environmental standpoint.
Read the full
priorities survey report
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Rank |
Priority |
Score |
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1
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Offering at least one meal per day that is not
typical "junk food" (e.g. not pizza, hot dogs,
chicken nuggets, etc.).
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3.69
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2
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Replacing unhealthy a la carte items with healthier
items.
Progress: There are now many
healthier options to choose from, including cheese
sticks, clean label popcorn and pita chips, dried
chick peas, and hummus. Schools that request only
these healthier options receive them. As contracts
expire, foods with prohibited ingredients (some food
dyes, preservatives and MSG) will stop being served,
further improving a la carte options.
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3.65
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3
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Eliminating or drastically reducing typical "junk
food" options.
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3.61
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4
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Setting an upper limit for sugar in any product
served in MCPS that is stricter than the current
limit of 35% by weight.
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3.50
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5
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Offering unlimited fruits and vegetables free to all
children who purchase lunch.
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3.49
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6
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Removing remaining chemicals from the list developed
by the Center for Science in the Public Interest
that was included in our petition from MCPS food
(some have already been removed).
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3.42
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7
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Moving from processed, pre-plated and reheated food
to food cooked from scratch at the central facility
with more prep work done on site at schools with
kitchens.
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3.29
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8
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Pushing for 25% scratch-cooked main dishes by the
start of the 2015-2016 academic year.
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3.28
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9
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Replacing unhealthy vending items with healthier
items in machines that are on during the school day.
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3.24
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10
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Getting MCPS to reduce sugar loads per meal (by
limiting a la carte purchases, only serving white
milk with sugary entree items, or through some other
method).
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3.24
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2013 Priorities and Progress
2014 Priorities and Progress
2016 Priorities and
Progress
2017 Priorities and
Progress
2018 Priorities and Progress
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"Food is fuel for growth, development, and learning. It is short-sighted to overlook this crucial element in school success. Highly processed food with large amounts of sugar and salt do a disservice to our kids, and undercut family efforts to teach a healthy lifestyle. In a county like Montgomery, we can do better. We owe it to our children.".
- an RFKM Supporter
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