By Ben Velderman
EAGnews.org

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. – The controversy surrounding the federal government’s new school lunch rules is still playing out in many of America’s school districts.

In Tennessee, the Sullivan County Board of Education fielded a complaint about the district’s calorie-counting lunch program for the second month in a row, reports the Kingsport Times-News. Meanwhile, a congressman from the Volunteer State plans to introduce legislation that would repeal the nutritional changes that were forced on schools by the federal government.

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Resident Brenda Leonard told board members that the small portion sizes and unappealing menu options were leaving too many kids hungry.

While many kids can simply pack their own lunches or buy other food, Leonard worries that low-income students receiving free or reduced lunches cannot afford to supplement their diets with additional food.

“It’s the same old story, our school lunches,” Leonard told board members, according to the Times-News. “Do you all not feel like it’s a critical issue?”

Before the board meeting, county School Nutrition Supervisor Lisa Holt confirmed that student participation in the lunch program is down this year.

The ongoing lunch controversy has not escaped the notice of U.S. Rep. Phil Roe, a Tennessee Republican.

In a recent blog for The Hill, Roe wrote that the federal government’s heavy-handed approach to battling child obesity is leading to cafeteria workers counting tater tots, just to ensure the district remains in compliance with the new rules.

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“At the heart of the issue – like so many issues facing our country today – is a fundamental difference about how much government control we need and how much we trust our parents to educate their children about nutrition,” wrote Roe.

“Those who advocated for and passed this change – including President Obama and many Democrats in Congress – believe that government needs to regulate people’s individual behavior and choices. This goes right down to the type of food schools choose to purchase and how much of that gets distributed to the kids in their care.”

Roe has announced plans to introduce legislation after the November elections that would repeal the calorie limits on school lunches.

“As a physician, I certainly understand the need to ensure our children and grandchildren are getting nutritious lunches,” Roe wrote. The solution is “to empower parents to help their children choose a healthy lifestyle,” he added.

“I trust parents and administrators, who work hard every day to take care of kids, to make good decisions about how much food our children eat and what food is served.”