Student protest of unhealthy high school cafeteria food through sabotage

¶ … cafeteria food in my community high school has not been up to standard for some time. The menus were not only unimaginative, but also significantly unhealthy. The menus include a large amount of fried foods, with often overcooked vegetables. The drinks normally comprise of a choice of carbonated sodas. The problem is that both students and their parents are increasingly health conscious. While they are being taught good eating habits at home, students are not given healthy choices at school. Students have attempted to complain to personnel numerous times. The school paper even featured an article regarding the cafeteria food. Parents have also talked to the school board, continued promises to address the matter have remained just that - promises.

A group of five students then decided to take matters into their own hands. To make a point regarding the lack of health in the cafeteria food choices, these students released a number of cockroaches into the kitchen. This was done one night, when the students broke into the kitchen and released a number of cockroaches into the food supply.

Impact

The most immediate impact was to the kitchen staff. Considerable upset was caused among employees who found the cockroaches first, when attempting to begin food preparation for the day. Secondarily, children were impacted, as food was of course now even more unsafe than the case was normally. The kitchen staff were obliged to order a fresh supply of food from the local supplier. This impacted the school, as a considerable monetary investment was lost due to the food that had to be destroyed.

The impact on the culprits themselves related to admitting to the perpetration of the "crime" and facing the consequent punishment. As the aim of the act was to make a point regarding the health impact of cafeteria food, the group readily admitted to the act. They also submitted a petition explicating the reasons for their actions, and their desire for a healthier selection of nutrition during the school day. The petition had been signed by more than half of the student body.

Other Options

Children today are much wiser and outspoken than decades ago. The communication gap results from the fact that the children from decades ago are today's leaders, and they are therefore not always ready to listen.

A better alternative to the summary punishment would have been open communication with students. If this had been established when students first began complaining about the food, the whole incident may have been avoided. Students should have been given a chance to state their case, while they should also be willing to listen to the school board's reasons for the food selection. A compromise might have been possible; not entirely changing the menu, for example, but increasingly incorporating healthier choices over months or even years. Parents could have been included in the negotiations, and sponsorships created for the sake of their children's nutrition.

After the incident, an alternative to summary punishment would therefore have been a conference with the headmaster and staff, including not only parents, but also the perpetrators. The children should have been given a chance to explain their case, as they tried to. In this way, open communication would have been achieved, without any further unpleasant consequences. As it was, the disciplinary action is only likely to attract further incidents of the same nature.