What would I suggest instead? Hand them a bottle of Pediasure and call it a day. The MAJORITY of students are offered decent food choices already. Isn't this constant debate more about some imagined nutritional guilt than the reality of students eating properly? Most of these kids eat poorly at home and even when offered something better turn it down. Use the time spent on worrying about/preparing those uneaten/unwanted school lunches on academics instead.

I know that this is not an option for some parents, but my kids eat a school lunch maybe 5 times per year. We pack every day except of rare occasion we run out of bread or are out late or it is something they really want like breakfast for lunch. My pediatrician questions me at every check up how I keep 3 kids at their optimal weight. I have 3 answers, portion control, packed lunches, and daily activity. The stuff they serve in BCPS is crap, disgusting crap.

I would echo JK. My kids are all grown up now, but we brown-bagged it as well. Parents can model this behavior by taking their own lunches to work as well. My husband and I figure we have saved thousands of dollars (and who knows how many pounds) by doing this. Of course there was one year when one son would eat nothing in his brown bag but a PB sandwich and an orange--but at least he wasn't filling up on junk food.