Cupcake war: Wellness policy pits parents against one another

Call it the cupcake war.

That’s what the Malverne school community is calling it. There has been drama in recent weeks over the district’s wellness policy, with some people demanding food-free activities and others demanding the return of fun foods in school.

In September, barely five months after the Malverne Board of Education adopted a modified wellness policy promoting healthy living and restricting sweetened foods in school, trustees asked school administrators to review and revise it. At the start of the school year, administrators passed the request on to the district’s Wellness Committee, which presented recommendations for revision at the board’s Jan. 11 meeting.

The board’s request and the committee’s compliance have generated controversy throughout the district, much like the policy itself did when it was revised last April.

Board Trustee Gina Genti said she sees no need to revise the policy, and that no formal request to review it was brought before the board. What’s more, Genti said, the administration did not adhere to the policy and, therefore, there is no way of knowing its full impact.

“Here we are discussing revisions to a policy, and we don’t even know what the full effect would be because we haven’t implemented it and can’t truly witness the reaction to it,” she said at last week’s meeting. “I am strongly suggesting this policy currently in place be implemented in its entirety with follow-through and auditing for the balance of this school year, and quite possibly next, before this board consider changes, because I guarantee we will be back here having the same discussion again if you proceed without the knowledge we need to assess.”

According to district Business Administrator Tom McDaid, who chairs the Wellness Committee, the board requested the review after receiving complaints from parents who were angry about the policy’s restriction of the sale of candy and baked goods after school hours, including PTA functions and fundraisers.