Chicago Schools Breakfast Mandate Draws Fire

Hundreds of parents have signed petitions and sent letters objecting to the Chicago Board of Education's blanket mandate requiring free breakfast to be served in all elementary school classrooms during the first 15 minutes of the day, reports the Chicago Tribune. The objections range from issues like lost class time, the forcing on children of a second breakfast if they had already eaten one and the inevitable food waste and packaging entering the waste stream, to concerns about the possible presence of dangerous allergens like eggs and dairy products in classrooms where susceptible children previously were safe from exposure.