Brighton Area Schools Layoff 3 Student Nutrition Employees

Students at Brighton Area Schools are not impressed with the new federal requirements to increase nutritional values and reduce sodium and saturated fat levels in school meals, the numbers prove it. 

The Board of Education voted earlier this week to layoff three student nutrition employees from the food service department based on revenue and student needs. 

As of the end of February, sales of lunch meals at Brighton high School were down 17 percent from the same time last year, according to Richard Browder, the director of student nutrition. However, Elementary sales have not declined as much, he said. 

The new guidelines, set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, went into effect at the beginning of the school year and separate school lunches into five components: meats/meat alternates, grains, fruits, vegetables and milk. A student must take three of the five components for it to be considered a meal, and one of those components must be a fruit or a vegetable.

In addition, there are age appropriate calorie limits. 

For more information about school meals, visit the Student Nutrition Department online.