I’ve had two students with stomachaches this week who wanted to see the nurse, one who had not eaten because she refused to eat anything the cafeteria provided, and another who skipped our cafeteria food in favor of a large quantity of super-hot, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. The actively sick are surrounded by the undernourished. Can we please get the government out of the school-lunch business?

Eduhonesty: I’m sure part of the problem is that my district has been teetering on the edge of insolvency for years. We don’t have the money to buy the delicious-tasting apples, although we manage to get apples. We don’t have the money to buy nutritious Asian food that meets the guidelines. We do have a population that’s about one-half Hispanic. About our only Mexican food has been cheap-chicken tacos that are weirdly sweet and kind of scary. I’d give that chicken to my cat or dog, but not to my children. I wouldn’t give too much of that chicken to the cat or dog, for that matter.

Those old, uncontrolled lunches? At least they tasted O.K. They even tasted good sometimes.

More importantly, the kids ate them.