Council resolution asks the School District to rethink meals cooked in Brooklyn and reheated here
Resolution 260872, from Councilmember Anthony Phillips and seven co-sponsors, has been waiting for a final vote since Oct. 15. It asks the district for a public plan to improve school food.
A City Council resolution asks the School District of Philadelphia to take a hard look at what students are served at lunch, including meals the resolution says are made in another state and reheated here. Resolution 260872 was introduced Oct. 15 by 9th District Councilmember Anthony Phillips. It was sent straight to the final passage calendar, but our record shows no vote yet.
The resolution calls school meals "an important source of daily nourishment" for students. The district offers free meals, but many students skip them, Chalkbeat reported.
What the resolution says
The resolution text says public reporting has documented meals in some district schools being "prepared and packaged in Brooklyn, New York," shipped to Philadelphia and reheated before serving. Students had complained about pre-packaged, out-of-state food, the Broad Street Brief reported Oct. 22.
It asks the district to review:
- nutrition, freshness, taste, variety, portion sizes and serving temperatures;
- how much time students have to eat;
- where meals are made, how long they travel and how they're stored;
- vendor contracts and oversight;
- the gap between schools with full kitchens and "satellite" schools that reheat delivered food.
It then calls on the district to publish an improvement plan with priorities, timelines and measurable goals. It names two partners: Temple University's RISE Lab, which studies universal school meals in Philadelphia, and Philly Cooks for Philly, which is planning a local central kitchen.
Advertisement
Why this keeps coming up
Many district schools lack on-site kitchens or full cafeterias, Chalkbeat reported in February, which makes pre-packaged meals hard to improve. Last November, several councilmembers questioned district officials about food quality at a hearing, and hundreds of students tasted proposed dishes at a district food show, the Inquirer reported.
The Broad Street Brief reported that Phillips also introduced a second resolution recognizing National School Lunch Week.
What our records add
- Sponsors. Eight: Anthony Phillips, Cindy Bass, Jim Harrity, Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Kendra Brooks, Mark Squilla, Nicolas O'Rourke, Rue Landau.
- Waiting. It was "ordered placed on next week's final passage calendar" on Oct. 15, which pointed to the Oct. 22 session. Our record of that session shows no action on it, and its status today is still "In Council – Final Passage." That is 11 days so far.
- Phillips's last request to city agencies moved faster. His Resolution 260819, which urged the Health Department, L&I and Sanitation to treat rat problems in the Lower Northeast as an emergency, was introduced Oct. 1 and adopted Oct. 8.
- What it can do. The district is run by the Board of Education, not Council. A resolution states Council's view and asks for action. It does not require the district to do anything.
What's next
Council meets Thursday, Oct. 29, at 10 a.m. If the resolution is called up and adopted, the next step belongs to the district. Council's Committee on Education can hold hearings if members want a public update.