Should Vending Machines Be Banned In Schools?

Important Life Decisions Childhood obesity is a topic that a lot of people are talking about. A lot of people are talking about what the solution could be to childhood obesity. Although some people are wanting the school systems controlling what students eat or drink, it should really be up to the student and their parents. Students should be allowed their right to decide what they eat and drink. Junk food should not be banned in schools, because they are after-school sports or they could exercise, a lot of schools are dropping out of the healthier lunch programs, and kids with access to junk food at school were no healthier than those without. Schools should not ban vending machines, because of after school sports or exercise.
A lot of students do not like the healthier new meals provided by the government (Thompson 1). If students do not buy the unhealthy snacks from school, they will either go hunger or find the food from other sources. While the students are going to other places, those businesses make money, while schools lose money. According to Some School Districts Quit Healthier Lunch Programs, ¨Superintendent Gary Lewis, whose district saw a 10 to 12 percent drop in lunch sales, translating to $30,000 lost under the program last year (Thompson 4). Since schools are losing so much money, they are losing funds for athletics and other activities. In 2001, Seattle made $214,000 from vending machines, but in 2011 they made $17,000 (Losing Money, Seattle 3). Between 2001 and 2011 Seattle had a $197,000 drop in profits, which means that the schools lost a lot of their funds for after school activities and other needs they may
Students who participate in after-school sports or exercise by themselves lose the weight that they gained at lunch. Some schools have been dropping out of the healthier lunch programs, because they were losing thousands of dollars. Students did not like what the school provided, so they either brought lunch from home or did not eat at all. Students who went to a school that had the healthier lunch programs were about one percent healthier than students that went to a school without it. Students love making their own choices, so let them make their own decision as to what they