Popular lunch options return to New York City school cafeterias after student complaints
NEW YORK -- After budget cuts led to popular menu items disappearing from New York City public school cafeterias, some of the students' favorite foods are back.
And students and cafeteria workers are celebrating.
"We heard from the kids loud and clear. They were not happy about that," said Schools Chancellor David Banks.
Maybe the lesson here is that when you come between kids and their chicken fingers, you're going to have some new advocates to answer to.
"They reached out to DOE. They reached out to their council members. They said this is what we like, this is what we will eat," said Rachel Sabella, with No Kid Hungry New York.
The news was officially announced at Thursday's No Kid Hungry event honoring "hunger heroes" across city school districts, like P.S. 32 cafeteria cook Anna Yolene Nicolas Denis, known to students as "Anna Banana."
"I'm happy because they keep asking for it," said Nicolas Denis. "I'm so happy, I cry inside and laugh outside."
We initially reported on menu cuts on Feb. 9 when we visited the Bronx Academy of Letters and learned about their cheese sandwiches.
Thursday, we went back expecting relief. Instead, we found lingering frustration and confusion.
"Why was it taken in the first place?" said 12th grader Alec Lopez. "Food and children, it shouldn't be played with."
Chicken dumplings were actually back on the menu at Bronx Letters for the first time Thursday. They also said they noticed something interesting after our last interview with them.
"Almost immediately after the CBS News report and the Chalkbeat report, we saw French fries come back. Then we started to see chicken tenders. Almost within a day or two," said David Garcia-Rosen, school culture director at Bronx Letters. "I do wonder, again, was this all just a political game and stunt ... I wondered where they came from, what money did they use to buy them?"
"We investigate every situation with food issues, and if any corrective action is needed we implement them immediately," said Christopher Tricarico, with the Office of Food and Nutrition Services.
Representatives from the Department of Education could not comment on how exactly the cuts were reversed.
As for why they were made in the first place, city officials told our education partners at Chalkbeat that an increase in kids eating and meals required this school year made it hard for the system to afford.
Head to Chalkbeat New York to find more of our combined reporting.
