Little Anna won a new bike for entering the lunch lottery. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER
Via EAG News
School officials in Jefferson County, Colorado felt like they had to do something to save the school’s lunch program after a significant drop in participation last year because of new federal regulations championed by First Lady Michelle Obama.
So, they’re bribing kids to buy lunch.
Devinny Elementary School first grader Anna Ketzer was one of three students who won a brand new bicycle, 9News.com reports.
“I was very excited to hear that,” she told the news station, adding that she gets her food from the cafeteria because “I don’t have to make my lunch.”
Her prize comes from Jeffco Public Schools’ new “Hungry to Win” raffle for students who buy their lunch at school. After a 6 percent decline in lunch sales last year, district officials came up with the promotion to bring students back to the lunch room. With each lunch they buy, students are entered to win a range of prizes, from jump ropes, kites, iTunes gift cards or movie tickets, to grand prizes like bicycles and iPods, according to the news site.
“With all the new regulations and the changes that we’ve made, our lunch participation has gone down,” lunch facilitator Lori Burris told 9News. “So, this was to be an incentive to try school lunch and bring them back.”[…]
Jeffco’s Burris said students are not big fans of the “healthier” lunches, so they had to find a way to convince kids to eat it.
“We think it’s because they don’t necessarily like some of the new changes that we’ve had to make,” she said.
Burris believes students might actually like the cafeteria’s new offerings once they’ve ate enough of it.
“They’re used to something a little different,” she said. “So, we wanted to encourage them to come back and try it and show them it really tastes good. It’s just a bit different.”
Burris told 9News lunch sales have increased 4 percent since they launched “Hungry to Win.”
Several parents who commented on the 9News story were clearly not impressed with the raffle idea.
“This is amazing! Jeffco is teaching our kids how to gamble! Not just gamble, but to gamble to eat. Is the next field trip to Las Vegas so we can teach them how to live on the streets after they don’t win? ‘Hey, buy our food and you could win a bike!’ or ‘Hey, play our slots and you could win a car!’ What’s the difference?” J.J. Howe posted to Facebook.
HT LA Mom