Cleveland County Schools add new lunch choices

Cleveland County Schools has added new lunch menu options, and the entrees, which were rolled out this week, have garnered attention from parents.

Greg Shull, school spokesperson, posted a list of the new items made available this year on the Cleveland County Schools’ Facebook page.

Elementary students will now have the option of stuffed mac and cheese while middle and high schoolers have new stuffed buffalo mac and cheese.

Buffalo chicken pizza and chicken fajitas will soon be added.

“Our team has worked hard to find lots of flavor,” Shull wrote.

School lunch menus have often been a source of debate and interest not only among parents, but school board members.

“I was able to sample the buffalo chicken pizza a week or so ago,” Shull wrote. “It's a game changer. We have even more coming next year. So, I am super proud of our Food Services team. They're on it.”

The announcement had an accompanying photo, which displayed cups of the new stuffed buffalo mac and cheese consisting of a layer of macaroni topped with chicken bites and smothered in shredded cheese.

Fresh fruit is offered daily as well as two vegetables, including green beans, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, corn, garden salads and coleslaw.

This year's new items also include retro pizza, chef salads, hot honey chicken croissants, teriyaki chicken and fried rice, sloppy Joe sandwiches, chicken pie, ravioli casserole, egg rolls, beef teriyaki bikes and fiestada pizza.

The announcement was met with a mixed reaction and garnered nearly 200 comments on the Facebook post.

Some said they thought it would be a hit with the kids and applauded the school system for adding new flavorful items to the menu

Others were critical, questioning the nutrition of the food and pointing out the county’s poor health rankings.

Jamie Currier, food services director, said they’ve made several changes this year and have more planned.

“The biggest change is we brought back retro pizza, which is the old school pizza,” she said.

They also brought back chef salads and have new offerings this year, including chicken pie and quesadillas.

Currier said they have made a concerted effort to add flavor to the meals.

“A lot of food is bland. We can't add salt, but we can add garlic seasonings, onion powder, things that don't change the nutritional value of the food,” she said.

Last month they offered Chinese food in honor of Chinese New Year, and Currier said they try to add a variety of cultural items. They also had a friendsgiving meal with chicken pie, sweet potatoes and green beans, similar to a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Currier said the team is making an effort to cook things at the school instead of offering all frozen foods and said the buffalo pizza is put together and cooked on site.

She said she posts on the Cleveland County Schools Facebook page so people have access to the new menu items coming in.

For parents and students who want to know menu details or the nutritional value of the meals, they can go to the school's website and view menus online and scroll over each item which will provide information on the nutrients, including iron, sugar, protein and fat.

“Everything you need to know is right there,” Currier said. “There are two vegetables and two fruits offered every day at all schools.”

There are certain guidelines and restrictions the school's food and nutrition services has to follow.

“We have to take into consideration are they healthy,” Currier said. “Sodium is a big thing, You have a certain sodium content at each school, they can only have so much. They also have to get in their vegetables. We have to provide these and fit those in every week. You have to plan according to what we're told to plan.”

She said it's challenging finding foods that everyone likes but her main concern is making sure kids don't go hungry.

“Mainly for me it's all about the kids. I want them all fed,” Currier said. “I want it to taste good. I want them to go home and tell their parents what they had for lunch, what they had for breakfast.”

Recently, the whole staff came to the schools and provided samples of the new macaroni and cheese so students could try it and see if they liked it.

“You only get one entrée choice, a lot of students won't choose a new entrée,” she said. “My children fuel what we do. We always ask our students, what do you like, what do you want to see, what did you not like about this.”

She said they want to hear that feedback.

“I want all of our students fed," Currier said. "I want them to know we care about what they're eating.”

Rebecca Sitzes can be reached at rsitzes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Cleveland County Schools add new lunch items