FOOD SERVICE IX RURAL SCHOOLS 69 



4. Indigestion is a leading cause of absence among school children, and a 

 study of the records of 470 children for eight consecutive months showed a 

 greater incidence of absence on account of stomach upsets among the pupils 

 remaining at the schoolhouse for lunch than among those going home. 



5. Data on 1,560 box lunches show that 93 per cent of the children carry- 

 'ing them have no hot food at noon, and only 15 per cent of the pupils Ijring 

 •milk. 



(3. The school lunch ser\ ice offers many opportunities for teacliing health 

 and also for training in good manners. 



T. In four-fifths of the buildings having food service, it is both sponsored 

 and managed by the teachers. 



8. When a service exists, tlie food is sup))lied (1) l)y the cliildren for in- 

 dividual use; (2) as a contribution of material for a common hot dish; (3) 

 by cash payment for food bought by teacher or lunch room manager; or (4) 

 'by an outside organization subsidizing the service. 



9. The type of service which can be offered is limited by the physical 

 equipment of the building, yet the exannples of existing services prove that 

 no building is too poorly equipped to make some sort of hot food service 

 possible, at least during the M'inter months. 



10. There is very little mid-session food service in rural Massachusetts. 

 In only 3 per cent of the buildings was any found, and in these but a small 

 proportion of the school population was served. In every instance, milk was 

 the food served. 



11. Mid-session feeding should always be at mid-morning, not to interfere 

 with the noon meal, and most present practices must be re\ised to accomplish 

 this. 



12. Much remains to be done in establishing and impro\ing school lunches; 

 and with the growing tendency toward consolidation of rural schools, each 

 year more small children Mill be obliged to eat their noon meal away from 



ho!iie. 



Publication of this document approved bv the 

 Commission on Administration and Finance 



4 M — 4-'30. No. 8754. 



