The following letter was sent out to parents of Walton parents on Feb. 5. It was printed on orange paper.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As you may know, childhood obesity is one of our nation’s most serious health concerns. Another growing problem is the increase of food allergies among our students.

At Walton School, it is our priority to keep our students safe and teach them healthy habits at an early age. In an effort to make this happen and to abide by the Springfield Board of Education and New Jersey School Policy on Wellness and Nutrition, parents and the school staff are to provide nutritious lunches and snacks for students. We also work with the PTA and class parents to do the same for class activities during holidays.

We understand that birthdays are important to the children, however birthday treats sent in by parents are no longer permitted at Walton School. Since it is the middle of the school year and about half of our student population has already celebrated their birthday with a food treat, it would seem to be unfair to some parents that they are not given the option to send in a birthday treat for their child who has not celebrated his/her birthday yet.

Therefore, effective Monday, February 13th and for the remainder of this school year, parents who wish to celebrate their child’s birthday with a food treat must contact the Springfield Schools’ Food Services Manager, Reddrick Robinson, at Robinson-Reddrick@aramark.com to place an order. He will have the list of approved birthday treats parents can order for the class to recognize his/her child’s birthday. Food Services will need a week’s notice to process the orders so please do plan accordingly. Aramark will deliver the treat to the child’s class as scheduled. Please be advised that if parents send in food directly to the school on or after February 13th, it will not be sent to the child’s classroom but returned to the parent or it can placed in the faculty lounge.

Please know that for next year, birthday treats will not be permitted at all, not even from Aramark. Each teacher will still recognize the students’ birthdays. At Walton, each teacher recognizes a student’s birthday with a special pencil, sticker, card or crown. This will continue and every child’s birthday will be honored in the same manner.

I want to thank you in advance for your understanding, support and cooperation. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Susie Hung