School lunch has been a source of controversy among students, parents and teachers in the United States. The issue has been highlighted on the internet, as it is full of school food disasters, ranging from congealed chocolate milk to disaster cheese steaks.

Admittedly, the school lunch served at the Pelham Memorial High School isn’t half as bad as some of the food travesties on the web, but it’s far from perfect. Recently, PMHS students have made numerous complaints about the lunches served in the school cafeteria, specifically about variety and some undercooked food items. Students have pointed to chicken that was uncooked and the decrease in the quality of meals. Ever since the departure of former Principal Jeannine Clark and Vice Principal Judd Rothstein, these issues have been noted and brought to the attention of the current administration. 

The quality of school food is an issue noticed by students all around the country. According to northjersey.com, in 2021, a student at Paterson International High School in Paterson, New Jersey, posted a photo of what appeared to be a cheese steak sandwich, followed by a photo of dry french fries and a mystery meat patty. These photos set off a movement that led to the overhaul of the $5 million food program and tons of backlash throughout the district. Similar posts have been made around America, exposing the sad condition of the school lunch system.

According to some, the lunch conditions at PMHS aren’t much better. “It was an unpleasant experience, and I was worried I could have actually gotten sick because the consistency was strange, and I wasn’t completely sure what I was experiencing,” said one PMHS student recalling a chicken sandwich served in the cafeteria.

She’s not the only one who has experienced this, as many other students testify to similar problems.

“I stopped eating the chicken immediately when I noticed part of it was a little squishier than it should be, and it really concerned me,” said another PMHS student. “I’ve also come close to vomiting on more than one occasion after eating school lunch, and that’s why I don’t eat it anymore.”

“As of last year, occasionally there would be no lunch,” said a PMHS sophomore.

On multiple occasions, students have recalled dealing with nausea and near-vomiting after consuming school lunch. Students shouldn’t have to worry about what they are eating at school, especially since the money from their parents and guardians is being spent to provide them with the meals. It appears that only America deals with this problem as well–school lunch internationally, whether it be from France, Ukraine or Greece—is shown to be of a much higher quality than the food served to American students. While PMHS school lunch isn’t the disaster many schools have the misfortune of dealing with, reforms could be made to make the program that much better.