Texas Third-Grader, Leighann Adair, Given One Week Detention for Eating a Jolly Rancher Candy

Leighann Adair, a third grader at Brazos Elmentary school in Orchard, TX, was given a week's detention for eating a Jolly Rancher candy. Sounds crazy, right? Well, according to KHOU, school officials in western Fort Bend county are defending the harsh sentence. The principal and superintendent said they are complying with a state law that limits junk food in schools. This is a gross overeaction on the part of the school. What about those kids who really break school rules.

Leighann Adair, 10, was eating lunch Monday when a teacher confiscated the candy. Her parents said she was in tears when she arrived home later that afternoon and handed them the detention notice. According to the disciplinary referral, she would be separated from other students during lunch and recess through Friday.

Jack Ellis, the superintendent for Brazos Independent School District, declined an on-camera interview. But he said the school was abiding by a state guideline that banned “minimal nutrition” foods.

The state, however, gives each school discretion over how to enforce the policy. Ellis said school officials had decided a stricter punishment was necessary after lesser penalties failed to serve as a deterrent. Ellis said failing to adhere to the state’s guidelines could put federal funding in jeopardy.

According to the Texas Department of Agriculture’s website, “The Texas Public School Nutrition Policy (TPSNP) explicitly states that it does not restrict what foods or beverages parents may provide for their own children's consumption.” Source: KHOU

I find it hard to believe that the school's funding would be jeopardized by a child eating a Jolly Rancher candy. I would also venture to say the food being prepared for the students at that school probably comprises way more calories than one Jolly Rancher candy. Still, I wonder what punishment they would give a student who was fighting on school grounds?

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