The latest elementary school to ban cake, ice cream and, in fact, all food for every little kid’s birthday is Burlington Elementary School in Burlington, Ky.
Parents can still provide treats that aren’t food at the suburban Cincinnati school, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. Policy suggestions include bookmarks, pencils and erasers.
Burlington Elementary PTA member Valerie Bailey, who helped create the exciting new ban, says the school is among the first in the area to ban delicious birthday treats. She blamed fatness for the draconian cake outlawry.
“We’re finding it’s difficult to be the first,” Bailey told the Enquirer. “Parents say it’s not fair. But we hope it sends a message to the parents and kids, especially with the obesity rate being so high, and puts a bug in their ear.”
Bailey also said that kids’ birthday parties have taken up a good amount of time at Burlington Elementary, a school which “needs improvement,” according to the Kentucky Department of Education.
The Enquirer spent four paragraphs ensuring locals that the federal government “does not ban birthday cake.” Instead, somehow totally differently, the federal government encourages “healthy eating and has made a series of major rule-changes” recently “toward that end.” (RELATED: Michelle Obama Policy Axes Cupcake Fundraiser For WWII Vets)
“About 37 percent of our children are at risk (for obesity) or obese,” area school district spokeswoman Kathy Reutman told the Enquirer.
“It’s not up to us to tell parents what to do,” Reutman added. “But when children are in our care we make sure that nothing gets in the way of them and their learning. Food allergies or too much sugar get in the way of that.” (RELATED: Michelle Obama Admits She Wears Spanx And Thinks Everybody Else Does, Too)
Birthday cake bans — along with bans of much else — are all the rage around the country.
Earlier this summer, for example, a school district in the suburbs of Seattle also banned birthday cakes. School officials in the Edmonds, Wash. said the ban is part of a broader set of wellness and nutrition policies that dovetails with the new federal wellness guidelines. (RELATED: School District Looks To Birthday Cakes For New And Exciting Thing To Ban)
Last month, an elementary school in the outer suburbs of Atlanta also outlawed birthday cupcakes, cookies and, in fact, all sweets and all food from birthday parties. The alleged reasoning was different, though. (RELATED: School District Bans Birthday Cupcakes Because They AREN’T FAIR)
Officials at Brooks Elementary School in Newnan, Ga. announced a draconian ban on sweets over fears that some kids with food allergies could feel sad and left out.
“When parents have brought in goodies for birthdays, oftentimes these children are not included in the snack because of dietary restrictions and have felt left out,” Julie Raschen, principal of Brooks Elementary, said.
Oddly, a school district spokesman said the new policy will not apply to various holiday celebrations. So kids with allergies will presumably be left out of those.
Follow Eric on Twitter and on Facebook, and send education-related story tips to erico@dailycaller.com.