Career Center Store at High School Raises Competitive Foods Controversy

The Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union (SVSU) is attempting to change a policy that allows the Southwest Vermont Career Development Center (SVCDC) to sell foods with little to no nutritional value in its store at Mount Anthony Union High School, reports the Bennington Banner. The SVCDC leases the space in the high school complex but because it is not part of the SVSU district it is not bound by existing SVSU wellness policy, which states that "foods of minimal nutritional value...shall not be sold in food service areas during breakfast and lunch periods." Discussions are underway to change the words "food service areas" to "on school property."

However, administrators overseeing the CDC are resisting any attempts to regulate the store's activities, which they claim is academic and intended to teach students about competing in a real-world retail environment where market forces dictate merchandise mix.