Doughnuts a sticky issue in school labor dispute -- latimes.com: "Doughnuts a sticky issue in school labor dispute
Teachers upset over having a student nutrition break on 'minimum' days serve Krispy Kremes to kids in the Centinela Valley district. The superintendent says making youths 'pawns' is 'unconscionable.'"
Lawndale teachers protesting a dispute with the Centinela Valley Union High School District distributed doughnuts to students during their nutrition period Friday morning so the children would not eat free snacks provided by the district.
Acknowledging that the sugar-filled treats are not nutritious, Centinela Valley Secondary Teachers Assn. President Erik Carlstone noted that Friday was the last day of school before winter break.
"Students deserve a treat," he said.
District officials denounced the teachers' tactics.
"It's unconscionable for them to use the students as pawns," said Supt. Jose Fernandez, who added that the Krispy Kreme doughnuts distributed are full of sugar and fat, and go against district efforts to combat obesity in young people.
The union is protesting a disagreement with the district about minimum days, shortened school days that are typically scheduled at the end of a semester or before a vacation, such as Friday, when school ended shortly after 1 p.m.
Carlstone said that during contract negotiations last year, the union agreed to one 20-minute lunch period on minimum days, and no 15-minute nutrition, or snack, period.
But Fernandez said that the contract is silent about the matter, and that it's critically