We've seen plenty of absurdities in some public schools over the past few years - from a kindergartner suspended for playfully making his hand into the shape of a gun, to voluntary, student-led expressions of religious faith being censored.
But a recent episode in Chicago takes the cake - literally.
At Little Village Academy, a public school on Chicago's West Side, students are forbidden to bring their own lunches to school. Even fruits and vegetables are forbidden if they are brought in from outside. Instead, the students are required to eat the food sold in the cafeteria.
The principal said the goal was to protect children from the less healthful foods they might bring from home. Only students with allergies or other medical issues are exempted from the rule.
A Chicago Tribune reporter witnessed dozens of students simply throwing the bulk of the unappetizing school lunches in the trash and doing without. We find it hard to believe that is a more healthful choice than bringing even not particularly wholesome foods from home.
The school "has seen a drop-off in meal participation among students, many of whom say the food tastes bad," the newspaper reported.
Meanwhile, at a school on the South Side of Chicago, students are permitted to bring lunches from home, but school officials seize any snacks they believe have too much salt or sugar.
Can't we all agree that balanced meals for children are desirable, but that government usurpation of parental authority is not?