WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National School Board Association has joined the cafeteria food fight.

The NSBA issued a scathing analysis of the “healthy” federal rules during National School Lunch Week.

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Calling on Congress to “address the unintended consequences of onerous requirements” championed by First Lady Michelle Obama, NSBA Executive Director Thomas J. Gentzel says, “Overly rigid and unrealistic federal mandates undermine the ability of school districts to do what the law intends: prepare and serve nutritious food that enables America’s public schoolchildren to grow, learn, and thrive.

“Students need healthy meals and adequate nutrition to achieve their potential in school, and school board members are committed to ensuring all students are prepared to learn. However, school boards cannot ignore the higher costs and operational issues created by the rigid mandates of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.”

The group released a poll of its members which found:

* 83.7 percent of school districts saw an increase in plate waste

* 81.8 percent had an increase in cost

* 76.5 percent saw a decrease in participation by students.

Over 60 percent of school leaders “support additional flexibility for school districts to improve their ability to provide good nutrition without harm to instruction, personnel, and other school district operations,” according to the group.

A Government Accountability Office report found “a total of 321 districts in 42 states stopped participating in the National School Lunch Program in 2012 and 2013, with 27 of these states saying that the new requirements played a factor in their decision to not participate,” HNGN.com reports.

The NSBA is supportive of legislation that “would provide options for school districts struggling to comply with some of the more problematic mandates of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act,” according to the group.

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The School Nutrition Association was one of the first major national school groups to criticize the lunch rules.

“How can we call these standards a success when they are driving students away from the program?” Diane Pratt-Heavner, a spokeswoman for the association, told the Associated Press.