Springfield, IL –State Senator Dan Rutherford (R-Pontiac) joined with his colleagues on the legislative Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR) in voting to reject the Illinois State Board of Education’s recommendation to prohibit junk food in Illinois’ elementary and middle schools.

“The Committee asked the Board of Education to go back, review their plan and come back with an overall comprehensive proposal with regard to school nutrition,” explained Rutherford, who went on to comment that, “Every school district in Illinois has a local board that was elected to make these kinds of decisions. There are more important issues for the Illinois Board of Education to be focusing on than whether or not a kid should be eating a candy bar.”

The proposed rule changes would have applied the junk food ban before and during the school day. Current State Board rules prohibit the sale of junk food in elementary schools during breakfast and lunch; however, at this time some schools do allow the sale of these foods between meal times.

Senator Rutherford also questioned the Governor’s decision to bypass state lawmakers and take the proposal directly to the State Board of Education.

“The Governor realigned the State Board of Education in an effort to reduce bureaucracy and streamline Illinois’ educational system. I think there would have been a discord between that goal and the recommended ban if it had been approved,” Rutherford said. “I believe it is the responsibility of Illinois’ local school boards to decide what is best for the students in their district, which should not be taken away and placed in the hands of an entity that may not know what is best for individual schools or their students.”