Food Vendors asked to leave, against district policy
April 24, 2015
The location of the food vendors who served Akins students this year has once again become a problem, leading to their disappearance.
Since last year, the Chick-fil-a food stand and the Fire and Soul truck served the Akins campus lunch until late September. The vendors stopped serving until a problem was resolved in relocating to a suitable off- campus location for the vendors to set up their operations, said Assistant Principal Juan Gonzalez.
The food vendors returned to Akins in January after changing their location to just across the street from Akins on Old San Antonio Road. By changing the location of the food vendors to an off-campus location, this satisfied a federal law that prohibits outside food vendors, besides the cafeteria, from being located on campus.
This arrangement didn’t last long. By early February the food vendors disappeared, again, with little explanation. Rumors have spread across campus just as they did after their first disappearance in fall.
Students, administration, and some faculty have expressed disappointment about their absence.
Gonzalez, who helped bring the food vendors to Akins, said it was an unfortunate situation.
“Our cafeteria does a great job, and we know students can bring their own food on campus,” he said. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t my decision, but we have to follow orders.”
Interim Principal Brandi Hosack said the food vendors were asked to leave because the new off-campus location was in conflict with district policy that bans most students from going off-campus during lunch. Seniors are the only students who can leave campus for lunch.
Hosack said the district already has a contract with a company to provide food services, and if any other vendors sell food on campus during meal times, it would be a violation of policy.
“We can’t contract outside vendors when we have a fully functional cafeteria,”Hosack said.
Junior Joe Guerra said he had no idea what happened to the food truck or why it disappeared.
“A good about that the food truck was that it gave students an alternative source of food. I’ll especially miss the sodas,” Guerra said.
For Guerra the only negative thing about the truck were the prices, which were a little to high.
Gonzalez said that the food vendors made some donations to the STEM Academy during the time they served at Akins and that those donations have stopped during their absence.
“Owners of the food truck had donations to T-STEM and with the loss of revenue the donations will have to be curtailed. But it depends on the needs of the academy until we find a type of replacement,” Gonzalez said.
Hosack, said there is no chance that the food vendors will return, and there are no plans for a replacement.
“I think some students will be disappointed,” Hosack said. “But we are here to learn and we have many choices from the cafeteria and we’ve existed for years without one and I think we’ll be fine.”
