ORANGE COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Campus a la Carte

Maybe it was inevitable, and maybe it’s not such a bad idea. Fast food is going to school.

Starting this fall, Capistrano Valley High School will become the first high school in the nation to have its very own “food court,” complete with teen-favorite outlets--Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken. If successful, the idea will be expanded from Capistrano Valley to other high schools in the Capistrano Unified School District, where administrators are concerned about the number of students who leave campus during the lunch hour. Capistrano Valley is a “closed campus,” which means that students are not supposed to leave any time during the school day.

Not surprisingly, some educators oppose the idea of a food court. They fear that making high-fat, high-calorie foods like pizza, burritos and fried chicken more convenient to studentswill only exacerbate what they perceive as already bad nutritional habits. A recent survey of 5,100 youths in California showed that more than a third had eaten no vegetables the previous day and a quarter had consumed no fruit or fruit juice.

But youngsters are masters at finding ways to get the foods they really want--and to avoid those they don’t. In any case, some campuses already allow students to order up fast food, and many cafeterias serve pizza, french fries and other high-fat foods.

Under the terms of an agreement with Capistrano Valley, Taco Bell New Concepts will pay the district $20,000 to set up the first food court as a pilot project. School district employees will be trained to prepare and sell the food. Pepsico--which owns all three franchises involved--will get a portion of the profits.

It would be helpful if some alternatives to higher-fat foods were offered, such as taco salads, baked chicken and reduced-fat pizza. Also, students should be informed of contents, including fat grams, calories and sodium. But if having favorite foods at hand helps to keep students on their own campuses, then a food court merits a try.