KAYSVILLE -- Davis High School has been fined $15,000 after they were caught selling soda pop during lunch hour, which is a violation of federal law.
The federally mandated law prohibits the sale of carbonated beverages after lunch is served. The program is an effort to help fight childhood obesity and to have young students make better food choices.
The mandate allows for carbonated beverages to be sold before lunch, but restricts students from buying lunch, then purchasing carbonated drinks afterward.
"Before lunch you can come and buy a carbonated beverage. You can take it into the cafeteria and eat your lunch, but you can't first go buy school lunch then come out in the hallway and buy a drink," said Davis High Principal Dee Burton.
Principal Burton said he does not understand the law with rules that seem to be contradictory.
"We can sell a Snickers bar, but can't sell licorice. We can't sell Swedish Fish, we can't sell Starburst, we can't sell Skittles, but we can sell ice cream, we can sell the Snickers bar, Milky Ways, all that stuff," said Burton.
The school is bound to obey the law, however, if they want the $15,000 the federal government gives to subsidize their school lunch program.
Burton said the money they will use to pay the fine was typically used to help pay for their music and arts department among other school activities.
Burton said his pop machines will continue to stay completely unplugged until they can figure out how to get them all into a room with a door that can be shut and locked during the lunch hour.
