Lift the School Veggie Garden Ban!

Sign On Letter to Lift the School Veggie Garden Ban! Please Forward Widely! Dear Friends: As many of you know, the Montgomery County Public Schools Administration does not permit the growing of vegetable gardens on any school property, a position reiterated by School Superintendent Jerry Weast in a memo he sent to the Board of Education on February 26. We believe this is a bad policy, and we'd like to see it changed. The Master Gardeners of Montgomery County are joining with Montgomery Victory Gardens to send an open letter to Superintendent Weast requesting that this policy be revoked, and that schools be allowed to grow food gardens.  Literally thousands of schools across the country are discovering the multiple benefits of growing food in school gardens, and First Lady Michelle Obama is actively campaigning for them.  We cannot imagine a better use of some small part of any school's property than for a thriving vegetable garden, nor any better use of 1-2 hours a week of a schoolchild's time than being in that garden. We invite your organization to join us in signing this letter and expressing your support for vegetable gardens in our schools. The letter is open to signature by any and all concerned non-profit organizations or groups in Montgomery County.  We strongly believe that all citizens of Montgomery County have a vested interest in our public school system, and in raising our children with healthy eating habits and an understanding of where food comes from. You can read the letter to Superintendent Weast here. If your organization would like to join us in signing this letter, please contact either Pat Lynch of the Montgomery County Master Gardeners at lynchpd@earthlink.net or Gordon Clark at gordon@montgomeryvictorygardens.org.  We will keep the letter open for signatures for at least two months, but we encourage you to add your organization's signature as soon as possible. Initial delivery of the letter will occur the week of May 24, and we would like to include your organization if at all possible. (Organizational signatures will still be accepted after that date, and we will reissue the letter with additional signatures in June.)  We also encourage you to forward this letter widely. We believe this is a truly critical issue for our county schools, our county's children, and ultimately for all of us.  We hope you agree, and look forward to hearing from you soon. With Best Regards, Sheryl Freishtat, President Montgomery County Master Gardener Association Gordon Clark, Project Director Montgomery Victory Gardens