>In theory I am with you all the way, but in real life where to draw the line: If public schools offer lunch, do they have to offer according to dietary religous rules as well ? Even if it would cost more ?

Great question. I've never run across a public school in the US that offered kosher meals. (I don't know enough about halal to speak to that.) There are some places where it wouldn't surprise me, though.

When the school is simply offering lunch as a convenience, I don't see any reason why they need to offer kosher or halal, though they should be offering a range of options that give kids a chance to accommodate

A far more interesting question is when they have the federal free lunch program. Is the inability of a kid to use the free lunch, whether for religious or medical reasons (like gluten intolerance) a civil rights issue? Not sure where I come down on this, because I've never thought about it before.

Tamar

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>>I think the voluntary aspect makes all the difference. Presumably, your parents talked to you about what they believed and how what you saw in school was different.
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>>Public schools are for all kids, and when they tacitly establish one religion over others, they're telling the other kids that they're are not as important as the ones whose religion has been chosen.
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>>Understand that I have no problem with study of religions and their customs as history or sociology, solely with a taxpayer-funded school favoring one over others.
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>>Tamar