Los Angeles Unified School District puts a stop to McTeacher’s nights

Picture this: Teachers working behind the counter at McDonald’s, serving burgers and fries to their students to raise money for their schools. Now imagine the schools keep as little as 10 percent of the profits, a measly buck and change per student on average.Does that sound right to you? If not, you’re not alone. The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) school board was fed up with these marketing monstrosities, also known as McTeacher’s Nights. McDonald’s uses McTeacher’s Nights to exploit the trust students place in their teachers — it’s the kind of marketing money can’t buy. There had been at least 120 of these events in the LA area since 2013.

The LAUSD school board decided to put a stop to McTeacher’s Nights once and for all by passing a resolution to end the practice. The district has a history of leadership on good food policy, but the decision wasn’t a sure thing. It took hundreds of phone calls and messages from people across the city to alert board members to the importance of the resolution. In the end, the resolution passed five to one, with one abstention.

LAUSD’s resolution is part of a nation-wide movement that’s standing up to Big Food. From hospitals to the Olympics, institutions are cutting ties with McDonald’s. And more and more people are holding food corporations accountable for predatory marketing to children. Together, we’ll make practices like McTeacher’s Nights things of the past.