I'd bet money that the parents consented to some boilerplate that the new system is technically covered under or that one day in school they handed out permissi

I'd bet money that the parents consented to some boilerplate that the new system is technically covered under or that one day in school they handed out permission forms for the "new school lunch program" and told kids either they could sign it and return it now or that they could bring it home for their parents. Obtaining "consent" in less than honest ways like this is SOP for schools.