Texas commissioner: Having deep fryers in public schools is 'not about French fries, it's about freedom'

It turns out the real threat to America's children is that they don't have enough deep-fried food.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller (R) wrote a letter to the editor of The Houston Chronicle on Thursday, calling for a 10-year ban on deep-fat fryers and soda machines in Texas public schools to be overturned. Miller wrote that the fight is "not about French fries, it's about freedom."

In response to arguments about childhood obesity and health, Miller stated that school districts, not the state, should have the freedom to make these decisions. "I will always support decision-making at the local level," Miller wrote.

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Miller officially proposed reinstating deep fryers in public schools in March, and The Texas Tribune reports that he is expected to announce this summer whether the Texas Department of Agriculture will repeal the ban.