We understand that parents dropping off lunches to their children in Isle of Wight County Schools has become a problem.

The best way to solve it: Don’t allow it.

First of all, it seems like a terrible waste of time for parents, who, according to a discussion on the matter during Thursday’s School Board meeting, bring lunches to the school from places like Subway, Hardee’s and McDonald’s. At Smithfield High School, up to 50 lunches are delivered a day.

The deliveries, according to Superintendent Dr. Michael McPherson, tie up office employees, who have to go into the cafeterias and search for students to give them their lunches.

The School Board directed McPherson to work with school principals to develop a procedure and report back to the board.

There’s no way lunches from fast-food restaurants can have the same nutritional, balanced value as the lunches served at school.

Isle of Wight County Schools participates in the National School Lunch/School Breakfast Program, according to the school website. All meals must meet patterns established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Fast-food costs more than school lunches, and then there’s the cost of gas needed to deliver them.