Howard Fischer/Capitol Media Services

PHOENIX -- It looks like Arizona's high schoolers won't lose their access to Ding Dongs, Twinkies and Coke from the campus, though their younger siblings still might.

The House Education Committee approved legislation Wednesday to forbid schools from selling junk food and other items of "minimal nutritional value'' in vending machines, at student-run snack bars and at the school cafeteria. But Rep. Mark Anderson, R-Mesa, could not get the votes for the bill without first exempting high schools from the requirements.

Even then, the measure barely squeaked out of the panel on a 5-4 vote. And at least two of the lawmakers who agreed to support it Wednesday said they won't back it when it reaches the floor.

That presumes it gets that far: HB 2544 still needs to gain the blessing of the House Health Committee. And lobbyists for the industries whose businesses would be hurt are lining up to crush it.

State School Superintendent Tom Horne, who helped craft the legislation, is still hoping to save it.

"So far the process has been dominated by representatives of the beverage industry and the vending industry,'' he said. Horne said he is going to try to get parents to call legislators in hopes of convincing them that state action is necessary.

Wednesday's debate actually centered around that question of whether the state or parents should be making this decision. John Moody, lobbyist for the Arizona Beverage Association, said local school board, with parental input, should decide what's offered for sale.

"If the parents don't like the products offered at local schools, let them do something about it,'' he said.

Rep. John Allen, R-Phoenix, agreed. "I know what's good for my kids,'' he said.

But Rep. David Burnell Smith, R-Scottsdale, said that ignores what really happens. He said the vending machines allow a youngster who isn't allowed to have candy or sodas at home to disobey a parent's wishes.

"Why should schools be in the position to allow this when maybe parents don't know what they're doing?'' he asked.

Alex Molmar, a professor of education at Arizona State University, said the law is needed so youngsters don't get a mixed message.

He said schools devote time and energy teaching kids about proper nutrition. Yet the youngsters see the schools are selling sodas, candy bars and other items of high fat and sugar content in the lunchroom, at the snack bar and from vending machines.

"Children are being told one thing and the schools are behaving differently,'' Molmar said. "And children will tend to learn the behaviors rather than learn from the words.''

Rep. Warde Nichols, R-Chandler, said a state mandate is not the answer.

"We have to teach the children how to make the right choices, not mandate them to be healthy and to make the right choices,'' he said.

Nichols related the story of a friend whose parents kept only water and juices in the house. But as soon as the youngster was outside "he was never without a soda or a candy bar in his hand.''

Anderson said that, in an ideal world, "all parents should be perfect parents and they should give their kids wonderful, healthy food every day. But that's not happening.''