School Meals
A. Meals served by the district to students will:
1. be appealing and attractive to students;
2. be served in clean and pleasant settings;
3. meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by state and federal law;
4. offer a variety of fruits and vegetables;
5. include low-fat and fat-free milk and nutritionally equivalent non-dairy alternatives (as defined by the USDA);
6. encourage serving of whole grain products; and
7. accommodate alternatives for those students with allergies that meet the above guidelines as closely as possible.
B. Breakfast
1. To ensure that all students have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn, schools will notify parents and students of the availability of the district’s breakfast program and encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children.
C. Beverages
1. The district will seek to provide water without added caloric sweeteners; fruit and vegetable juices and fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50 percent fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; unflavored or flavored low-fat or fat-free milk; and nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverages (as defined by the USDA).
D. Free and Reduced-Price Meals
1. The district will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible for free and reduced-priced meals. Toward this end, the district will utilize electronic identification and payment systems and promote the availability of meals to all students.
E. Sharing of Food
1. The district prohibits students from sharing foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies, spreading of germs and communicable diseases, and other restrictions on student diets.
F. Meal Times and Scheduling
1. The district will do the following:
a. provide students with adequate and appropriate time for meals;
b. schedule meal periods at appropriate times, e.g., lunch should be scheduled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.;
c. provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks; and
d. take reasonable steps to accommodate the tooth-brushing regimens of students with special oral health needs (e.g., orthodontia or high tooth decay risk).
G. Qualification of Food Service and Staff
1. Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the meal programs. As part of the district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the district will provide continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals and provide staff development programs and training programs for the Food Service Director, kitchen managers, and cafeteria workers, according to their level of responsibility.
Other Food Available at School
A. Food Sold Outside the Meal
1. Examples include vending machine, a la carte and sales foods.
2. Elementary Schools. The food service program will approve and provide all food and beverage sales to students in elementary schools. To this end, the following is true:
a. food in elementary schools will be sold as balanced meals, given young student’s limited nutrition skills; and
b. food and beverages sold individually will be limited to low-fat and non-fat milk, fruits and non-fried vegetables and occasional extra entrée.
1. Middle School and High School. All foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable meal programs including those sold through a la carte lines and machines during the school day, will meet the following nutrition and portion size standards:
a. Foods. A food item sold individually will:
i. have no more than 400 calories, for entrée items, and no more than 200 calories, for side items;
ii. have no more than 600 milligrams of sodium, for entrée items, and no more than 400 milligrams of sodium, for side items;
iii. have no more than 10 percent of its calories from saturated fat (excluding reduced fat cheese);
iv. have no more than 0.5 gram of trans fat per serving;
v. have no more than 35 percent of its calories from total fat (excluding nuts, seeds, peanut butter and other nut butters);
vi. have no more than 35 percent of its calories from sugar (excluding fruits and yogurts).
b. Beverages. A beverage sold individually will fit within the following requirements:
i. The beverage sold may be any of the following:
a. unflavored or flavored low-fat or fat-free milk;
b. 100 percent fruit and vegetable juices with no added sweeteners;
c. water with no added non-nutritive sweeteners;
ii. The beverage sold will not be a soda or other carbonated beverage.
c. Portion Size. Limit portion sizes of foods and beverages sold individually to those listed below:
i. One and one-half ounces for chips, crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, dried fruit or jerky;
ii. One ounce for cookies;
iii. Two ounces for cereal bars, granola bars, pastries, muffins, doughnuts, bagels, and other bakery items;
iv. Four fluid ounces for frozen desserts, including, but not limited to, low-fat or fat-free ice cream;
v. Eight ounces for non-frozen yogurt;
vi. Twelve fluid ounces for beverages, excluding water and milk; and
vii. The portion size of a la carte entrees and side dishes, including potatoes, will not be greater than the size of comparable portions offered as part of meals. Fruits and non-fried vegetables are exempt from portion-size limits.
B. Snacks
1. Snacks served during the school day will make a positive contribution to students’ diets and health. The district will disseminate a list of suggested snack items to teachers and parents. The district encourages parents and teachers to provide food that is commercially packaged or comes from a commercial bakery.
2. Each school will be encouraged to evaluate their celebration practices that involve food during the school day. The district will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers.
C. Foods and Beverages at School-Sponsored Events
1. Foods and beverages made available and/or sold at school-sponsored events that occur outside of the school day are encouraged to meet the nutrition standards for meals and for foods and beverages outlined in this policy.
Food Safety
A. All foods made available on campus will adhere to food safety and security guidelines.
B. All foods made available through food service will comply with the state and local food safety and sanitation regulations. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and guidelines are implemented to prevent food illness in schools.
C. For the safety and security of the food and facility, access to the food service operations are limited to food service staff and authorized personnel.
Nutrition Promotion and Education
A. The District will promote general nutrition and the specific nutritional goals and requirements outlined in this policy by doing any and/or all of the following:
1. Promote nutrition and/or provide nutrition education at each grade level by including and incorporating general nutritional standards and the provisions of this nutritional policy into the teaching curriculum;
2. Promote educational learning activities, specifically participatory activities, which focus on nutrition (i.e., preparing nutritious food, attending field trips, planting a garden, etc.);
3. Develop nutrition extra-curricular and/or curricular programs that relate to the school lunch program and emphasize health choices within the school lunch program;
4. Provide nutrition training for administrators, teachers and other staff members.
Other Aspects of Wellness Plan – Nutrition Guidelines
A. Fundraising Activities
1. To support student health and school nutrition-education efforts, school fundraising groups’ activities will be encouraged to use non foods or foods that are compliant to the school’s wellness policies. The District will make available a list of ideas for fundraising activities.
B. Rewards
1. The District will discourage the use of foods or beverages, especially those that do not meet the nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually, as rewards for academic performance or good behavior, and will not withhold food or beverages (including food served through meals) as a discipline.
First Reading Approved 3/12/2018 Second Reading Approved 4/9/2018