Parents Invited to Food Policy Meeting

The plan to serve only nutritional foods — often a highly subjective designation — did not just tumble out of the sky and land on a Culver City street. The Wellness Policy is the federal government’s way of nudging school districts across the country to place a greater emphasis on healthy foods. Some persons who frequently engage in fundraising that is built around foods are concerned. Offering cabbages or stone-cold carrots don’t figure to market nearly as well with adults and students as, say, juicy soft cakes, cream puffs and calorie-larded candy bars. The School District issued a statement pledging to “promote and protect children’s health, well-being and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating habits and physical activity.” No allusions were made to the historically popular junk foods that schools in every corner of America have served since, probably, the 19th century.

School Board President Saundra Davis rated the Wellness Policy, in its current form, as neither good nor bad but a middling venture. “Obviously, those polices that are mandated are fine,” she said on Monday afternoon. “But I object to certain additions that the School District proposes to make. The chances of the Wellness Policy passing at the next Board meeting were not clear. Here is the balance of the District’s statement

“The School District will engage students, parents, teachers, administrators, food service/child nutrition professionals, health professionals and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing District-wide nutrition and physical activity policies. Schools will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity, and will establish linkages between health education, physical education and school meal programs, and with related community services.

“All students in grades K-12 will have opportunities, support and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis. Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; will accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.”

Here is the Wellness Policy in its preliminary form:

The District’s nutrition education and physical education programs shall be consistent with the expectations established in the state’s curriculum frameworks, and designed to build the skills and knowledge that all students need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Nutrition education shall be provided as part of the health education program in grades K-12 and, as appropriate and feasible, shall be integrated into core academic subjects such as math, science, language arts and social studies. It also will be offered through after-school programs.

Nutrition education should be linked with school meal programs to reinforce healthy eating habits and promote the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grain products and low-fat foods as well as healthy methods of food preparation.

All students in grades K-12 shall be provided opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis. Opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity shall be provided through physical education, recess, school athletic programs, extracurricular programs, before- and after-school programs, and other structured and unstructured activities.

Connecting Physical and Cerebral Activities

Physical education should be linked with classroom health education to reinforce the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities

Classroom teachers should be encouraged to incorporate opportunities for physical activity into other subject lessons, and to provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes as appropriate.

School and community personnel will not use physical activity (e.g., running laps, pushups) or withhold opportunities for physical activity (e.g., recess, physical education) as punishment.

District staff should be encouraged to serve as positive role models to reinforce a consistent message regarding physical activity and the consumption of nutritious foods.

To encourage consistent health messages between the home and school environment, the Superintendent or designee may disseminate health information to parents/guardians through District or school newsletters, handouts, parent/guardian meetings, the District or school web site, and other communications. Outreach to parents/guardians shall emphasize the relationship between student health and academic performance.

The School Board prohibits the marketing and advertising of non-nutritious foods and beverages through signage, vending machine fronts, logos, scoreboards, school supplies, advertisements in school publications, coupon or incentive programs or other means. 

Foods and beverages served through these programs will:

· Be appealing and attractive to children; and

· Be served in clean and pleasant settings; and

· Meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state and federal statutes and regulations;

· Include a variety of fruits and vegetables; and

· Include milk that is limited to only low-fat (1 percent) and fat-free milk and nutritionally-equivalent non-dairy alternatives (to be defined by USDA); and

· Include baked items that are whole grain foods, (whole grain listed as the first ingredient); and

· Include daily vegetarian options, as well as some vegan options; and

· Include menu items selected by students and parents through taste tests of new and existing entrees

· Meet or exceed federal regulations and guidance issued pursuant to 42 USC 1758(f)(1), 1766(a), and 1779(a) and (b), as they apply to schools

Information about the nutritional content of meals, if available, should be shared with parents and students.

Qualified child nutrition professionals will administer the school meal programs. As part of the School District’s responsibility to operate food service programs, the District will provide continuing professional development for all child nutrition staff. This professional development should include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, supervisors, managers and other staff members, according to their levels of responsibility.

Celebrations. Schools should limit celebrations that involve food during the school day to no more than one party per class per month. Food and beverages for celebrations that occur before the end of the last lunch period must be provided by the Food Services Dept. as a reimbursable meal. For celebrations that occur after the last lunch period, each party should include no more than one food or beverage that does not meet federal and state nutrition standards.

Rewards. Representatives of the School District should not use foods or beverages, especially those that do not meet nutrition standards, as rewards for academic performance or good behavior; and will not withhold food or beverages (including food served through school meals) as a punishment.

Fundraising Activities. The School District shall encourage all school-based organizations to use non-food items for fundraising. For food-related fundraising activities in which the items are distributed earlier than one half-hour after the end of the school day, the organizations will sell only foods or beverages that meet or exceed state and federal nutrition standards. For other food-related fundraising activities, the organizations shall be encouraged to sell only items that meet these standards.

Snacks. Snacks served in after-school care or enrichment programs should promote healthy eating habits, and should feature a variety of fruits and vegetables and whole grain products.

School-Sponsored Events. The School District should encourage the promotion of healthy foods and beverages offered or sold at school-sponsored events outside the school day.

Monitoring. The Superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with established district-wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies. In each school, the principal or designee will ensure compliance with those policies in his/her school and will report on the school’s compliance to the School District superintendent or designee.

School Food Service staff will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas and will report on this matter to the Superintendent. In addition, the School District will report on the most recent USDA School Meals Initiative review findings and any resulting changes.

The Superintendent or designee will develop a summary report every three years on District-wide compliance with the District’s established nutrition and physical activity wellness policies, based on input from schools within the District. That report will be provided to the school board and also be distributed to all school health councils, parent/teacher organizations, school principals and school health services personnel in the District.

Policy Review. To help with the initial implementation of the District’s wellness policies, each school in the district will conduct a baseline assessment of the school’s existing nutrition and physical activity environments and policies. The results of those school-by-school assessments will be compiled at the District level to identify and prioritize needs.