506.7R2 Student Wellness Plan – Nutrition Guidelines 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) for those with an allergy;
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 100 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. All foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable meal programs including those sold through a la carte lines, vending machines and sales foods during the school day, will meet federal and state nutritional standards.

2. Elementary Schools. The food service program will approve and provide all food and beverage sales to students in elementary schools.

3. Middle School and High School. The food service program and the school make available to middle and high schools foods and beverages meeting federal and state nutritional standards regarding calorie, sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, total fat, sugar and dietary fiber content of food and the ingredients in beverages.

B. Snacks

1. The Elementary will provide a healthy school wide snack to all children with regard to allergic concerns and attempts will be made to avoid common food allergens.

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 provide nutritional education and engage in nutrition promotion that:

● is offered at each building as part of a sequential, comprehensive, standards-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;

● is part of not only health education classes, but also classroom instruction in subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences, and elective subjects;

● promotes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and health-enhancing nutritional practices;

● emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and physical activity;

● links with meal programs, other foods, and nutrition-related community services; and

● includes training for teachers and other staff.

Other Aspects of Wellness Plan – Nutrition Guidelines

A. Fundraising Activities

1. Regulated fundraising groups’ activities, which offer the sale of food and/or beverages on school property to students by students and/or student groups/organizations, will be encouraged to use foods and/or beverages that are compliant with the school’s wellness policies. These groups’ activities will be encouraged to promote physical activity.

2. To support student health and school nutrition-education efforts, non-regulated school fundraising groups’ activities will be encouraged to use foods and/or beverages that are compliant with the school’s wellness policies and promote physical activity. 

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.

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