6700P Procedure

Procedure 6700P

Management Support

BURLINGTON-EDISON SCHOOL DISTRICT

Nutrition and Physical Fitness

Food and Beverage Sales

The importance of proper nutrition and physical activity to lifelong good health will be demonstrated to students through food served in the school setting as well as through appropriate classroom instruction. Schools are uniquely positioned to model and reinforce healthy eating behaviors and should assist students to comply with the dietary guidelines for Americans, by providing a variety of grains, fruits, vegetables, foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sugars and salt. All schools will observe these nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in schools.

Nutrition Standards for Food and Beverages Sold in Schools

This procedure applies to all competitive foods, which are defined as any food or beverage available for purchase to students or staff, other than what is served as part of the school meal programs. The procedure applies to any school on District property and applies from the midnight before, to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day. These standards do not apply to foods and beverages sold during non-school hours, weekends and off-campus fundraising events, such as concessions during afterschool sporting events. The procedure applies whether the food or beverage is served from vending machines in school buildings, staff or faculty lounges and break rooms, student stores or offered or sold by parent groups, booster clubs, associated student body groups or a la carte sales in lunchrooms by the Food Service Program. The procedure does not apply to meals and snacks brought by students for their individual consumption.

Wellness Advisory Committee

The district shall convene a Wellness Advisory committee to review and make recommendations regarding the District’s nutrition and physical fitness policy. The committee shall be overseen by the food service director and will have representation from both school levels (elementary and secondary). The following parties shall be permitted to participate as members: staff, parents, building level administration, school board members, students, nutritionists, health care professionals, physical education and health education staff, the public and interested community organizations. The committee will convene at least once annually to evaluate its compliance with the wellness policy. The committee will share information regarding progress or changes to the wellness policy through local media venues, including the school district website.

Size and Variety of Food Offered

Main Dishes (entrees):

Entrée items served as part of the school meal program may be served in the a la carte or snack line, even if the item exceeds these standards, if it is offered as a competitive food on the day of, or the day after, it is served on the menu as a breakfast or lunch entree.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Fruits and vegetables must be available when snacks, sweets or side dishes are sold. These products can be fresh, frozen or canned. Fresh, frozen or canned vegetables with no added ingredients except water or small amounts of sugar are except from the standards.

Nutrition Standards for Food

All competitive foods sold in schools must:

• Be a grain product that contains 50% or more whole grains by weight or have whole grains listed as the first ingredient; or

• Have as the first ingredient one of the non-grain main food groups: fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein foods (meat, beans, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds); or

• Be a combination food that contains at least ¼ cup fruit and/or vegetable.

Competitive foods served at all grade levels must also meet nutrition standards as Smart Snacks in schools outlined in the table below.

Total Fat

Foods must contain no more than 25% of total calories from fat per item as packaged and/or served. Exemptions include:

• Reduced fat cheese;

• Part-skim mozzarella cheese;

• Nuts, seeds and nut/seed butters;

• Dried fruit with nuts and/or seeds with no added nutritive sweeteners or fat; and

• Seafood with no added fat.

Saturated Fat

Foods must contain no more than 10% of total calories from saturated fat per item as packaged and/or served. Exemptions include:

• Reduced fat cheese;

• Part-skim mozzarella cheese;

• Nuts, seeds and nut/seed butters;

• Dried fruit with nuts and/or seeds with no added nutritive sweeteners or fat.

Trans Fat

Foods must contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per item as packaged and/or served.

Sodium

Entrée items that are not served as part of the school meal program must contain no more than 480 mg of sodium per item.

Snack and side items must contain no more than 230 mg of sodium per item.

Calories

Entrée items that are not served as part of the school meal program must contain no more than 350 calories.

Snack and side items must contain no more than 200 calories per item.

Nutrition Standards for Beverages

Plain water, carbonated and noncarbonated, nonfat and low-fat milk and 100% juice may be sold to students of all grade levels. 100% juice may be diluted with water (with or without carbonation) and with no added sweeteners. The table outlines size limitations for the different age groups.

Plain water, carbonated or noncarbonated

Elementary School - No size limit

Middle School - No size limit

High School - No size limit

Low fat milk, unflavored

Elementary School - < 8 fluid ounces

Middle School - < 12 fluid ounces

High School - < 12 fluid ounces

Nonfat milk, unflavored or flavored

Elementary School - < 8 fluid ounces

Middle School - < 12 fluid ounces

High School - < 12 fluid ounces

100% fruit/vegetable juice

Elementary School - < 8 fluid ounces

Middle School - < 12 fluid ounces

High School - < 12 fluid ounces

High School students may also be offered:

• Other flavored and/or carbonated beverages that are no more than 20 fluid ounces in size and are labeled to contain less than or equal to 5 calories per 8 fluid ounces or less than or equal to 10 calories per 20 fluid ounces;

• Other flavored and/or carbonated beverages that are no more than 12 fluid ounces in size and are labeled to contain less than or equal to 40 calories per 8 fluid ounces or less than or equal to 60 calories per 12 fluid ounces; and

• Beverages that contain up to 100 milligrams of caffeine, as long as they also meet guidelines for other flavored and carbonated beverages.

Candy

Vending sales of candy will not be permitted in school buildings or in school faculty lounges or break rooms. Sale of candy to students during the school day will not be permitted through student stores, booster groups, parent fundraisers, or the food service a la carte program. Candy given as a classroom reward is strongly discouraged.

Deviations from Nutrition Standards

The nutrition standards do not apply to food and beverages sold at after-school functions that occur 30 minutes or more after the end of the school day such as art, drama, music, and athletic events.

Foods and Beverages Sold to Raise Funds

When a fundraising event involves food that will be consumed on campus, the food must meet the nutrition standards. The nutrition standards do not have to be met when the food and/or beverages being sold are not intended for consumption on the school site.

Nutrition Education and Promotion

Nutrition education at all levels of the district’s integrated curriculum should include, but not limited to, the following essential components designed to help students learn:

• Age appropriate nutritional knowledge, including understanding the relationship of nutrition and food nutrients to physical performance and body composition; recognizing patterns of growth and development; understanding the concept of control and prevention of disease; acquiring skills to live safely and reduce health risks; understanding how environmental factors affect health; learn the benefits of healthy eating; understand essential nutrients; learn about nutritional deficiencies; understand the principles of healthy weight management; understand the use and misuse of dietary supplements; learn safe food preparation, handling, and storage; and appreciate cultural diversity related to food and eating.

• Age appropriate nutrition related skills, including gathering and analyzing health information; using social skills to promote health and safety; understanding how emotions influence decision-making; analyzing health and safety information and developing a health and fitness plan and monitoring system; planning and preparing a healthy meal; understanding and using food labels; and critically evaluating nutrition information, misinformation, and commercial food and advertising; and

• How to assess one’s personal eating habits, set goals for improvement, and achieve those goals. The district shall have classroom based assessments and other strategies in place for health and fitness.

The district shall promote nutrition education messages in school cafeterias through use of colorful posters that encourage healthy eating. Nutrition and healthy eating will also be promoted in monthly school menus and on the Food Service Program webpage.

Family and Community Involvement

In order to promote family and community involvement in supporting and reinforcing nutrition education in the schools, the school principal is responsible for ensuring:

• Nutrition education materials and meal menus are made available to parents;

• Parents are encouraged to promote their child’s participation in the school meals program. If their children do not participate in the school meal program, parents should provide their children with healthy snacks/meals;

• Nutrition education curriculum includes activities that students can do with their families (e.g., reading and interpreting food labels, reading nutrition related newsletters, preparing healthy recipes, etc.);

• School staff considers the various cultural preferences in development of nutrition education programs and food options.

PHYSICAL FITNESS

Health and Fitness

It is the district’s position that all students have equal and equitable opportunities for physical activity and fitness education during the school year. The superintendent is encouraged to review and consider implementing physical activity and fitness education improvements. The goals of the district are:

• All children, from kindergarten through grade 12, will have the opportunity to participate in a quality, standards-based physical activity/fitness program;

• All schools will have certificated physical education teachers providing instruction; and

• All schools will have appropriate class sizes, facilities, equipment, and supplies needed to deliver quality physical education consistent with national standards.

Schools shall require students in grades one through eight to engage in physical education averaging 100 instructional minutes per week.

Family and Community Involvement

In order to promote family and community involvement in supporting and reinforcing physical education in the schools, the school principal is responsible for ensuring:

• Physical education activity ideas are sent home with students;

• Parents are encouraged to promote their child’s participation in the school’s physical education programs and after school activities;

• Families are invited to attend and participate in physical education activity programs and health fairs;

• Physical education and health curriculum includes homework that students can do with their families;

• School staff consider various cultural preferences in development of physical education programs; And

• School staff are encouraged to cooperate with other agencies and community groups to provide opportunities for students to participate in physical activity programs.

Program Evaluation Physical Education

District physical activity/health and fitness programs will be monitored and assessed regularly in conjunction with other district academic and health-related programs using tools like the Healthy Youth Survey or an OSPI approved assessment. Results of these surveys and assessments will be reported to the board, school sites, and made available to parents and community on a regular basis.

Revised: March 27, 2023