503.7R STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY – NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES

1. Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program will: 
   1. be appealing and attractive to students;
   2. be served in clean and pleasant settings;
   3. meet, at a minimum, nutrition Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requirements established by local, 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.

1. To encourage 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.

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.

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 may utilize electronic identification and payment systems and promote the availability of meals to all students.

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.

1. The District will do the following:
   1. provide students with adequate and appropriate time for meals;
   2. schedule meal periods at appropriate times, e.g., lunch should be scheduled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.;
   3. provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks; and
   4. 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. The term “school day” is defined as midnight the night before until 30 minutes after the end of the official school day.

3. 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:

   1. food in elementary schools will be sold as balanced meals, given young student’s limited nutrition skills; and food and beverages sold individually will be limited to low-fat and nonfat milk, fruits and non-fried vegetables.

4. 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:

   1. SMART SNACKS IN SCHOOL

Nutrition Standards for Foods Any food sold to students in schools must:

• Be a “whole grain-rich” grain product; or
• Have as the first ingredient a fruit, a vegetable, a dairy product, or a protein food; or
• Be a combination food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and/or vegetable.

Food must also meet several nutrient requirements:

• Calorie limits:
  • Snack items ≤ 200 calories
  • Entree items ≤ 350 calories
• Sodium limits:
  • Snack items ≤ 200 mg
  • Entree items ≤ 480 mg
• Fat limits:
  • Total fat ≤ 35% of calories
  • Saturated fat ≤ 10% of calories
  • Trans fat 0 grams
• Sugar limits:
  • ≤ 35% of weight from total sugars in foods

2. Beverages:

   1. Nutrition Standards for Beverages

• All schools may sell:
• Plain water (with or without carbonation)
• Unflavored low-fat milk
• Unflavored or flavored fat free milk or milk alternatives permitted by NSLP/SBP
• 100% fruit or vegetable juice and
• 100% fruit or vegetable juice diluted with water (with or without carbonation), and no added sweeteners.

Elementary schools may sell up to 8-ounce portions, while middle schools and high schools may sell up to 12-ounce portions of milk and juice. There is no portion size limit for plain water.

Beyond this, the standards allow additional “no calorie” and “lower calorie: beverage options for high school students.

• No more than 20-ounce portions of
• Calorie-free, flavored water (with or without carbonation); and
• Other flavored and/or carbonated beverages that are labeled to contain ＜ 5 calories per 8 fluid ounces or ≤10 calories per 20 fluid ounces.
• No more than 12-ounce portions of
• Beverages with ≤ 40 calories per 8 fluid ounces, or ≤ 60 calories per 12 fluid ounces.

2. The beverage sold will not be a soda or other carbonated beverage.

3. Portion Size.  Limit portion sizes of foods and beverages sold individually to those listed below:
   
   1. 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.

5. School-Sponsored Events Foods and beverages offered or sold at school-sponsored events outside the school day are encouraged to meet the nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually.

B. Snacks

1. Snacks served during the school day will make a positive contribution to students’ diets and health. Fruits and vegetables are the primary snack options. 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 Glenwood Community School Food Service Department Classroom Catering.

Each school will be encouraged to evaluate their celebration practices that involve food during the school day.  

Food Safety

1. All foods made available in the district will adhere to food safety and security guidelines.

2. 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.

3. 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.

Other Aspects of Student Wellness Policy – Nutrition Guidelines

1. 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.