North Babylon Union School District’s Wellness Policy

Preamble

The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity states:

Whereas, children need access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn, and thrive; and

Whereas, good health fosters student attendance and education; and

Whereas, obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades, and physical inactivity and excessive calorie intake are the predominant causes of obesity; and

Whereas, 33% of high school students do not participate in sufficient vigorous physical activity and 72% of high school students do not attend daily physical education classes; and

Whereas, only 2% of children (2 to 19 years) eat a healthy diet consistent with the five main recommendations from the Food Guide Pyramid; and

Whereas, school districts around the country are facing significant fiscal and scheduling constraints; and

Whereas, community participation is essential to the development and implementation of successful school wellness policies;

Thus, the North Babylon Union Free School District is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity. Therefore, it is the policy of the North Babylon Union Free School District that:

· The school district will engage students, PTA, teachers, food service professionals, health professionals, and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing district-wide nutrition and physical activity policies.

· All students in grades K-12 will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.

· Foods and beverages sold or served at school will meet the nutrition recommendations of the U.S.Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

· Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet their health and nutrition needs.

· Students will have a clean, safe, and pleasant setting and adequate time to eat.

· To the maximum extent possible, all schools in the district will participate in the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program.

· 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 and school meal programs, and with related community services.

TO ACHIEVE THESE POLICY GOALS:

I. School Health Councils

The school district and/or individual schools will create or work within existing school health councils to develop, implement, monitor, and as necessary, revise school nutrition and physical activity policies. The councils will serve as resources to school sites for implementing those policies. (The school health council will consist of a group of individuals representing the school and community, and could include PTA, students, school food service personnel, teachers, school administrators, school board members, health professionals, and representatives of the community.)

II. Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served in District

A. School Meals

Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program will:

· Meet nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal regulations;

· Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables;

· Support the use of whole grains;

· To the extent possible, serve low-fat and fat-free milk; and

· Be served in clean and pleasant settings.

Breakfast – To encourage children to eat breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn, schools will, to the extent possible:

· Provide opportunities for breakfast by: operating the School Breakfast Program and notify parents and students of its availability.

· Educate parents on the importance of providing a healthy breakfast for their children through newsletter articles, take-home materials, menus, at PTA meetings, and/or other means.

Qualifications of School Food Service Staff- Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the school meal programs. The district will provide opportunities for continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals in schools. Staff development programs should include certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, school nutrition managers and cafeteria workers, as appropriate.

Sharing of Foods and Beverages – Schools should discourage students from sharing their food or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.

Meal Times and Scheduling- Schools, to the extent possible:

· Will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 15 minutes after sitting down for lunch;

· Should not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities;

· Should not permit students to go more than 4 hours without the opportunity to eat;

· Will encourage students to wash or sanitize hands before eating.

Foods and Beverages Sold Individually (i.e., foods sold outside of reimbursable meals, such as through vending machines, cafeteria a la carte, fundraisers, school stores, etc.)

Elementary School. All foods and beverages sold individually during the school day, or through programs for students after the school day should focus on low-fat and non-fat milk, water, juices, fruits, and non-fried vegetables and meet the NYS Choose Sensibly guidelines as follows:

Beverages

· One serving per package

· Low fat flavored milks are acceptable

· Juice drinks must contain at least 25% real fruit juice

· No more than 35 grams of added sugar

· No more than 10 mg of caffeine

Snacks

· One serving per package

· No more than 7 grams of fat and 2 grams of saturated fat

· No more that 30 grams of added sugar

· No more than 360 mg of sodium

· Will also include fruits and/or non-fried vegetables for sale at any location on the school site where foods are sold (e.g., fresh fruits and vegetables, 100% fruit or vegetable juice, etc.)

Secondary Schools. All foods and beverages sold individually during the school day or through programs for students after the school day, will meet the following nutrition and portion size standards:

Beverages

· All low fat flavored milks are acceptable

· Juice drinks must contain at least 25% real fruit juice

· No more than 35 grams of added sugar, per serving

Foods. A food item sold individually:

· Will have no more that 40% of its calories from fat (excluding nuts, seeds, and nut butters) and 10% of its calories from saturated fat

· Will have no more that 30 grams of sugar

· Will contain no more than 360 mg of sodium per serving for chips, cereals, crackers, etc.

· Will also include fruits and/or non-fried vegetables for sale at any location on the school site where foods are sold

Portion Sizes. Limit sizes of foods and beverages sold individually to those listed below:

· One and three-fourth ounces for packaged snacks

· Two ounces for cookies, cereal bars, granola bars, etc.

· Six fluid ounces for frozen desserts

· Eight ounces for non-frozen yogurt

Fundraising Activities. To support children’s health and school nutrition-education efforts, school fundraising activities will not involve food or will only use foods that meet the above nutrition and portion size standards for foods and beverages sold individually. Schools will encourage fundraising activities that promote physical activity. The school district will make available a list of ideas for acceptable fundraising activities. Bake Sales will no longer be permitted. Fundraisers, which sell food, will be no more than once a week during lunch periods.

School Stores. Must comply with Federal and State guidelines. Stores are not permitted to sell soda and candy during school hours. Stores must also sell healthy alternatives in competition with snack foods.

Snacks. Snacks served during the school day or in after-school care or enrichment programs will make a positive contribution to children’s diets and health, with an emphasis on serving fruits and vegetables as the primary snacks and water as the primary beverage. Schools will assess if and when to offer snacks based on the timing of school meals, children’s nutritional needs, children’s ages, and other considerations. The district will disseminate a list of healthful snack items to teachers, after-school program personnel, and parents.

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

Birthday Celebrations. Items brought in by parents/guardians for celebrations must be store bought. These items must be in the original sealed package, labeled and will not be permitted if label states, “Made on machines that produce peanut products”. Celebrations should also be after the class lunch period when possible. Parents/Guardians may also purchase celebration items from the School Lunch Department.

Home Baked Goods. These items are for personal consumption only. Home baked goods are not to be shared with other students during school hours.

School-sponsored Events (such as, but not limited to, athletic events, dances, or performances). Foods and beverages offered or sold at school-sponsored events during the school day will meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually (above).

IV. Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education

Physical Education K-12. All students in grades K-12, including students with disabilities, special health-care needs, and in alternative educational settings, will receive physical education for the entire school year. All physical education will be taught by a certified physical education teacher. Students involvement in other activities involving physical activity (e.g., interscholastic or intramural sports) will not be substituted for meeting the physical education requirement. Students will spend at least 50 percent of physical education class time participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Daily Recess. All elementary school students will have supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity.

V. Monitoring and Policy Review

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 and will report on the school’s compliance to the school district superintendent or designee.

Policy Review. To help with the initial development 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.