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Home › Board Office › Board Policies › LOCAL WELLNESS/NUTRITION

LOCAL WELLNESS/NUTRITION

FILE CODE: 3542.1
Monitored
X Mandated
Other Reasons

The board believes that children need access to healthful foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn, and thrive, and that good health fosters student attendance and education. Additionally, the board recognizes that child and adolescent obesity has reached epidemic levels in the United States and that poor diet combined with the lack of physical activity negatively impacts on students’ health, and their ability and motivation to learn. Therefore, the board is committed to:

1. Providing students with healthy and nutritious foods during the school day;
2. Encouraging the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat milk and whole grains;
3. Supporting healthy eating through nutrition education;
4. Encouraging students to select and consume all components of the school meal if applicable; and
5. Providing students with the opportunity to engage in daily physical activity.

In order to promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn, the board is committed to providing school environments that support healthy eating and physical activity and will ensure that:

1. All students will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.
2. The district will regulate the types of food and beverage items offered outside the federal meal requirements, such as a la carte sales, vending machines, school stores, and fund raisers, and refer to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the USDA nutrition standards for National School Lunch, School Breakfast and/or After School Snack Programs, for guidance.
3. All students will be provided with adequate time for student meal service and consumption in a clean, safe, and pleasant dining environment.
4. 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.
5. The board will engage students, parents, teachers, food service professionals, health professionals, and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing district-wide nutrition and physical activity policies.

General School District Requirements

Adequate time shall be allowed for student meal service and consumption. Schools shall provide a pleasant dining environment. The board recommends that physical education or recess be scheduled before lunch whenever possible.

The district’s curriculum shall incorporate nutrition education and physical activity consistent with the New Jersey Department of Education Core Curriculum Content Standards.

The board  is committed to promoting the nutrition policy with all food service personnel, teachers, nurses, coaches and other school administrative staff so they have the skills they need to implement this policy and promote healthy eating practices. The board will work toward expanding awareness about this policy among students, parents, teachers and the community at large.

Food items sold to students by the PTO during lunch consist of components of a meal rather than an entire meal. As such, none of these items either together or as stand-alone components are reimbursable meals.  The superintendent shall develop regulations that govern these PTO food sales to ensure healthy choices are being offered and to ensure the provisions of the policy are being followed.

The superintendent shall develop regulations consistent with this policy, including a process for measuring the effectiveness of its implementation, and designating personnel within each school with operational responsibility for ensuring the school is complying with the policy.

Date: February 11, 2013

Key Words

School Lunch, Food Service, Nutrition, Wellness

N.J.S.A. 18A:11-1 General mandatory powers and duties
N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-4.1 f.,h. Use of competitive contracting in lieu of public bidding;
boards of education
See particularly:
N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-5a(6)
N.J.S.A. 18A:18A-6 Standards for purchase of fresh milk; penalties; rules and regulations
N.J.S.A. 18A:33-3 through -5 Cafeterias for pupils
N.J.S.A. 18A:33-9
through -14 Findings, declarations relative to school breakfast programs..
See particularly:
N.J.S.A. 18A:33-10
N.J.S.A. 18A:33-15 through -19 Improved Nutrition and Activity Act (IMPACT Act)
N.J.S.A. 18A:54-20 Powers of board (county vocational schools)
N.J.S.A. 18A:58-7.1 through -7.2 School lunch program ...
N.J.A.C. 2:36-1.1 et seq. Child Nutrition Programs
See particularly:
N.J.A.C. 2:36-1.7 Local school nutrition policy
N.J.A.C. 6A:16-5.1(b) School safety plans
N.J.A.C. 6A:23-2.6 Supplies and equipment
N.J.A.C. 6A:32-12.1 Reporting requirements
N.J.A.C. 6A:32--14.1 Review of mandated programs and services
N.J.A.C. 6A:30-1.1 et seq. Evaluation of the Performance of School Districts

Sec. 204 at the Federal Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-265)

42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq. Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act

42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq. Child Nutrition Act of 1966

7 C.F.R. Part 210 Medically authorized special needs diets

7 C.F.R. Part 210.10 Foods of minimum nutritional value