Tables of Content:

     I.        School Health Councils

   II.        Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus

  III.        Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion and Food Marketing

  IV.        Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education

    V.        Monitoring and Policy Review

GOALS:

• Prairie Seeds Academy (PSA) 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.
• 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 Catering professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; will accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.
• To the maximum extent practicable, PSA will participate in available federal school meal programs (including the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, and Summer Food Service Program.
• PSA 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

Prairie Seeds Academy will create, strengthen, or work within existing health councils to develop, implement, monitor, review, and, as necessary, revise school nutrition and physical activity policies. The councils also will serve as resources to school sites for implementing those policies. (A school health council consists of a group of individuals representing the school and community, and should include parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, members of the school board, school administrators, teachers, health professionals, and members of the public.)
 

II. Nutritional Guidelines for All Foods and Beverages Available on School Campuses During the School Day

School Meals

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

• be appealing and attractive to children;
• be served in clean and pleasant settings;
• meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes and regulations;
• offer a variety of fruits and vegetables;²
• serve only low-fat (1%) and fat-free milk³ and nutritionally-equivalent non-dairy alternatives (to be defined by USDA); and
• ensure that half of the served grains are whole grain.^{3, 4}

Prairie Seeds Academy (PSA) should survey the students on what they are interested in eating for lunch.  In addition, PSA should share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students. Such information could be made available on menus, PSA website, on cafeteria menu boards, and/or other point-of-purchase materials.

Breakfast: 

PSA’s goal is to ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn:

• PSA will, to the extent possible, ensure the caterer operate the School Breakfast Program.
• PSA will, to the extent possible, arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation, including serving breakfast in the classroom for the elementary students, and/or "grab-and-go" breakfast
• PSA will serve breakfast to students and will notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program.
• PSA will encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children through newsletter articles, take-home materials, or other means.

Free and Reduced-Priced Meals:

PSA’s goal is make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.

·         PSA will provide meals at no charge to all children, regardless of income; promote the availability of school meals to all students;

·         PSA will use nontraditional methods for serving school meals, such as "grab-and-go" or classroom breakfast for elementary students.

Summer Food Service Program:

PSA’s goal is to provide breakfast and lunch during the summer months for our students and individuals from the community if there is a summer program.

·         PSA has more than 50% of students who are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals.

·         PSA may sponsor the Summer Food Service Program for at least four weeks between the last day of the academic school year and the first day of the following school year.

Meal Times and Scheduling:

PSA’s goal is schedule sufficient amount of time for students to focus on eating and socializing with other students.

• PSA will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 30 minutes total for lunch;
• PSA will schedule meal periods at appropriate times between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.;
• PSA will not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities;
• PSA will schedule lunch periods to follow recess periods (in elementary schools);
• PSA will provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks

Qualifications of School Food Service Staff:

PSA’s goal is to contract qualified caterer who are nutrition professionals who will administer the school meal programs.

·         As part of the caterer’s responsibility to operate a food service program, they will provide continuing staff training for all their staff.

·         Caterer should have appropriate certification and/or training programs for nutrition managers, and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.

Sharing of Foods and Beverages:

PSA’s goal is to discourage students from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children's diets.
 

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

Elementary Schools:

PSA’s goal is to approve and provide all food and beverage sales to students in elementary schools.

·         Given young children's limited nutrition skills, food in elementary schools should be sold as balanced meals.

·         If available, foods and beverages sold individually should be limited to low-fat and non-fat milk, fruits, and non-fried vegetables.

Middle/Junior High and High Schools:

In middle and high schools, PSA’s goal is to ensure all foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable school meal programs (including those sold through snack bar line, vending machines, school store, or fundraising activities) during the school day, or through programs for students after the school day, will meet the following nutrition and portion size standards:

·         Beverages

·         Allowed: water, fruit and vegetable juices and fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50% fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; unflavored or flavored low-fat or fat-free fluid milk and nutritionally-equivalent nondairy beverages (to be defined by USDA);

·         Not allowed during school hours: soft drinks containing caloric sweeteners; sports drinks; iced teas; fruit-based drinks that contain less than 50% real fruit juice or that contain additional caloric sweeteners; beverages containing caffeine, excluding low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk (which contain trivial amounts of caffeine).

·         Foods

·         A food item sold individually:

§  will have no more than 35% of its calories from fat (excluding nuts, seeds, peanut butter, and other nut butters) and 10% of its calories from saturated and trans fat combined;

§  will have no more than 35% of its weight from added sugars;⁸

§  will contain no more than 250 mg of sodium per serving for chips, cereals, crackers, French fries, baked goods, and other snack items; will contain no more than 480 mg of sodium per serving for pastas, meats, and soups; and will contain no more than 600 mg of sodium for pizza, sandwiches, and main dishes.

·         A choice of at least two fruits and/or non-fried vegetables will be offered for sale at any location on the school site where foods are sold. Such items could include, but are not limited to, fresh fruits and vegetables; 100% fruit or vegetable juice; fruit-based drinks that are at least 50% fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; cooked, dried, or canned fruits (canned in fruit juice or light syrup); and cooked, dried, or canned vegetables (that meet the above fat and sodium guidelines).

·         Portion Sizes

·         Limit portion sizes of foods and beverages sold individually to those listed below:

§  One and one-quarter ounces for chips, crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or jerky;

§  One ounce for cookies;

§  Two ounces for cereal bars, granola bars, pastries, muffins, doughnuts, bagels, and other bakery items;

§  Four fluid ounces for frozen desserts, including, but not limited to, low-fat or fat-free ice cream;

§  Eight ounces for non-frozen yogurt;

§  Twelve fluid ounces for beverages, excluding water

Fundraising Activities:

PSA’s Goals is that fundraising activities will involve food that meet the above nutrition and portion size standards for foods and beverages sold individually.

·         PSA will encourage fundraising activities that promote physical activity.

·         PSA will make available a list of ideas for acceptable fundraising activities.

Snack Bar Line:

PSA’s goal is to serve food at the Snack Bar Line during breakfast and lunch meals to make a positive contribution to children's diets and health

·         The emphasis will be focused on serving snacks, water and juice as the primary beverage.

·         PSA will disseminate a list of healthful snack items to teachers and parents.

·         If eligible, may provide snacks through the extended day program/after-school program and  will pursue receiving reimbursements through the National School Lunch Program.

Rewards:

PSA’s goals is –

·         Not use foods or beverages, especially those that do not meet the nutrition standards as rewards for academic performance or good behavior

·         Will not withhold food or beverages (including food served through school meals) as a punishment.

Celebrations:

PSA’s goal is –

·         Will limit celebrations that involve food during the school day to no more than one party per class per month.

·         Each party should include no more than one food or beverage that does not meet nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually (above).

·         PSA will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers.

School-sponsored Events (such as, but not limited to, athletic events, dances, or performances):

PSA’s goal is –

·         Foods and beverages offered or sold at school-sponsored events outside the school day will meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually (above).
 

III. Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion and Food Marketing

Nutrition Education and Promotion:

Prairie Seeds Academy’s goal is aim to teach, encourage, and support healthy eating by students. Schools should provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that:

• is offered at each grade level 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;
• includes enjoyable, developmentally-appropriate, culturally-relevant, participatory activities, such as contests, promotions, surveys, farm visits, and school gardens;
• promotes fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and health-enhancing nutrition practices;
• emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure (physical activity/exercise);
• links with school meal programs, other school foods, and nutrition-related community services;
• teaches media literacy with an emphasis on food marketing

Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom Setting:

PSA’s goal is for students to receive the nationally-recommended amount of daily physical activity (i.e., at least 40 - 50 minutes per day) and for students to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior, students need opportunities for physical activity beyond physical education class. Toward that end:

• Classroom health education will complement physical education by reinforcing the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically-active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities, such as watching television
• Opportunities for physical activity will be incorporated into other subject lessons
• Classroom teachers will provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate

Communications with Parent:

PSA goal is to support parents' efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children.

·         PSA will offer healthy eating tip for parents, send home information in the school’s newsletters, and post nutrition tips on school websites.

·         PSA will encourage parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks and to refrain from including beverages and foods that do not meet the above nutrition standards for individual foods and beverages.

·         PSA will provide parents a list of foods that meet the district's snack standards and ideas for healthy celebrations/parties, rewards, and fundraising activities.

·         PSA will provide opportunities for parents to share their healthy food practices with others in the school community.

PSA’s goal is to provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities before, during, and after the school day and support parents' efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school.

·         PSA will include sharing information about physical activity and physical education through a website, newsletter, or other take-home materials, special events, or physical education homework.

Food Marketing in Schools:

PSA’s goal is to for school-based marketing is that PSA will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion.

·         PSA will limit food and beverage marketing to the promotion of foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually (above)

·         School-based marketing of brands promoting predominantly low-nutrition foods and beverages is prohibited.

·         The promotion of healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products is encouraged.

Examples:

·         Marketing techniques include the following: logos and brand names on/in vending machines, books or curricula, textbook covers, school supplies, scoreboards, school structures, and sports equipment; educational incentive programs that provide food as a reward; programs that provide schools with supplies when families buy low-nutrition food products; free samples or coupons; and food sales through fundraising activities.

·         Marketing activities that promote healthful behaviors (and are therefore allowable) include: vending machine covers promoting water; pricing structures that promote healthy options in snack bar lines or vending machines; sales of fruit for fundraisers; and coupons for discount gym memberships.

Staff Wellness:

PSA highly values the health and well-being of every staff member and PSA’s goal is to plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

·         PSA will maintain a staff wellness committee composed of at least one staff member, school health council member, dietitian or other health professional, recreation program representative, and employee benefits specialist. (The staff wellness committee could be a subcommittee of the school health council.)

·         The committee should develop, promote, and oversee a multifaceted plan to promote staff health and wellness.

·         The plan should be based on input solicited from school staff and should outline ways to encourage healthy eating, physical activity, and other elements of a healthy lifestyle among school staff.

·         The staff wellness committee should distribute its plan to the school health council annually.
 

IV. Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education

Daily Physical Education (P.E.) K-12:

PSA’s goal is for all students in grades K-5, including students with disabilities, will receive daily physical education (or its equivalent of 150 minutes/week for elementary school students for every other day throughout the entire school year and 225 minutes/week for middle and high school students) for at least one semester the entire school year.

·         All physical education will be taught by a certified physical education teacher.

·         Student 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:

PSA’s goal is for all elementary school students will have at least 15 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through the provision of space and equipment.

·         PSA should discourage extended periods (i.e., periods of two or more hours) of inactivity.

·         When activities, such as mandatory school-wide testing, make it necessary for students to remain indoors for long periods of time, schools should give students periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.

Physical Activity Opportunities Before and After School:

PSA’s goal is all elementary, middle, and high schools will offer extracurricular physical activity programs, such as physical activity clubs or intramural programs.

·         All high schools, and middle schools as appropriate, will offer interscholastic sports programs.

·         PSA will offer a range of activities that meet the needs, interests, and abilities of all students, including boys, girls, and students with disabilities

·         Enrichment programs will provide and encourage – verbally and through the provision of space, equipment, and activities – daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants.

Physical Activity and Punishment:

PSA’s goal is for teachers and other school and community personnel to not use physical activity (e.g., running laps, pushups) or withhold opportunities for physical activity (e.g., recess, physical education) as punishment.

Safe Routes to School.

PSA’s goal is to assess and, if necessary and to the extent possible, make needed improvements to make it safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school.

·         When appropriate, PSA will work together with local public works, public safety, and/or police departments in those efforts.

·         PSA will explore the availability of federal "safe routes to school" funds, administered by the state department of transportation, to finance such improvements.

·         PSA will encourage students to use public transportation when available and appropriate for travel to school, and will work with the local transit agency to provide transit passes for students.

Use of School Facilities Outside of School Hours:

PSA’s goal is school spaces and facilities should be available to students, staff, and community members before, during, and after the school day, on weekends, and during school vacations.  See facility use policy adopted by the PSA School Board and PSA Building Company Board. 

·         School policies concerning safety will apply at all times.
 

V. Monitoring and Policy Review

Monitoring:

PSA’s goal is the principal will ensure compliance with established district-wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies.

·         In each school, the principal will ensure compliance with those policies in her school and will report on the school's compliance to the school district CEO.

·         Catering and its staff will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas and will report on this matter to the principal, than to the CEO

·         In addition, the principal will report on the most recent USDA School Meals Initiative (SMI) review findings and any resulting changes.

·         If PSA has not received a SMI review from the state agency within the past five years, the principal will request from the state agency that a SMI review be scheduled as soon as possible.

The principal will develop a summary report every three years on school-wide compliance with PSA’s established nutrition and physical activity wellness policies, based on input from health council.

·         That report will be provided to the school board

·         The report will be distributed to all school health councils, parent/teacher organizations, and school health services personnel in the school

Policy Review:

PSA’s goal is to help with the initial development of the school's wellness policies, PSA will conduct a baseline assessment of the school's existing nutrition and physical activity environments and policies

·         The results of the assessments will be compiled to identify and prioritize needs

   ·         Assessments will be repeated every three years to help review policy compliance, assess progress, and determine areas in need of improvement

·         As part of that review, the school district will review our nutrition and physical activity policies; provision of an environment that supports healthy eating and physical activity; and nutrition and physical education policies and program elements

·         PSA will, as necessary, revise the wellness policies and develop work plans to facilitate their implementation.

Footnotes

² To the extent possible, schools will offer at least two non-fried vegetable and two fruit options each day and will offer five different fruits and five different vegetables over the course of a week. Schools are encouraged to source fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers when practicable.

³ As recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005.

⁴ A whole grain is one labeled as a "whole" grain product or with a whole grain listed as the primary grain ingredient in the ingredient statement. Examples include "whole" wheat flour, cracked wheat, brown rice, and oatmeal.

⁵ It is against the law to make others in the cafeteria aware of the eligibility status of children for free, reduced-price, or "paid" meals.

⁶ School nutrition staff development programs are available through the USDA, School Nutrition Association, and National Food Service Management Institute.

⁷ Surprisingly, seltzer water may not be sold during meal times in areas of the school where food is sold or eaten because it is considered a "Food of Minimal Nutritional Value" (Appendix B of 7 CFR Part 210).

⁸ If a food manufacturer fails to provide the added sugars content of a food item, use the percentage of weight from total sugars (in place of the percentage of weight from added sugars), and exempt fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods from this total sugars limit.

⁹ Schools that have vending machines are encouraged to include refrigerated snack vending machines, which can accommodate fruits, vegetables, yogurts, and other perishable items.

¹⁰ Unless this practice is allowed by a student's individual education plan (IEP).

¹¹ Advertising of low-nutrition foods and beverages is permitted in supplementary classroom and library materials, such as newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and similar media, when such materials are used in a class lesson or activity, or as a research tool.

¹² Schools should not permit general brand marketing for food brands under which more than half of the foods or beverages do not meet the nutrition standards for foods sold individually or the meals are not consistent with school meal nutrition standards.

¹³ Useful self-assessment and planning tools include the School Health Index from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Changing the Scene from the Team Nutrition Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Opportunity to Learn Standards for Elementary, Middle, and High School Physical Education from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.