The school environment should encourage students to make healthy choices. Food served in the Upper Arlington School district should make a positive impact on the nutritional well-being of students. This will be accomplished by the following:

School administrators will make every attempt to provide at least 20 minutes for lunch from the time the student is seated, as outlined by the National Association of State Boards of Education.

Class schedules should accommodate meal periods at appropriate times, e.g., ideally lunch should be scheduled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Careful consideration of the school lunch environment should be taken into account when scheduling recess. Research has shown that plate waste is substantially decreased when recess precedes lunch. It is strongly encouraged that schools provide recess before lunch whenever possible.

Recommendations for beverage vending in the Upper Arlington schools:

A full array of milk, juices, water and other products should be offered in age-appropriate sizes. (See "Guidelines for Food and Beverages Offered to Students at School & School Functions").

Recommendations for food vending in the Upper Arlington schools:

The Upper Arlington school district is committed to exploring healthier vending alternatives such as dairy products, fruits, whole grain products, and vegetable choices.

Please see "Smart Snacking Choices" for appropriate vending choices.

Foods offered in vending machines should include a variety of choices of nutritious items as defined through assessment tools such as "Snackwise." "Green" and "Yellow" choices, as defined by the "Snackwise" program, are strongly encouraged as exclusive choices in vending machines. Serving sizes should be age-appropriate (see "Guidelines for Food and Beverages Offered to Students at School & School Functions").

Foods commonly used as rewards (such as candy, cookies, donuts, etc) can contribute to health problems for children, e.g. obesity and cavities. Food rewards provide unneeded calories and displace healthier food choices. Rewarding with food can interfere with children learning to eat in response to hunger and satiety cues. This teaches children to eat when they are not hungry as a reward to themselves, and may contribute to the development of disordered eating. Strong consideration should be given to using non-food rewards (see "Ideas for alternatives to Using Food as a Reward").

The Upper Arlington School district can help promote a positive learning environment by providing healthy celebrations that shift the focus from the food to the child. Every attempt should be made to serve healthy foods and beverages in age-appropriate portions during classroom celebrations. (see "Ideas for Healthy Celebrations").

School stores should make every effort to re-evaluate their inventory of foods that do not meet the District Nutrition Standards as outlined in "Guidelines for Food and Beverages Offered to Students at School & School Functions". Please refer to "Smart Snacking Choices" for a list of nutritionally beneficial food items foods to sell to students. School stores should begin an implementation process of these foods into the selling environment.

Concession stands and bake sales should be encouraged to sell foods that meet the District Nutrition Standards as outlined in "Guidelines for Food and Beverages Offered to Students at School & School Functions". Schools should limit the number of bake sales per week, as well as the hours in which they can take place. A Nutrition Advisory Council Liaison can assist in sharing ideas with these groups as to how to incorporate healthy alternatives into what is being sold.

In general, organizations and clubs should make every effort to re-evaluate the method in which they raise their funds, if they indeed focus solely on the sale and distribution of foods that do not meet the District Nutrition Standards as outlined in "Guidelines for Food and Beverages Offered to Students at School & School Functions". Fundraising with healthy foods and non-food items demonstrates a school commitment to promoting healthy behaviors. It supports the classroom lessons students are learning about health, instead of contradicting them. Also, research clearly shows that good nutrition is linked to better behavior and academic performance. More than just raising money to pay for valuable student programs, a well run fundraiser can also be an experience that educates, builds self-esteem, provides community service and promotes school spirit. Schools can promote a healthy learning environment by using healthy fundraising alternatives. Please see "What Schools Can Do – Ideas for Healthy Fundraising Alternatives" and "Twenty Ways to Raise Funds without Candy".

Nearly all school districts, including those within Franklin County, have elected a closed lunch policy. This was done both for safety and for social reasons. Studies have shown that high school off-campus lunch options are associated with higher motor vehicle accident rates placing the students and the community-at-large at higher risk. In addition, social issues such as substance abuse and sexuality among adolescents are directly correlated with the amount of unsupervised time. Besides concerns about motor vehicle safety and unsupervised time, the open lunch promotes consumption of fast food, the only food option available given the brief time frame. Fast food has been identified as a factor in poor nutrition (excess calories, fat, saturated fat and added sugar) and obesity.

The Upper Arlington school district is encouraged to explore alternatives that would create opportunities to cater to stated student desires for shorter lunch lines, more food variety, restaurant theme days, and opportunities for social interaction in a pleasant physical environment. School lunch options can offer a higher nutritional quality in appropriate portion sizes, at a reasonable price that may not only fulfill student wishes, but also improve student nutrition and safety while providing additional revenue for the school food service program.

Teachers and other school and community personnel will not use physical activity (e.g. running laps, pushups) or routinely withhold opportunities for physical activity (e.g. recess, physical education) as punishment.

All foods and beverages, other than school meals, made available to students during allowable times must meet the following portion size and nutrition standards.

*Committee Recommended Guidelines. Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value include soft drinks, fruit drinks, and sport drinks.

**American Academy of Pediatrics recommended guidelines.

Birthday parties, holiday celebrations, and special occasions at school provide a unique opportunity to help make healthful eating fun and exciting for children. Schools can take advantage of classroom celebrations to serve food that tastes good, is nutritious, and provides students with an opportunity for nutrition education experiences.

Low-fat or nonfat plain or flavored milk, 100% juice, water, flavored/sparkling water (without added sugars or sweeteners), sparkling punch (seltzer and 100% fruit juice)

Fruit smoothies (blend berries, bananas and pineapple)

Fresh fruit assortment, fruit and cheese kabobs, fruit salad, fruit with low-fat whipped topping

Dried fruit, 100% fruit snacks

Vegetable trays with low-fat dip

Whole grain crackers with cheese cubes, string cheese, or humus

Pretzels, low-fat popcorn, rice cakes, bread sticks, graham crackers and animal crackers

Angel food cake, plain or topped with fruit

Bagel slices with jam, fruit or grain muffin (low-fat), hot pretzels

Pizza with low-fat toppings (vegetables, lean ham, Canadian bacon), pizza dippers with marinara sauce

Ham, cheese or turkey sandwiches or wraps (with low-fat condiments)

Low-fat pudding, low-fat yogurt, squeezable yogurt, yogurt smoothies, yogurt parfaits or banana splits (yogurt and fruit topped with cereal, granola or crushed graham crackers)

Low-fat breakfast or granola bars

Low-fat tortilla chips with salsa or bean dip

Trail/cereal mix (whole-grain low-sugar cereals mixed with dried fruit, pretzels, etc)