Even More Details on the Child Nutrition Act

The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act also contained a lengthy section on local school wellness policies.  You can read our current policy here.  We've talked before about whether our school should have a more robust food policy.  The new law should provide model policies to help local schools improve their own.  Our policy currently doesn't say much compared to Cold Spring Harbor's as a local example or compared to some national models.

Read for yourself:

6 SEC. 204. LOCAL SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICY IMPLEMENTA

7 TION.
8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Richard B. Russell National
9 School Lunch Act is amended by inserting after section
10 9 (42 U.S.C. 1758) the following:
11 ‘‘SEC. 9A. LOCAL SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICY.
12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each local educational agency
13 participating in a program authorized by this Act or the
14 Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) shall
15 establish a local school wellness policy for all schools under
16 the jurisdiction of the local educational agency.
17 ‘‘(b) GUIDELINES.—The Secretary shall promulgate
18 regulations that provide the framework and guidelines for
19 local educational agencies to establish local school wellness
20 policies, including, at a minimum,—
21 ‘‘(1) goals for nutrition education, physical ac

22 tivity, and other school-based activities that promote
23 student wellness;
24 ‘‘(2) for all foods available on each school cam

25 pus under the jurisdiction of the local educational
1 agency during the school day, nutrition guidelines
2 that—
3 ‘‘(A) are consistent with sections 9 and 17
4 of this Act, and sections 4 and 10 of the Child
5 Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1773, 1779);
6 and
7 ‘‘(B) promote student health and reduce
8 childhood obesity;
9 ‘‘(3) a requirement that the local educational
10 agency permit parents, students, representatives of
11 the school food authority, the school board, school
12 administrators, and the general public to participate
13 in the development and periodic review and update
14 of the local school wellness policy;
15 ‘‘(4) a requirement that the local educational
16 agency inform and update the public (including par

17 ents, students, and others in the community) about
18 the content and implementation of the local school
19 wellness policy; and
20 ‘‘(5) a requirement that the local educational
21 agency—
22 ‘‘(A) periodically measure and report on
23 implementation of the local school wellness pol

24 icy, including—

1 ‘‘(i) the extent to which schools under
2 the jurisdiction of the local educational
3 agency are in compliance with the local
4 school wellness policy;
5 ‘‘(ii) the extent to which the local
6 school wellness policy of the local edu

7 cational agency compares to model local
8 school wellness policies; and
9 ‘‘(iii) a description of the progress
10 made in attaining the goals of the local
11 school wellness policy; and
12 ‘‘(B) designate 1 or more local educational
13 agency officials or school officials, as appro

14 priate, to ensure that each school complies with
15 the local school wellness policy.
16 ‘‘(c) LOCAL DISCRETION.—The local educational
17 agency shall use the guidelines promulgated by the Sec

18 retary under subsection (b) to determine specific policies
19 appropriate for the schools under the jurisdiction of the
20 local educational agency.
21 ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND BEST PRAC

22 TICES.—
23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta

24 tion with the Secretary of Education and the Sec

25 retary of Health and Human Services, acting

1 through the Centers for Disease Control and Preven

2 tion, shall provide, on request, information and tech

3 nical assistance to local educational agencies, school
4 food authorities, and State educational agencies for
5 use in establishing healthy school nutrition environ

6 ments that are intended to reduce childhood obesity
7 and prevent chronic diet-related diseases.
8 ‘‘(2) CONTENT.—The Secretary shall provide
9 technical assistance that—
10 ‘‘(A) includes resources and training on de

11 signing, implementing, promoting, dissemi

12 nating, and evaluating local school wellness
13 policies and overcoming barriers to the adoption
14 of local school wellness policies;
15 ‘‘(B) includes model local school wellness
16 policies and best practices recommended by
17 Federal agencies, State agencies, and non

18 governmental organizations;
19 ‘‘(C) includes such other technical assist

20 ance as is required to promote sound nutrition
21 and establish healthy school nutrition environ

22 ments; and
23 ‘‘(D) is consistent with the specific needs
24 and requirements of local educational agencies.
25 ‘‘(3) STUDY AND REPORT.—

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the avail

2 ability of appropriations, the Secretary, in con

3 junction with the Director of the Centers for
4 Disease Control and Prevention, shall prepare a
5 report on the implementation, strength, and ef

 6 fectiveness of the local school wellness policies
7 carried out in accordance with this section.
8 ‘‘(B) STUDY OF LOCAL SCHOOL WELLNESS
9 POLICIES.—The study described in subpara

10 graph (A) shall include——
11 ‘‘(i) an analysis of the strength and
12 weaknesses of local school wellness policies
13 and how the policies compare with model
14 local wellness policies recommended under
15 paragraph (2)(B); and
16 ‘‘(ii) an assessment of the impact of
17 the local school wellness policies in ad

18 dressing the requirements of subsection
19 (b).
20 ‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than January 1,
21 2014, the Secretary shall submit to the Com

22 mittee on Education and Labor of the House of
23 Representatives and the Committee on Agri

24 culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate
1 a report that describes the findings of the
2 study.
3 ‘‘(D) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA4
TIONS.—There are authorized to be appro5
priated to carry out this paragraph $3,000,000
6 for fiscal year 2011, to remain available until
7 expended.’’.

Sara