Food and Nutrition

Lander County School District Wellness Policy

Advisory Group
School districts must establish a diverse team made up of committed school and community stakeholders to assess the school districts needs and develop a policy that meets the operational realities of the school district and works toward improved health and wellness outcomes for schoolchildren. In addition, this group must meet at a minimum twice a year to review and update the local school wellness policy (LSWP), as needs change, goals are met, new information emerges, and the annual review is completed. Each school district is required to include a plan that identifies representatives from the following categories to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the LSWP:

• Parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the general public.
• School districts will determine incentives and/or penalties for school compliance with their LSWP.

Wellness Policy Coordinator
Each school district must establish LSWP leadership, at the district and/or school level, who fully understands the LSWP requirements, who can facilitate the development and implementation of the LSWP, and who has the authority and responsibility to ensure that each school complies with the policy. The school district must designate at the district and/or school level, the position(s) responsible for reporting the status of Policy implementation annually. The school district must inform the Nevada Department of Agriculture (NDA) the name(s), position(s), and contact information for the person(s) responsible for the oversight of the local school wellness policy at the district and/or school level by September 30th of each school year. If the designated wellness policy coordinator changes, then the school district must notify NDA within 60 days.

Recordkeeping
School districts must retain basic records demonstrating compliance with the LSWP and must include the following documentation: Compliance with the requirements of advisory group representation, annual
assessment of the LSWP, annual LSWP progress reports for each school under the jurisdiction, demonstrate compliance with public notification which includes:

• The web site address for the LSWP and/or how the public can receive/access a copy of the LSWP;
  A description of each school’s progress in meeting the local school wellness goals;
• A summary of each school’s events or activities related to LSWP implementation;
• The name, position(s)/title, and contact information of the designated wellness policy coordinator at the district and/or school level;
• Information on how individuals and the public can get involved with the advisory group.

School Wellness Policy Goals
Lander County School district will select, measure, and report progress for at least one goal from each of the following categories:
Nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness.

Incentives & Rewards
School Districts are strongly encouraged to utilize other forms of incentives or rewards that are not food-based. School districts must address the use of food as an incentive or reward, if allowed, it is require that the food awards be in alignment with the Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards.

Fundraising
All items sold to students on the school campus during the school day must meet the Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards, there are no exemptions. Fundraisers that are selling food products that are meant to be consumed off of campus (i.e. Frozen Pizza, Cookie Dough, Catalogue Sales with Candy) are permitted.

Special Occasions
Lander County School District is working on establishing a policy that outlines which special occasions or holidays and the frequency those foods that exceeding the established nutrition parameters may be allowed.

Currently Lander County School District allows food to be brought in observance of state or national holidays; for established observances such as Halloween, Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa, and
Valentine’s Day ; School Community observances, such as birthday parties or AR parties; as part of a learning experience related to the reinforcement of established lesson plans in the classroom.

It is recommended but not required that food be commercially prepared to minimize risks of food borne illnesses and to avoid known food allergens.

The sale of foods during school hours as part of a business enterprise or fundraising activity is not allowed unless the food item(s) meet the Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards.

Revenue
School districts must identify how they will track revenue from the sale of food on the school campus during the school day by one or both of the following methods:

Federal Standard: All revenue from the sale of non-program foods purchased with funds from the non-profit school food service account shall accrue to the non-profit school food service account of the participating school food authority.

Nevada Revised Statue: Each school’s wellness policy shall include: Guidelines for revenue accounting, in accordance with NRS 233B.050, or in accordance with established school district rules of practice.

Meal Consumption
It is the intent of this policy to allow each student adequate time to eat their meals, therefore, time spent acquiring the meal is not included in the time to consume the meal.

Each school district shall:

• Provide at least 15 minutes for each student to consume the breakfast meal (providing the school offers
• breakfast); and
• Provide at least 20 minutes for each student to consume the lunch meal.

Physical Activity
Schools must provide the opportunity for moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes during each regular school day (as defined by USDA). It is recommended that students be given physical activity opportunities in bouts of 10 minutes at a minimum. Passing periods do not qualify as physical activity time.

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

Recess Before Lunch

Recess before lunch is recommended, but at this time is not being observed.

Marketing
Only marketing consistent with Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards is allowed on the school campus. This includes any advertising and other promotions on the school campus during the school day (oral, written,
or visual).

School districts must identify and eliminate all marketing and advertising on school property which does not currently meet the Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards as leases, agreements, or contracts are renewed or items are replaced.

Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards
All foods and beverages available for sale or given away to students on the school campus during the school day must meet the minimum nutrition standards. These food standards apply to all grade levels
(unless otherwise specified).
To be allowable, a food item must meet all of the competitive food standards as follows:

• Calories:
  • Snack/Side Item- ≤200 calories per item as served (includes any accompaniments)
  • Entrée- ≤350 calories per item as served (includes any accompaniments)
    • AND
• Sodium:
  • Snack/Side Item- ≤230 mg per item as served until June 30, 2016 (≤200 mg after July 1, 2016)
  • Entrée- ≤480 mg per item as served
    • AND
• Fat:
  • Total Fat- ≤35% of calories
  • Saturated Fat- <10% of calories
  • Trans Fat– 0 g per serving
    • AND
• Sugar:
  • Total Sugar- <35% by weight

Specific Nutrient Standards for Food
In addition to the Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards, food items must meet one of the following criteria; Be a grain product that contains >50% whole grains by weight or have whole grains listed as the first ingredient on the food label;

OR

Have listed as the first ingredient on the food label, one of the non-grain main food groups: fruit,
vegetable, dairy or protein foods;

OR

Be a combination food that contains at least 1/4 cup fruit and/or vegetable;
*If water is the first ingredient, the second ingredient must meet one of the above criteria.

Beverages
Allowable beverages vary by grade level and address container size. All beverages sold on the school campus during the school day must be non-carbonated. There are no restrictions on the sale of any
allowable beverage at any grade level, during the school day anywhere on the school campus.
Beverages for all:

• Water– Plain, no size limit
• Milk– Unflavored non-fat, unflavored low-fat, or flavored non-fat milk, ≤8 fl. oz. per serving for elementary school, ≤12 fl. oz. per serving for middle school and high school.
• Juice– 100% fruit and/or vegetable juice, 100% juice diluted with plain water (no added sweeteners), ≤8 fl. oz. per serving for elementary school, ≤12 fl. oz. per serving for middle school and high school allowable.

It is recommended that juice be sold in smaller serving sizes: 4-6 fl. oz. servings for elementary school and 8 fl. oz. servings for middle and high school.
*Includes nutritionally equivalent milk alternatives, as permitted by NSLP/SBP
**May include 100% juice diluted with plain water & with no added sweeteners

Other Allowable Beverages in High School Only.

• Non-Carbonated Calorie-free beverages (≤20 fl. oz./serving);
• Examples: Vitamin Water Zero, Propel Fit Water, Powerade Zero
• Other Non-Carbonated “Calorie-free” Beverages (≤20 fl. oz./serving): <5 calories per 8fl. oz. or ≤10 calories per 20 fl. oz.; Examples: Diet Fuze, Pure Leaf Iced Tea
• Non-Carbonated Lower-Calorie Beverages (≤12 fl. oz./serving): ≤60 calories per 12 fl.oz., ≤40 calories per 8 fl. oz. Examples: G2, Fuze Slenderize, Diet Snapple, Light Hawaiian Punch

Caffeine
All foods and beverages in elementary school and middle school in Lander County School District must be non-carbonated and caffeine-free, with the exception of trace amounts of naturally-occurring caffeine
substances (e.g. chocolate milk).

It is recommended that no caffeine be allowed, however, caffeine is permitted at the high school level.

Chewing Gum
Sugar-free chewing gum is exempt from all competitive food standards and may be sold to students at the discretion of the individual schools within Lander County School District.

Definitions
Combination Food- products that contain two or more components representing two or more of the recommended food groups: fruit, vegetable, dairy, protein or grains.
Competitive Food- all food and beverages other than meals reimbursed available for sale to students on the School Campus during the School Day.
Fundraisers- the sale of items for monetary gain intended for consumption during the school day.
Local Educational Agency (LEA)- the authority responsible for the administrative control of public or private nonprofit educational institutions within a defined area of the state. For example: A school district or state sponsored charter school.
Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP)- the policy that applies to your local school district which supports a school environment that promotes sound nutrition and student health, reduces childhood obesity, and provides transparency to the public on school wellness policy content and implementation.
Marketing- advertising and other promotions in schools. Includes oral, written, or graphic statements made for the purpose of promoting the sale of a food or beverage product made by the producer, manufacturer, seller, or any other entity with a commercial interest in the product.
Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity- physical activities done at an intensity that increases children’s heart and breathing rates above normal. For example: A child walking to school is moderate activity; Running and chasing others during a tag game is vigorous activity.
Non-program food- food sold in school during the school day at any time or location on the school campus other than reimbursable meals.
Physical Activity- bodily movement produced by the contraction of skeletal muscle that increases a person’s energy expenditure above a basal level.
School Campus- all areas of the property under the jurisdiction of the school that are accessible to students during the school day.
School Day- the period from the midnight before, to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day.
School Property- all areas of the school campus including those that are owned or leased by the school and used at any time for school-related activities such as the school building, areas adjacent to the school building, school buses or other vehicles used to transport students, athletic fields or stadiums, or parking lots.
Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards- a part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that provide science-based nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold to students in school during the school day.

Goals

• Assist any fundraising groups in finding compliant food to sell in school store, vending machines, etc. Assist PTA with a food and nutrition based fundraiser and provide nutrition education at two events per year.
• We will do our best to prevent child hunger.  We see hunger in classrooms and have knowledge that there is a lack of food in some homes. We are going to address this with teaming with or local WIC office and participating in the Weekend Food Program.  We also will provide students with a no-cost snack if they are needed.  Teachers can allow students to participate in snack by sending any hungry child to the lunchroom.  Child is given a Smart Snack compliant snack.  We are also going to utilize a Share Bucket in our Breakfast Program.  Any student can pick prepackaged items out of our share bucket.   This will start immediately.
• Students are provided with various sporting equipment and a choice of activities during recess.  Recess duty staff encourage students to get out and choose activities over sitting at tables and visiting.  All students are given the full 15 minutes of lunch recess.

Smart Snacks

Any snacks sold on school campus during school hours must be Smart Snack Certified. The District Wellness Coordinator must approve and document all snacks sold in vending machines, nutrition break stands, and as fundraising. 

Please email jmills@landernv.net about certifying snacks. 

List of Smart Snacks 

Smart Snack Calculator

Use the SMART SNACK CALCULATOR to see if your snack qualifies! Print the certification page and keep it on file for inspections. 

 

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