Walla Walla Public Schools

ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE
No. P-6700
Page 1 of 7
NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL FITNESS

The goal of this procedure is to create a school environment which encourages and promotes lifelong
healthy eating and fitness habits. The procedure sets nutrition standards for foods and drinks
available in the Walla Walla Public Schools and guides the implementation of nutrition and fitness
education which emphasizes the interrelationship between physical activity, good nutrition, and
health.

I. Nutritional Quality of All Foods and Beverages Available on Campus during the School
Day
The following nutrition standards apply to all foods sold, served, or made available from district
sources on school property during the school day. The school day is defined as 30 minutes before
the first class begins until 30 minutes after the final period. The standards are designed to assist
students in meeting the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans published by the US Department
of Agriculture (USDA) and the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Dietary
Guidelines recommend a variety of nutrient-dense foods such as grains, fruits, and vegetables,
while limiting foods high in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt, and added sugars by
restricting certain food items and limiting the serving sizes of other items. In addition, the
standards ensure access to a wider variety of nutrient-dense foods and beverages and make
nutritious choices easy for students.

A. Nutritional Standards of foods and beverages sold as part of reimbursable school meals
1. All schools participating in the national school lunch, breakfast, and snack programs are
required by federal law to provide meals which conform to the USDA Dietary Guidelines.
The food and nutrition service regulations of the USDA require that:
a. The school breakfast provide 25% and school lunch 33% of a student’s recommended
daily calories, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, calcium, sodium, and fiber.
b. The week’s meals average 35 % or less of calories from fat and 10 % or less of calories
from saturated fat.

2. A variety of fresh, fruits and vegetables will be provided and promoted daily.

3. Whole grain foods will be provided with a goal that at least 50% of foods made from grains
will be made of whole grains.

4. Vegetarian meals will be offered daily, with the promotion of protein alternatives such as
soy products, eggs, nuts, or beans.

5. The breakfast menu will limit sweetened pastry items to twice per week. Cereals will not
exceed 35% added sugar by weight.

6. Processed potato products: Deep fat frying will not be used as a cooking method. The
maximum serving size for all processed potato products will be 3 oz.
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7. Farm-to-Cafeteria programs can increase access to fresh, whole foods while supporting the
local agricultural community. In addition to including these fresh, local foods, the school
meal program will strive to maximize the use of foods that are not processed by irradiation
and do not contain additives and preservatives, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup,
bovine growth hormone, or antibiotics.

B. Mealtime environment
Adequate time and space are necessary to optimize the mealtime environment. In order to
encourage student participation in the school meal program and to enhance the quality of the
food chosen and consumed by students:

1. Elementary school principals are strongly encouraged to adopt a lunch schedule which
allows recess before lunch.

2. Students will be provided time and access to hand washing facilities before meals.

3. All schools should allow a minimum of 20 minutes of sit-down time after students obtain
their food.

4. Schools should provide adequate seating for all students during meals.

C. Nutritional Standards of foods and beverages sold or served outside of reimbursable school
meals, including all foods and beverages sold a la carte, in vending machines, for
fundraising and in school stores.

Foods
1. Foods of minimal nutritional value (FMNV), as defined by the USDA, will not be
available during the school day. FMNV include: Soda water, water ices, chewing gum,
certain candies, hard candy, jellies and gums, marshmallow candies, fondants, licorice,
spun candy, and candy coated popcorn (See Appendix 1)

2. Single serving items may not exceed 250 calories (except for entrees from the school
lunch program).

3. Fat content: not to exceed 35% of calories per serving, (excluding nuts, seeds, nut butters,
and real cheese)

4. Saturated and trans fat: not to exceed 10% of calories per serving.

5. Sugar content: not to exceed 35% by weight (excluding fruits and vegetables and
yogurts).
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6. Sodium content: not to exceed 250 mg. sodium per serving for snack items

Beverages
1. Water: no limit. Schools will provide easy access to free drinking water in the classroom
or hallways, gymnasium, and the cafeteria.

2. Milk: skim or 1%; maximum 16 oz; not to exceed 300 calories/container

3. Other beverages: maximum 12 oz; no added caffeine or herbal supplements; unsweetened

or sweetened with 100% fruit/vegetable juices only (no added sweetener such as corn
syrup, honey, sucrose, fructose, etc.)

4. Drinks with caloric sweeteners (soda pop, sports drinks, flavored drinks, teas) will not be
available during the school day.

D. Vending machines
1. At elementary schools, only staff will have access to food and beverages in vending
machines.

2. At middle and high schools, students and staff will have access to food and beverages in
vending machines.

3. Vending machines for students may not contain FMNV and items must meet the
standards and portion sizes in Section I-C.

E. Food in other settings

1. Staff and parents are strongly discouraged from using food or beverages as rewards,
incentives, or prizes in the classroom, unless specified in a student’s IEP.

2. Foods used in classes can be an important part of a student learning experience.

Curriculum or activities that involve food preparation must meet safe food handling
procedures and a food handler’s permit may be required.

3. Regular Snacks: Foods and beverages served as regular classroom snacks must meet the
standards and portion sizes in Section I-C.

4. Special celebrations: The celebration of special days such as birthdays and holidays has
long been a classroom tradition. Schools are encouraged to identify and disseminate
ways to celebrate or provide recognition without the distribution of food or beverages.
Where food and beverages are desirable, nutritious food and beverage choices should be
available. Schools are encouraged to develop a list of nutritious, affordable food choices
for parents and teachers. Classroom parties and celebrations involving food and
beverages should occur after the lunch period.
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ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE
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5. Fundraising: Schools should work with clubs, teams, PTAs/PTSAs, and other groups to
identify and promote fundraising opportunities and resources which support student
health and encourage organizers of school-related fundraisers to consider the selling of
non-food items or nutritious foods which meet the nutrition standards in Section I-C.

II. Nutritional Quality of Foods Available After the School Day

A. After-school programs
The nutrition standards described for reimbursable school meals (Section I-A) will apply to
food distributed during after-school programs.

B. Extracurricular events (athletic, fine arts)

Foods and beverages sold or served at extra-curricular events are not required to meet the
nutrition standards in Section I-C. However, nutritious food and beverage choices should be
prominently available among the selection of items.

III. Nutrition and Physical Fitness Education

It is the district’s position that all students have equal and equitable opportunities for physical
activity and fitness education in our schools. The district’s vision is that all children will have
daily activity that creates life-long positive health habits.

A. Physical Activity
1. Physical education: All students in grades K-12 will meet the physical education
requirements in WAC 180-50-135, with students in grades K-8 receiving on average at
least 100 minutes per week of instructional time in physical education.

2. In addition to physical education, elementary students should have additional

unstructured and supervised active play at recess.

3. Physical activity should be encouraged as a reward and discouraged from being used as a
punishment for students.

4. Co-curricular physical fitness activities, clubs and intramural programs should be

encouraged, with the range of activities considering the abilities and interests of all
students.

B. Connecting in-class curriculum with the larger school environment

Nutrition and physical fitness education and the promotion of healthy eating and fitness
habits will be most effective when integrated into the entire school day.
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1. School gardens: Schools are encouraged to establish an instructional garden (tilled

ground, raised bed, container, nearby park, community garden, farm or lot) of sufficient
size to provide students with experiences in planting, harvesting, preparing, serving and
tasting foods.

2. Food tasting and preparation: The promotion of nutrient-dense foods as recommended in

the 2005 Dietary Guidelines can be facilitated by encouraging food service staff and
teachers to provide food tasting and meal preparation opportunities for students. This can
encourage selection of a wider variety of whole foods, including fruits and vegetables,
and identify new, healthy, and appealing food choices.

3. Food marketing: School meal programs and nutritious food and beverage choices will be
promoted using menus, posters, articles, survey, and health fairs.

4. School cafeterias will model waste reduction practices by

a. reducing packaging waste by using fresh, whole ingredients whenever possible;
b. composting food waste through the school garden program, if available, or a
community composting facility; and
c. recycling all recyclable materials

C. Family and Community Communication and Involvement

In order to promote family and community involvement in supporting and reinforcing the
nutrition and fitness education in the schools, each school is responsible for:

1. Making meal menus, nutrition education materials, physical activity ideas, lists of foods
and beverages that meet the nutrition standards, and ideas for celebrations, rewards,
recognition, and fundraising readily available to parents.

2. Encouraging parents to:

a. have children participate in school meal program
b. provide healthy meals from home
c. attend health fairs and student nutrition exhibits
d. participate on the school health advisory committee

3. Facilitating internships and collaboration with community organizations.

4. Working with community groups to facilitate and promote walking and biking to school
by students and staff using safe routes and safe practices.
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5. Making school fitness and play facilities accessible to students and parents after school,
when possible.

6. Encouraging the formation of a school health council to assess, monitor, and advise on
ways to improve the health and fitness environment of the school.

D. Staff Wellness & Development

1. A staff wellness committee is encouraged to plan and implement activities and programs
to support staff members in maintaining healthy eating and fitness habits and to facilitate
achieving those habits during the school day.

2. Staff development will be developed to support achievement of nutrition and fitness

goals.

IV. Monitoring and Evaluation

The Superintendent will convene a School Health Advisory Committee (to include students,
parents, teachers, food service and health service staff, administrators, health care professionals,
and other community members) to assist in implementing, monitoring, and revising the
Procedure. The Committee will also serve as a resource to schools by disseminating health,
nutrition, and fitness materials to students, staff, and parents. The Committee should meet at
least quarterly and make an annual report to the Superintendent on the implementation of this
Procedure with suggestions for the continual improvement of the nutrition and physical fitness
education and practice in the Walla Walla Public Schools.

Appendix 1: USDA Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value

Foods of minimal nutritional value are:

(1) Soda Water--A class of beverages made by absorbing carbon dioxide in potable water. The
amount of carbon dioxide used is not less than that which will be absorbed by the beverage at a
pressure of one atmosphere and at a temperature of 60 deg. F. It either contains no alcohol or
only such alcohol, not in excess of 0.5 percent by weight of the finished beverage, as is
contributed by the flavoring ingredient used. No product shall be excluded from this definition
because it contains artificial sweeteners or discrete nutrients added to the food such as vitamins,
minerals and protein.

(2) Water Ices--As defined by 21 CFR 135.160 Food and Drug Administration Regulations except
that water ices which contain fruit or fruit juices are not included in this definition.

(3) Chewing Gum--Flavored products from natural or synthetic gums and other ingredients which
form an insoluble mass for chewing.
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(4) Certain Candies--Processed foods made predominantly from sweeteners or artificial sweeteners
with a variety of minor ingredients which characterize the following types:

(i) Hard Candy--A product made predominantly from sugar (sucrose) and corn syrup which may
be flavored and colored, is characterized by a hard, brittle texture, and includes such items as
sour balls, fruit balls, candy sticks, lollipops, starlight mints, after dinner mints, sugar
wafers, rock candy, cinnamon candies, breath mints, jaw breakers, and cough drops.

(ii) Jellies and Gums--A mixture of carbohydrates which are combined to form a stable
gelatinous system of jelly-like character, and are generally flavored and colored, and include
gum drops, jelly beans, jellied and fruit-flavored slices.

(iii) Marshmallow Candies--An aerated confection composed as sugar, corn syrup, invert sugar,
20 percent water and gelatin or egg white to which flavors and colors may be added.

(iv) Fondant--A product consisting of microscopic-sized sugar crystals which are separated by
thin film of sugar and/or invert sugar in solution such as candy corn, soft mints.

(v) Licorice--A product made predominantly from sugar and corn syrup which is flavored with
an extract made from the licorice root.

(vi) Spun Candy--A product that is made from sugar that has been boiled at high temperature and
spun at a high speed in a special machine.

(vii)Candy Coated Popcorn--Popcorn which is coated with a mixture made predominantly from
sugar and corn syrup.

Issued: September 2003

Revised: January 2006