Feeding kids in Texas schools is no easy task, but policies at the local, state and national level make it easier for schools to give kids the nutrition they need so they can focus on doing their best in the classroom. The National School Lunch Program outlines national standards school meals must meet, but Texas has done its part to go above and beyond the requirement, ensuring that growing Texas minds get all the nutrition they ...
In 2013, Arizona lawmakers introduced a bill that would require nutritional standards for all food and beverages sold in high schools. The proposed rules apply to vending machines, as well as a la carte lines in cafeterias, school stores and snack ...
The Arizona PTA assembled a platform of legislative areas they champion for the 2012-2013 school year. The platform states that the Arizona PTA "Supports and promotes the importance of healthy eating among children and youth to combat the growing national epidemic of childhood obesity." The PTA also supports food access for all children. The group will monitor all legislation and will take a position to support or oppose any bill that enhances or detracts from the Arizona PTA Legislative ...
On November 26th, 2012, Texas State Representative Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) filed legislation to ban sugary drinks from being sold in public schools. The ban would include soda, sports drinks and similar sugary beverages but would allow schools to sell or distribute 100-percent vegetable or fruit juice, vitamin-enhanced water, water without sweeteners and milk with a fat content of 1 percent or less. Rep. Alvarado introduced similar legislation in 2011, but the bill died early on. Read the full-text of the bill here On June 28, 2013 after being passed by the legislature, the bill was vetoed by Texas Governor Rick ...
More than half of the children in the Coachella Valley are overweight or obese, according to the most recent statistic. The demographics of the Coachella Valley’s youth adds to the area’s challenge. Latino children and low-income children — 78 and 75 percent of the valley’s public school students, respectively — are more likely to be overweight or obese. Almost twice as many Latino children in the Coachella Valley were overweight as compared to white children, according to 2010 Health Assessment Resource Center statistics. Realizing the need for change, the valley has been implementing various programs around the area to help set kids back on the path to life-long health. One shining example of progress is Palm Springs Unified School District (PSUSD), who won the Healthy ...
If you could wave a magic wand, what would you do to fix school lunches? If money was no option, what would you do to bring healthier foods into schools? These are the kinds of questions students at Sunset High School in Del Norte County, California asked while dreaming-up big solutions to their less-than-great school food. Fed up with the pre-packaged lunches and unhealthy options, the youth organized and advocated for change, building partnerships and leadership skills that will last a ...
Chicago Public Schools unanimously approved a healthier snack and beverage policy on November 13, 2012. The policy bans the sale of items like Gatorade, energy drinks and whole milk in schools. It also discourages rewarding kids with sweets or selling them at school fundraisers. Latino children make up the majority of students in the district, at 44%. Schools will be given a full year to implement the ...
On Friday, January 18th, 2013, the Mayor's Fitness Council in San Antonio, Texas hosted the Healthy Schools Summit. The summit, which is open to the community, including parents, teachers, administrators and organizations, took a look at wellness policies in San Antonio school districts and brainstormed ways schools can put on ...
A company by the name of Healthways is working with communities in California and Iowa to shape policies that would make communities more active through the Blue Zones Project. According to a blog post from the DC.StreetsBlog.org, the Blue Zones Project---a collaborative effort of AARP, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the Walkable and Livable Communities Institute---is now working to integrate more physical activity into daily life. The blog post mentions that communities near Los Angeles like Hermosa, Rendondo Beach, and Mahattan Beach, participated in a planning process to institute walking school buses, to create a livable streets plan and to develop a master bike plan. It also states that since the start of the Blue Zones project in Southern California, ten local schools have ...
