The purpose of these procedures is to assure an environment at the Moorhead Area Public Schools (MAPS) that promotes and protects students’ health, well-being and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity and to promote and encourage students to adopt lifelong healthy behaviors that can reduce the risk of chronic disease.
II. GUIDELINES
A. Foods and Beverages
Moorhead Area Public Schools food service program offers affordable, nutritious and appealing meals, snacks and beverages in compliance with the most updated United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) school breakfast, lunch and smart snack guidelines and safety standards. The district will use the current standards to establish nutrition standards for all foods and beverages available to encourage healthy choices for students. The standards will focus on increasing nutrient density, decreasing fats, sodium and added sugars, and moderating portion size. Moorhead Area Public Schools encourages the consumption of nutrient-dense foods and beverages (such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat or non-fat dairy, lean meats, legumes, nuts and seeds).
1. Meals served in all Moorhead schools through the USDA National School Lunch and Breakfast programs:
a. are appealing and attractive to students considering balance, variety, contrast, color, and eye appeal and are served in a clean, safe, enjoyable environment.
b. offer a variety of fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on including those from the dark green and orange vegetable groups on the monthly menu.
c. serve only low fat (1%) and fat free milk; offer lactose-reduced milk (nutritionally-equivalent non-dairy alternatives) when requested by students and/or parents/guardians. Flavored milk, if offered, is fat free only.
d. ensure that at least half of the served grains are whole grain.
e. provide whole grain bread products daily.
f. use serving sizes that meet minimum and do not exceed maximum USDA requirements by age.
g. eliminate deep-fried foods.
h. strive to replace higher fat with lower fat items, as appropriate.
i. share information about nutrient content of meals with students, parents and staff through the district’s website and postings in school cafeterias after analyzing meals to ensure compliance with USDA school breakfast, lunch and smart snack guidelines.
2. Schools will provide an environment that encourages healthy eating and food habits. Moorhead schools will:
a. operate the USDA Breakfast Program in all schools, and inform and encourage parents/guardians through newsletters, website or handouts of the availability and importance of a healthy breakfast for students to enhance their ability to learn.
b. arrange breakfast schedules and use methods to serve breakfast that encourage participation, including but not limited to “grab and go,” breakfast in the classroom, or breakfast during morning break.
c. provide students with adequate time to eat meals.
d. schedule lunch for full-time students at appropriate times. Lunch will be scheduled midday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
e. obtain feedback from students and others about meals and new food options through activities such as taste testing, surveys, feedback meetings or health fairs.
f. encourage that any foods brought into school from outside the district’s food service program, including lunches for students, meet current USDA guidelines.
B. Competitive Foods
Foods and beverages sold or served during the school day outside of reimbursable school meals are known as competitive foods. Competitive food nutrition standards (see Administrative Procedure 536.2) are developed considering the standard that school meals are intended to be the main source of nutrition for students during the school day. Therefore, any other food or beverage consumed supplements that meal and must be:
1. Foods and beverages sold in school stores and vending machines will not be available to students during meal times. Schools will not hold food or beverage fundraising activities during school hours.
2. Foods and beverages available through a la carte, vending machines, schools stores and fundraising will follow or exceed current USDA smart snack guidelines. See Administrative Procedure 536.3 for suggested non-food fundraisers.
a. Vending Machines/School Stores
Any school-maintained vending machines will follow the district’s competitive food nutrition standards. Vending machines will display only healthy options on the machine and will not market unhealthy options. School stores will focus sales on nonfood items, and the food or beverage items sold will follow the district’s competitive food nutrition standards.
b. A la Carte
Serving sizes will be comparable to those served in reimbursable meals. Encouraged items such as fresh fruit and vegetables, fat free unflavored dairy products, whole grain products, and lean meats and legumes will be featured in the most prominent places.
3. Snacks, Parties and Celebrations
Foods and beverages sold or served for snacks, parties and celebrations should follow guidelines outlined in the following administrative procedures:
Administrative Procedure 536.2 - Smart Snacks in Schools
Administrative Procedure 536.5 – Healthy Celebrations
Administrative Procedure 536.6 – Discretionary Calories
C. Nutrition Education and Promotion
MAPS will provide nutrition education as a part of a standards-based, sequential, age appropriate, comprehensive program designed to provide students and their families with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health. Nutrition education in all Moorhead schools, K-12:
1. is integrated into an existing or school-developed sequential, interdisciplinary, comprehensive K-12 health education program that will be included as part of a K-12 comprehensive curriculum (delivered in each grade or, yearly, in grade level bands: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12).
2. is taught by certified teachers at each grade level providing skills and knowledge that is needed by students to adopt healthy eating behaviors and attitudes.
3. is communicated in consistent nutrition messages throughout schools, classrooms, employee lounges and cafeterias, and promoted to parents, the community and the media. Moorhead Area Public Schools will market only food and beverages that meet USDA Smart Snack Standards.
4. shall be consistent in school-based marketing and health promotion; thus it shall promote healthy food and beverage choices, not allow advertising of less nutritious choices and shall promote healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.
5. will be offered in the school cafeteria and in the classrooms with coordination between school food service staff and teachers.
D. Physical Education and Physical Activity
The primary goals for MAPS physical activity components are to provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge and skills for specific physical activities, to maintain physical fitness in a safe, adequate environment, to ensure students’ regular participation in physical activity, to teach students the short- and long-term benefits of a physically active and healthful lifestyle, and to enhance academic performance. Accordingly, the following guidelines for physical education and physical activity in MAPS are established.
1. Physical Education
a. Physical education shall be standards-based, using national or state-developed standards, such as the Society of Health and Physical (SHAPE) Education guidelines. The district follows applicable state law related to physical education instruction.
b. Students will spend at least 50 percent of physical education class time participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity.
c. Physical education curriculum framework is written for every grade. It is sequential and provides an opportunity for students to learn, practice and be assessed on content, developmentally appropriate motor skills, social skills, responsible behavior, physical fitness and benefits of physical activity.
d. The school district will not withhold physical education as punishment.
2. Physical Activity
a. Daily Recess
All elementary school students will have at least a 15-minute supervised recess break daily, preferably outdoors, during which schools facilitate moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through provision of space and equipment.
b. Integrating Physical Activity into Classroom Settings
For students to receive the recommended amount of at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day, and for students to fully embrace physical activity as a personal behavior, other school opportunities are:
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Classroom health education will reinforce the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle and reduce sedentary activities such as watching television and playing video games.
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Incorporation of physical activity into other subject lessons (such as mathematics, science, social studies, etc.) where appropriate. See Administrative Procedure 536.8 for suggestions.
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Classroom teachers may provide short physical activity breaks between lessons, classes and/or standardized testing.
c. Physical Activity Opportunities Before and After School
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The district offers physical activity programs, such as interscholastic athletic programs and intramural programs at the secondary level, to provide a range of activities that meet the needs, interests and abilities of all students.
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After-school childcare and enrichment programs shall encourage – verbally and through the provision of adequate and safe space, equipment and activities – daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants.
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Schools shall work with recreation agencies and other community organizations to coordinate and enhance opportunities available to students, community and employees for physical activity before and after the school day, on weekends, and during school vacations in accordance with the district’s Community Use of School Facilities and Equipment Policy 904. School policies concerning safety apply at all times.
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Schools shall encourage bicycling and walking to and from school.
E. Implementation and Monitoring
1. The Superintendent or designee shall execute administrative procedures that ensure the implementation of and compliance with the wellness policy. This shall include designation of district level and site-based employees responsible for policy and procedure implementation.
2. The district will develop and implement a communications plan, which includes training to ensure understanding of the rationale for the wellness policy and the implementation plan.
3. The MAPS food service director will provide an annual report to the Superintendent setting forth the nutrition guidelines and procedures for selection of foods in the food service program made available throughout the district.