Community Stakeholders,

The district’s Wellness Plan is heavily regulated by state and federal guidelines. However, there are a few areas where we have local control.

By law the district must:

1. Have goals that promote student wellness for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity and other school-based activities.
2. Adopt and follow nutrition guidelines.
3. Allow parents/guardians, students, school health professionals, physical education teachers, school food service representatives, Board members, school administrators and members of the public to participate in the development, implementation and periodic review and revision of the policy.
4. Inform and update the public about the content and implementation of the policy.
5. Designate one or more district officials to ensure that each school in the district is in compliance with the policy.
6. Periodically measure and make available to the public an assessment of the policy that includes:
   • The extent to which each school is compliant.
   • The extent to which the district’s policy compares to model policies.
   • A description of the progress made in meeting the goals.
7. Provide physical activity in accordance with state law.

The school district works closely with the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA) to craft the district’s policy and procedures and insure they are within state and federal law, statute and regulation.  MSBA has reviewed this policy and procedure and it complies with federal regulation.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the federal agency that oversees the federal school nutrition programs, recently passed new regulations implementing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. These new regulations became effective on August 29, 2016. According to the regulations, school districts should be working toward compliance now and must fully comply with the new regulations by June 30, 2017. By the 2017–18 school year, school districts must complete the required triennial (at least once every three years) assessment.

One of the major changes required by the new rules is that school districts must have “standards for all foods and beverages provided, but not sold, to students during the school day.…” Previously, the district only had to adhere to standards for foods sold to students on district property during the school day. Foods provided, but not sold, to students include foods used in celebrations or classroom parties and food used as a reward.

The regulations require the district to adopt standards, but it is up to the district to decide which standards to use. The team that created this procedure in conjunction with MSBA chose to use the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, but the district may adopt its own standards. This said, the district’s wellness committee chose to create our own standards based upon the district’s current practice to regulate donated foods for celebrations or classroom parties.  The standards we composed are as follows:

• No homemade foods (This has been in place for several years already.)
• All foods, with the exception of fruits and vegetables, must come to school in their original container and include an ingredient label (This is a change in current practice. You now can bring 12 count cupcakes, for example, in original store container without each being individually wrapped.)
• Foods must be served with gloved hands by an adult
• Soda and energy drinks will not be allowed during the school day for any student in any building.

Public participation and transparency is important to me. Please review the policy and procedure below and reply with comments. I will not reveal the names of people who ask questions or reply to this post. I will update this post with the questions asked of me with my reply and revisions. Please check this page often as it will be updated daily.

I will hold an open public meeting in the Middle School Annex on June 8, 2017 starting at 5:30. It is my intent to revise the wellness policy and procedures with the input of the public to the extent that the district remains compliant with state and federal regulation.   This policy and procedure will be on the Board agenda and voted on June 22, 2017, during the open meeting starting at 6:30 in the Middle School Annex. Please feel free to call me at (573) 657-2147 if you have questions.

Thank you for your time and support of our educational programs!

Respectfully,

Christopher Felmlee

Superintendent of Schools

Southern Boone School District

District Wellness Program Procedure May 2017 2.0-10c81sh Proposed Procedure

DISTRICT WELLNESS PROGRAM-revision 5 9 2017-1ojab3w Proposed Policy

Changes to Note and Topic for Clarification:

• The Wellness Committee developed standards that are less restrictive with donated food items for celebrations and classroom parties.
• All foods sold and provided by the school district must comply with the Smart Snack Standards.
• The Wellness Committee will publicly post meetings and keep minutes; overall greater transparency and open public involvement.
• Instructional activities with foods are not regulated with the Smart Snack Standards.
• I understand frustration with the regulation. It is not the school’s intent to erode parent rights. As a district, we are handed the sample policy from MSBA and did our best to make the policy our own to fit our current practices without disrupting and overburdening the families we serve.
• “In addition, the Smart Snack standards apply to all foods and beverages provided by the district to students outside the reimbursable school meal program during the school day.” This means all foods provided by the school district (everything that is not donated for classroom parties/celebrations) will meet the Smart Snack Standards; not only the meals we sell in the lunch and breakfast line but also lunch with the Principal and treats in our school stores and so on.
• “For the purposes of this policy, the school day is the time period from midnight before to 30 minutes after the official school day.” This is set by the feds and state. This is their interpretation of the school day hours. This is the time frame that the district is obligated to insure that all district provided foods meet the Smart Snack Standards. Foods served after 3:30ish until 11:59pm do not have to comply with the Smart Snack standards….
• A comment was made in regard to the covert manner in which this policy and procedure was crafted.  This web page and public meeting on June 8, is the most transparent way for me to solicit public comment and input. Please let me know if you wish to be a member of the committee and I will add you to the membership. Once this policy is approved we will post our future meeting dates and minutes on the district’s webpage.
• Do these policies also include food brought by the student for lunch?  Or food brought by a parent for the student’s lunch? No and yes, the policy does not apply per say to what parents pack in their child’s lunch. However, realize we do not allow certain items such as soda, glass bottles and caffeinated drinks. In general, the Smart Snack Standards will not apply to what parents send to school with their child in their lunch box and the district has NO desire to police this!
• Can you clarify how fruits and vegetables can be packaged? Do they need to be in the original container, or can they be cut at home and brought in a different container? This was discussed by the committee. My understanding is that parents can bring these items in a container cut and ready to be served.