A. School Meals. Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs and After School Snack Program will:
- Meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state, and USDA/federal statutes and regulations.
- Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables.
- Serve only low-fat (1%) and fat-free milk and nutritionally-equivalent non-dairy alternatives (to be defined by USDA).
- Offer a variety of whole grains.
- Be appealing and attractive to children.
- Be served in clean and pleasant settings.
- Base serving sizes on USDA requirements by grade level.
- Comply with USDA regulations.
The District will share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students. Such information will be made available on menus and/or the district’s website.
B. Breakfast. To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn:
- Schools will, to the extent possible, operate the School Breakfast Program.
- Schools will, to the extent possible, arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation.
- Schools that serve breakfast to students will notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program.
- Schools will encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children through newsletter articles, take-home materials, or other means.
C. Meal Times and Scheduling. To the extent possible, the district will provide students with at least ten minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and twenty minutes after sitting down for lunch. Schools should not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes unless students may eat during such activities.
Schools will provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks.
D. Qualifications of School Food Service Staff. Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the school meal programs. As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the district will provide continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals in schools.
E. Sharing of Foods and Beverages. Schools should discourage students from sharing their food or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children's diets.