West Virginia School Nutrition Standards Development and Implementation

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West Virginia School Nutrition Standards
Development and Implementation

• Presented by
• Mary Kay Harrison, M.S.
• to the
• Institute of Medicine
• Committee on Nutrition Standards for Foods in
  Schools
• February 13, 2006

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A pilgrimage to statewide nutrition integrity
in schools 1973-2005A quest to a distant
sacred goal
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West Virginia School Landscape

• Schools 753
• Districts 55 counties
• Students 281,215
• Needy rate 52
• Community 65 rural (53 counties)
• Statewide information tech system
• WVDE Oct 2005 School Nutrition Program Report

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Nutrition Landscape

• National School Lunch Program
• All public schools
• 68 average student participation
• School Breakfast Program
• All public schools
• 31 average student participation
• District managed
• State funding support 34 program costs
• Closed campuses
• Statewide standards
• 
  
• WVDE Oct 2005 School Nutrition Program Report

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West Virginias Approach to Nutrition
Standards in Schools

• History
• Rationale
• Strategies
• Unanswered Questions
• Lessons Learned

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Science and BeliefsShape Standards

• 70s -- Preventing nutritional deficiencies
  and dental caries
• 80s -- Ensuring optimal growth and
  development
• 90s -- Preventing chronic disease in
  adulthood
• Today -- Addressing excess, imbalance and obesity
• Tomorrow -- ?? (Meeting individual needs)

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First Standards 1973 State Board of Education
Policy

• prohibited sale of food other than Type A lunch
  in the cafeteria during mealtime, and allows only
  foods planned as part of the breakfast menu to be
  sold at breakfast
• called for districts to establish local policies
  for other foods sold in school during the school
  day
• surveyed all public and private schools to
  determine frequency and types of other foods
• established state advisory council to study
  survey results and present recommendations
• foods sold or served by the school at any time
  during the school day which are not part of a
  reimbursable meal

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Standards for Other Foods

• 1975 State Board of Education accepted Council
  recommendations and mandated during the school
  day --
• No candy, soft drinks, chewing gum or flavored
  ice bars
• No foods containing more than 39 sugar
• All juice beverages contain a minimum 20 juice

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1976 Standards Refined Reaffirmed

• 1976 Expert panel convened to define banned foods
• WVDE issued guidance on verifying compliance
• Soft drink representatives called for repeal
• State Nutrition Advisory Committee recommended no
  change
• State Board of Education reaffirmed standards
• Statewide training and education began

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1977 Standard implemented with little effect on
student morale
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Standards in a Larger Context Comprehensive
(Coordinated) School Health

• 1991 Governor convened blue ribbon task force
  of business and community leaders to study and
  recommend school policies to improve the health
  of West Virginians
• Process led by state public education and health
  officials using U.S. Centers for Disease Control
  model

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Coordinated School Health Model
Health Education
Health Services
Family Community
Staff Wellness
Physical Education
Counseling
Nutrition Services
School Environment
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Task Force Results

• Limited examination
• Only nutrition services, i.e., meals
• Little knowledge of children and school
  environment
• Lack of scientific evidence and measures
• Limited conclusions
• Nutrition programs hold promise for reducing
  chronic
• disease rates
• School meals do not live up to promise
• Heightened awareness and perceived need
• State Board of Education calls for committee to
  study and recommend nutrition policy

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1992 Nutrition Standards Committee

• 30 members representing
• Teachers
• Students Parents
• Administrators
• State Education Agency
• School Boards
• Food Service Directors Managers
• Dietitians
• Physicians Dentists
• School Nurses
• Food Industry
• Higher Education

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A Vision

• 1 The total school environment fosters
  healthful choices
• 2 Nutrition programs are an important integral
  part of the broader school curriculum
• 3 All foods sold and served during the school
  day enhance learning and students quality of
  life
• 4 All students have opportunities to choose
  meals that reflect the Dietary Guidelines for
  Americans

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Committee Recommendations

• Lunch standards based on DGA and RDAs
• Additional foods for pregnant students
• Job qualifications for district directors
• Comprehensive local nutrition plans
• State Nutrition Advisory Council
• Assessment of effectiveness
• Standards for other foods
• No soft drinks, candy, chewing gum, flavored ice
  bars
• No foods containing more than 39 sugar
• No fruit beverage containing less than 20 real
  juice
• No foods containing more than 8 gm fat per oz
  serving
• Transfer of purchasing authority for continued
  noncompliance

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State Legislatures Involvement

• State Code 18-2-6a permits soft drink sales in
  high schools
• during instructional day except at meal periods
• with approval of local boards of education
• designates use of profits
• Complicated compliance monitoring

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2004 Informal Survey of Local Directors

• Since passage of Policy 4321.1, do you believe
  schools in your district are
• 1. Serving meals to a higher percentage of
  students?
• 2. Offering more variety and menu choices?
• 3. Serving more fresh fruits and vegetables?
• 4. Serving more grains, including whole grains?
• 5. Offering more low-fat items?
• 6. Offering more nutritious snack foods and
  beverages?

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2004 Revisions to Practice Policy

• WVDE directive on soft drinks
• Requires competitive bidding and district level
  contract approval
• Recommends advertising and marketing
  restrictions, serving size limits
  
• Revised WVBE policy
• Mandates that equally accessible healthy beverage
  (water juice) be sold as alternatives to soft
  drinks in high schools where soft drinks are sold
• Prohibits food sales before and during lunch in
  elementary schools
• Recommends nutritious food choices be made
  available wherever whenever food is sold or
  offered on school premises
• Defines nutritious foods

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Healthy Lifestyles LegislationA statewide
response to obesity crisis HB 2816
Enacted April 2005

• State Healthy Lifestyles Office for cross-agency
  effort
• Advisory bodies
• Physical education activity requirements in
  schools
• Measures of school progress (body mass index)
• Voluntary private sector food labeling program

• Healthy beverages in high schools selling soft
  drinks
• 50 offered
• healthy beverage defined

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Contributing to Success

• State Board of Education Leadership Initiative
  
• Founded on research
• Scientific evidence
• Expert panels
• Rooted in reality
• Stakeholder advisors
• Open forum
• Pilots
• Phase-in
• Integrated with education
• Accountability measures
• Strengthened through training
• Staff - Parents
• Students - Business Community

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Nagging Questions

• Should standards be developed top down or
  bottom up?
• What waves of new scientific evidence should we
  ride?
• Is a patchwork of policies and rules effective?
• Does the need for new standards outweigh the
  risks engendered in the development process?
• Who should mind the store?
• How do you know and deal with unintended
  consequences?
• Are relationships stressed or strengthened?
• Will the stick or the carrot work best?

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Accountability

• Sending the message -- This Is
  Important!
• Compliance monitoring
• School district child nutrition fiscal
  monitoring
• State system for school accreditation
• State/federal Child Nutrition Program system
• State district response to complaints
• Enforcement
• School
• District
• State
• Accountable parties
• Sanctions
• Fiscal
• Other

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Lessons Learned

• Statewide Standards
• should be imbedded in comprehensive
  health/nutrition policies
• must relate to broader education values and goals
• recognize schools capacity to meet standards
• must hold school decision-makers accountable
• Process
• requires ongoing training and technical
  assistance
• demands unwavering conviction and resolve
• never easynever over

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