Ukiah Unified School District

Food and Nutrition Policy - DRAFT 11/6/02

Mission

It is the goal and policy of the Ukiah Unified School District to provide each student access to delicious, enjoyable, and nutritious meals each day. The District shall improve the health of Ukiah's children and help them excel at learning through better nutrition.

The district will help by teaching students ways to establish and maintain life-long healthy eating habits. We shall foster in our students an understanding of nutrition and food that will serve them throughout their lifetimes and will benefit our entire community.

The mission shall be accomplished through nutrition education, garden experiences, the food served in schools, and core academic content in the classroom.

Goals

1. Ensure that no student in Ukiah Unified School District needs to go hungry.


2. Ensure that a healthy and nutritious breakfast, lunch and an after school snack for participating students is available to every student at every school so that students are prepared to learn to their fullest potential.


3. Ensure that all qualified children become eligible for free meals by checking with Mendocino County Social Services.


4. Maximize participation in the school meal program by developing a coordinated, comprehensive outreach and promotion plan for the school meal program.


5. UUSD will maintain nutrient-based planning (as set forth under USDA guidelines) to allow for more flexible food selection.


6. Improve the nutritional quality of all food served to UUSD students.


7. Serve enjoyable nutritious foods from diverse cultures with consideration of special dietary needs.


8. Serve meals in a pleasant environment with sufficient time for eating, while fostering good manners and respect for fellow students.


9. Maximize the reduction of waste by recycling, reusing, composting and purchasing recycled products. Each school site shall have a recycling program.


10. Ensure that where public bond money is expended that improvements to school kitchens will take place.


11. Integrate nutrition into the District's Education program.


12. Establish a district-wide Nutrition Advisory Committee and a School Nutrition Advisory Council at each school site.

Strategies

1. Ensure that no UUSD student needs to go hungry.



2. Ensure that a healthy and nutritious breakfast, lunch and an after school snack for participating students is available to every student at every school so that students are prepared to learn to their fullest potential.



3. Ensure that all qualified children become eligible for free meals by checking with Mendocino County Social Services.



4. Maximize participation in the school meal program by developing a coordinated, comprehensive outreach and promotion plan for the school meal program.
   

   (a) The District shall utilize all available resources and strengthen its outreach to students and their families to ensure that all UUSD students have access to nutritious school breakfasts, lunches, and after school snacks for participating students, and to the summer meals program.

   (b) The District shall increase its collaboration with community food and nutrition programs and shall inform students, their families, and staff about non-school based programs such as food stamps, food banks, the Federal Women, Infants and Children Program, and other resources.

5. Maintain nutrient-based planning (as set forth under USDA guidelines) to allow for more flexible food selection.



6. Improve the nutritional quality of all food served to UUSD students. (not in agreement on strategies yet).



(a) All foods served on school district property, including food sold by the Food Services Department, through vending machines, shall meet nutritional standards established by Senate Bill 19.

• Not more than 35% of total calories shall be from fat;
  Not more than 10% of total calories shall be from saturated fats;
• Not more than 35% of its total weight shall be composed of sugar;
• No carbonated or caffeinated beverages shall be sold to elementary or middle school students, and shall apply to high school students starting in Jan. 2004. These standards shall be observed during school hours.

(b) Schools will explore alternatives to fund raising based on sale of healthy food items.

7. Serve enjoyable, nutritious foods from diverse cultures with consideration of special dietary needs.
   

   (a) The Food Services Department shall create a system for getting student and parent input in menu planning, including surveys and taste tests at schools.

   (b) The Food Services Department shall honor Ukiah's cultural diversity by, for example, (a) developing menus that feature the cuisines of Ukiah's diverse ethnic groups; (b) encouraging parent, community, and staff participation in developing recipes and menus for special events.

   (c) The Food Services Department shall analyze the District's food service facilities and distribution procedures and shall make recommendations to the Administration and the Board of Education for improving these facilities and procedures to meet the requirements of this policy.

8. Serve meals in a pleasant environment with sufficient time for eating, while fostering good manners and respect for fellow students.

   (a) The Food Services Department along with the Nutrition Education Project shall work with school site leadership to improve students' dining experience by, for example (1) insuring age appropriate, sufficient cafeteria seating, including outside eating areas; (2) improving cafeteria décor by providing posters, and appealing nutrition related decor; (3) organizing cafeteria decorating contests.

9. Maximize the reduction of waste by recycling, reusing, composting and purchasing recycled products. Each school site shall have a recycling program.



(a) The District shall work with the school garden program and Mendocino Solid Waste Management to set up a recycling, composting program at each school site.

(b) The Food Services Department shall research purchasing options for recycled products and reduce waste by re-instituting reusable trays at those schools with facilities.

10. Ensure that where public bond money is expended that improvements to school kitchens will take place.
    

    (a) The District along with Food Services Department will research all school sites to find out where improvements are needed and do outreach to the community to improve all school kitchens.

11. Integrate nutrition into the District's Education program.
    

    (a) The District shall work with outside agencies to support nutrition education as part of its curriculum. The District's nutrition curriculum shall utilize available materials.

    (b) Teachers in the school district shall use the District Health Standards and the California Nutrition Competencies as guides to plan and implement nutrition lessons in their classrooms.

    (c) School sites shall involve parents in healthy nutrition activities.

    (d) The District shall support and encourage such activities as the development of organic school gardens, utilization of fruits and vegetables grown at the schools in cafeteria programs, establishing relationships with farms and farmers' markets for speakers and field trips, and partnerships between schools and organizations offering programs on good nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

    (d) Integrate eating experiences, gardens, and nutrition education into the curriculum for math, science, social studies and language arts at all grade levels.

    (e) Establish an organic school garden in every school, which gives students the opportunity to plant, harvest, prepare, cook and eat food they have grown.

12. Establish a Nutrition Advisory Committee and a School Nutrition Advisory Council at each school site.

    (a) The Board of Education shall establish a Nutrition Advisory Committee as a subcommittee to the Health Advisory Committee, to work with community groups and government agencies to monitor the District's compliance with this policy and to suggest ways to improve the nutrition of Ukiah's students.

    (b) The Nutrition Advisory Committee shall include parents and community representatives; UUSD administrators including Food Services Department staff; teachers; principals; classified employees; and students.

    (c) The Nutrition Advisory Committee shall submit an annual report to the Board of Education on the District's compliance with this policy.