A. School Meals
Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will:
- be appealing and attractive to children;
- be served in clean and pleasant settings;
- meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state and federal law;
- offer a variety of fruits and vegetables daily;
- serve only low-fat (1%) and fat-free milk and nutritionally equivalent non-dairy alternatives (as defined by the USDA);
- ensure that half of the served grains are whole grain; and
- ensure that water is available in cafeteria.
As part of the school meal program, schools should:
- share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students. (The information could be made available on menus, a web site, on cafeteria menu boards, placards or other point-of-purchase materials.)
- accommodate alternatives for those students with allergies that meet the above guidelines as closely as possible.
B. Breakfast
To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn, schools will:
- operate the breakfast program, to the extent possible;
- arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve breakfasts that encourage participation, “grab-and-go” breakfasts to the extent possible;
- notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program, where available
C. Free and Reduced-Priced Meals
The school district will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. Toward this end, the school district may:
- utilize electronic identification and payment systems;
- provide meals to all children, based on income; and,
- promote the availability of meals to all students.
D. Meal Times and Scheduling
The school district:
- will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch;
- should schedule meal periods at appropriate times, e.g., lunch should be scheduled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; should not schedule tutoring, club or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities;
- will provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks;
- should take reasonable steps to accommodate the tooth-brushing regimens of students with special oral health needs (e.g., orthodontia or high tooth decay risk).
E. Qualification of Food Service Staff
Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the meal programs. As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the school district will:
- provide continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals; and,
- provide staff development programs that include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, nutrition managers and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.
F. Sharing of Foods
The school district discourages students from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.
G. Foods Sold Outside the Meal (e.g. vending, a la carte, sales)
All foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable meal programs (including those sold through ala carte [snack] lines, vending machines, student stores or fundraising activities) during the school day, or through programs for students after the school day will meet nutrition standards as required by state or federal law. Fundraising Activities
There are two types of fundraising – regulated and other. Regulated fundraisers are those that offer the sale of foods or beverages on school property and that are targeted primarily to PK-12 students by or through other PK-12 students, student groups, school organizations, or through on-campus school stores. Regulated fundraising activities must comply with the state nutrition guidelines. All other fundraising activities are encouraged, but not required, to comply with the state nutrition guidelines if the activities involve foods and beverages.
The school district encourages fundraising activities that promote physical activity.
I. Snacks
Snacks served during the school day or in after-school care or enrichment programs will make a positive contribution to children’s diets and health, with an emphasis on serving fruits and vegetables as the primary snacks and water as the primary beverage. Schools will assess if and when to offer snacks based on timing of meals, children’s nutritional needs, children’s ages and other considerations. The school district will disseminate a list of healthful snack items to teachers, after-school program personnel and parents.
J. Rewards
The school district will not use foods or beverages, especially those that do not meet the nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually, as rewards for academic performance or good behavior, and will not withhold food or beverages (including food served through meals) as a punishment.
K. Celebrations
Schools should evaluate their celebrations practices that involve food during the school day. The school district will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers.
L. School-Sponsored Events
Foods and beverages offered or sold at school-sponsored events outside the school day are encouraged to meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually.
M. Food Safety
All foods made available on campus adhere to food safety and security guidelines. All foods made available on campus comply with the state and local food safety and sanitation regulations. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and guidelines are implemented to prevent food illness in schools. http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/servingsafe_chapter6.pdf
For the safety and security of the food and facility, access to the food service operations are limited to child nutrition staff and authorized personnel.
N. Summer Meals
Schools in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals will sponsor the Summer Food Service Program
Approved August 27, 2018
Reviewed November 28, 2022
Revised November 28, 2022
