Get Involved in Farm to School!

—Doug Walton

Now is the time to act, if you would like to see farm-to-school blossom within your own community.

In 2004, two important laws were passed requiring public schools to review and establish policies that impact the wellness of their students.

Thanks to the efforts of the Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition, a law was passed by the Oklahoma legislature mandating that all public schools form health advisory committees.

A second law was passed by the U.S. Congress, as part of the Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act. It requires every school district to develop and implement a local wellness policy.
Taken together, these two measures give communities the opportunity to help shape the future course of health and nutrition at the school and district levels.

School Advisory Committees
The Healthy and Fit Kids Act of 2004 requires each individual public school in Oklahoma to establish a Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee, consisting of at least six members, which can include parents, students, teachers, food service staff, administrators, local business persons and others.

These healthy school committees are charged with assessing and making recommendations in three areas: health education and services, physical activity, and nutrition education and services.
Upon reviewing current school practices in each of these areas, the advisory committee is to identify possible ways for the school to help improve student health and fitness.

Farm-to-school approaches such as offering fresh locally grown produce in the cafeteria, creating a school garden, and teaching kids how to prepare and eat healthy foods are examples of some measures that could be advocated for by the advisory committee.

Contact your school principal to find out more about the current status of the Healthy and Fit School Advisory committee. Many schools have not yet formed one and may just need a little encouragement from a concerned parent.

School District Wellness Policies
Federal law requires each public school district participating in the National School Lunch Program to establish a local school wellness policy by July 1, 2006.

The law specifies that each districtÕs wellness policy should include: goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness; nutrition guidelines for all foods available on the school campus; assurance that nutrition guidelines for reimbursable school meals are not less restrictive than federal policy; a plan for measuring the implementation and effectiveness of the wellness policy, including the designation of at least one person in each district to ensure that each school fulfills the policy objectives; community involvement including parents, students, food service staff, school administrators and the public in the development of the wellness policy.

Contact your local school district office to inquire about the status of your districtÕs policy and to learn how you can become involved.

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