Healthy Schools Campaign

Chicken Raised Without Antibiotics in School Food: What’s the Big Deal, and What You Can Do

Last year, Chicago Public Schools purchased 1.2 million pounds of locally sourced chicken raised without antibiotics to be scratch-cooked for lunch in the city’s schools. WIRED blogger and journalist Maryn McKenna lauded this effort as “a major step in protecting [Chicago] students, students’ families, and the rest of society as well.”

It puts economic force behind the movement to drag very large-scale agriculture away from antibiotic use. There has never been any scientific debate about the way that antibiotic overuse on farms increases the presence of resistant bacteria in the environment (for evidence, see this decades-long bibliography). It’s always been a question of politics and economics — and until recently, the economics have been on the side of the antibiotic-using producers. An investment like this could begin to tip the scale in the other direction.

It also brings real food back into schools: This chicken will be cooked in the schools themselves. Preparing raw chicken in school kitchens, which until recently might have lacked real ovens or trained cooks, is a significant step — but it also promises a huge improvement in  kids’ nutrition during the day over the pre-formed nuggets and patties they would otherwise get.

Cooking up Change Chicago healthy cooking contest student chefs won first place in this competition with oven fried chicken created with the antibiotic-free chicken that CPS purchased from Miller Farms. (The teens then went on a field trip to Miller Poultry Farms to learn how chicken is raised without antibiotics, its healthfulness, and how it is produced.)  In May, the team took their lunch to the Cooking up Change national finals, where they received honorable mention. More importantly, the student chefs walked away with valuable leadership skills and a platform to speak up for healthy school food. The team has advocated for antibiotic-free food production and healthy school food by speaking at briefings on Capitol Hill, and met with Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Cooking up Change Chicago student-created meal features chicken raised without antibiotics

Chicago Public Schools’ effort demonstrates how private and public sectors can work together to support health. Industrial food production, a significant contributor to increased antibiotic resistance, plays a major role in what we see on our plates (or trays), both in and outside of schools. The move by CPS to purchase chicken raised without antibiotics shows that it can be both beneficial and practical for large school districts to focus on food that is grown and raised in a way that promotes health. 

What can you do as an individual to speak up for food raised without antibiotics? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently released draft guidelines to decrease antibiotics in food production. While we applaud this measure, it can go further. The proposed standards allow the use of antibiotics for industrial farm animals to compensate for overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions. You can join the Pew Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming in urging the FDA to strengthen these guidelines. Click here to send a letter to the FDA today.

Finding Fresh Food in the Farm Bill

By Ashley Hofmann, HSC public policy intern

What’s the Farm Bill have to do with school food? A lot, actually. And it has the potential to do a lot more if Congress votes to promote healthy food by making it physically and financially accessible through updates to the Farm Bill.

As it relates to school food, the Farm Bill acts mostly as a funding mechanism through the purchase of farm commodities, support of fresh produce programs, grants aimed at developing local supply chains, and provisions to encourage schools to source locally-grown food. The problem arises in funding levels for different types of crops. In 2010, for example, corn and soybean growers received $5.5 billion in subsidies. But most of this isn’t the kind of corn-on-the-cob you grill or the edamame you add to your salad; it ends up as silage, ethanol, and high-fructose corn syrup. This type of spending policy is currently prioritizing fuel and feed over fresh food.

The 2008 Farm Bill took steps to support healthy eating by requiring the USDA to spend more of its budget on fresh food -- $200 million per year. (In case you don’t have a calculator handy, this means corn and soybeans received 28 times more funding than fresh apples, oranges, and broccoli.) Last week the Senate passed their version of the bill, named the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2012, which increases funding for community food projects and farmers markets, and introduces a farm-to-school pilot program in five states.

At HSC, we commend Congress on their steps to increase support for fresh, healthy food through the Farm Bill and urge our elected officials to continue making changes that will support student health and wellness. HSC makes the following recommendations for the Farm Bill:

• Increase the required amount USDA spends on fresh fruits and vegetables to support the nutrition guidelines set forth in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
• Provide commodity support for the School Breakfast Program at a value of 10 cents per meal served to help schools meet new nutrition standards and rising numbers of participants
• Allow school districts to apply for Community Food Projects Competitive Grants to encourage their participation in building local food networks, supporting local growers, and bringing fresh produce to children

Now that the Senate has taken positive steps toward these recommendations, we look to the House to ensure the Farm Bill continues to promote healthy food options by providing adequate funding for school meals and grants to local farm-to-school networks. Representatives need to hear that fresh, local food for students is a priority. We encourage you to send your representative a letter urging support of fresh, local food in the Farm Bill. 

Take action by sending a letter here.

Over the next few weeks we’ll hear from several guest bloggers about the bill’s impact on the future of school food, obesity rates, and community food initiatives. In the meantime, check out this infographic examining the disconnect between the government’s nutritional recommendations and funding levels for fuel and feed.

Stay posted for updates!

Plus: Interested in learning more about the Farm Bill? Check out HSC's Farm Bill fact sheet!

Culinary Students Showcase What's Hot in School Food

On Monday, six teams of high school student chefs from across the country will come together in the nation’s capital to help transform the future of school food. These young culinary talents have been challenged to create a healthy, great-tasting school meal using the same ingredients commonly used in school kitchens. 

These students are great advocates for healthy, appealing school food. In crafting their lunches, many teams got feedback from their peers and incorporated the changes they want to see in the school cafeteria. Each team shared their inspiration and motivation in preparing a meal that their friends and classmates would love. What trends to they want to see in school food?

Denver’s cheesy chicken pasta baked with vegetable ragu, spinach and carrot muffin with carrot sticks, and a fruit and yogurt parfait

Students recognized the convenience of mobility at lunch time. Competitors in the Cooking up Change Chicago qualifying contest observed that they like school food you can eat with your hands. “Not using utensils when we eat [makes] it a lot easier, a lot faster. It’s more efficient,” one student said. This year, the Winston-Salem finalists created a healthful “el taco loco” wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla while Jacksonville created a chicken wrap.

Many of the teams created a school meal that catered to their peers’ tastes. Each team incorporated chicken into their meal, pointing out that students like the flavor and recognize it as a healthy option at lunchtime.

St. Louis’ lemon pepper chicken and brown rice with caesar salad and berry parfait

This year, Cooking up Change traveled to the West Coast. The Santa Ana trio created an appealing lunch (pictured below) that represents their vision for the future of school food. Alejandro "Alex" Hernández told the Orange County Register, “I know in my heart that I cooked a meal that will make a change.”

Santa Ana’s lemon and spinach chicken with Tuscan bean salad and cinnamon poached pears

Rose, one half of the St. Louis team, said she and her teammate wanted show their classmates different methods of cooking and preparation that they know their peers will enjoy once they give it a try. “We just wanted to create something that was healthier and elegant to open up our peers’ eyes,” she said. She added that creating this meal offered “a way to open up their eyes to see that there are different forms of cooking other than frying or deep frying.”

Winston-Salem’s chicken and vegetable taco in a whole wheat tortilla with black beans and veggies and a home-style tortilla apple pie

Cultural influences played a key role in students’ lunches. From Southern Creole to Italian to Latin American to West African cuisines, Cooking up Change student chefs wanted to share influences from around the world with their peers, pointing to a desire for variety in the lunchroom.

Jacksonville’s chicken imoyo wrap, jollof rice, and West African succotash

The Jacksonville team wanted their tray to send a message. The team wowed judges in the qualifying contest with a West African-inspired chicken imoyo wrap, Jollof rice, and West African succotash. Phillip said, “we went where no one else had gone.” Hannah explained that “we used simple ingredients that we take for granted every day here in the U.S.," adding that the team "wanted to raise awareness" of hunger issues.

The Chicago team will serve oven-fried chicken raised without the use of antibiotics. The team recently spoke about their meal at a briefing for Congress and shared the lessons they learned from visiting an Amish poultry farm where the chicken is raised. 

Chicago’s oven-fried chicken, "Cousins" collard greens & cabbage, and sweet potato salad

We can’t wait for the students to come together in Washington, DC! 

You can help these amazing young people send a resounding message to Congress: students deserve a healthy school lunch. The day after the competition, one dish from each team's meal will be served tomorrow at a briefing for Congress on the future of school food and for lunch in the Longworth cafeteria, which serves Congressional leaders and their staff. The students will speak at the briefing to share their experience in Cooking up Change and their perspective on the importance of healthy school food. Invite your legislators to meet these inspiring students and try the healthy lunches they’ve designed by sending a letter here.

Speak Up for Healthy, Sustainable School Renovation in Illinois

Update! On April 25, this bill (SB 639) was passed by the House Education Committee and is expected to go to the full House in early May. Thanks to all the advocates who spoke up in support of this common-sense legislation! Now is the perfect time to encourage all members of the Illinois House to support this bill. If you have not already done so, we urge you to send a letter here.

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In Illinois, our average school is well over forty years old. Yet the current state school construction law only provides funding for “replacing aging schools,” not rehabilitating them. We know that when properly renovated and maintained, historic buildings can provide excellent learning environments that support student health and model sustainability in the community. 

Our schools need funding for rehabilitation -- not just new construction. Please join Healthy Schools Campaign, AIA-IL and Landmarks IL in speaking up for a sensible change to the law that would make rehabilitation funding a reality for Illinois schools.

Without this change, we will continue to lose centrally-located schools that could otherwise have been repaired. Demolition and new construction can cost more, create more environmental waste, and often result in the loss of a historic building that is a community asset. Many school districts facing this dilemma opt to build in new locations that require busing, which contributes to increased transportation costs and takes away the healthy option of walking or biking to school.

Student photo of school rehabilitation submitted in Through Your Lens photo contest

State Senators William Delgado (D-97, Chicago) and Pam Althoff (R-32, Crystal Lake) are sponsoring SB 639 to help encourage rehabilitation of aging school buildings. The bill will allow school districts to equally evaluate the option of renovating older school buildings rather than only considering replacement.

This bill does not require new or additional state funds. It merely allows school districts to consider rehabilitation as an option rather than only considering replacing an older school building.

Send a letter to your State Representative here.

The bill passed the State Senate and is now at the State House.  A hearing is scheduled for 9:00 a. m. on April 25. Please contact your state representative to support this bill.

Thank you for raising your voice for healthy and sustainable schools!

http://healthyschoolscampaign.org/getinvolved/action/SB639.php

USDA Releases New Nutrition Standards for School Food for First Time in Fifteen Years

Today, for the first time in 15 years, the USDA released updated nutrition standards for school food. We applaud the USDA for taking this important step and applaud the many advocates who, by speaking up for a strong reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act in 2010, set the wheels in motion for the USDA to make these critical changes.

The new guidelines draw on the latest nutrition science and take into account the health risks facing children today, including the childhood obesity epidemic and related illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes. Updates include:

• Increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables.
• Reducing sodium in meals over the next 10 years.
• Setting calorie maximums for the first time.
• Serving only unflavored 1% milk or fat-free flavored or unflavored milk.
• Increasing whole grains substantially.
• Minimizing/eliminating trans fat.

You may remember a media storm late last year about a move by Congress to intervene in the USDA’s process and insist that a small amount of pizza sauce count as a vegetable in a school lunch, or a smaller buzz over the summer when potato lobbyists urged the USDA to remove limits on starchy vegetables.

What happened with those efforts? Simply put, the frozen pizza lobby got its way. The potato lobby got its way, too. As a result, the standards that the USDA released today are not as strong as the ones it initially proposed. That said, these standards are tremendously important and a significant step forward for school food. We are glad to see this important progress and are committed to supporting schools in putting the new standards in practice.

We see much work to be done and urge everyone who cares about healthy school food to stay involved. Here’s what you can do:

Talk with your school food service director. Find out how the school food leaders in your district are responding to the new guidelines. How do they approach putting the standards into practice? What challenges do they anticipate? Knowing that the school community is following the issue and is supportive of the health-promoting changes can make a big difference in implementation.

Take the next step: consider the HealthierUS School Challenge. These new standards set the minimum requirements for school nutrition; many school districts (both large and small) do and will continue to exceed the standards. If your school community doesn’t want to count pizza as a vegetable or serve french fries four days a week, think about ways that you can use voluntary standards to go beyond these requirements. The HealthierUS School Challenge, a voluntary USDA program, is a great place to start. At HSC, we worked with Chicago Public Schools to develop a school food program that meets the gold standard of the HealthierUS School Challenge. Learn more about the HealthierUS School Challenge here.

Stay engaged as the USDA develops standards for snacks and vending. Just as the Child Nutrition Act authorized the USDA to update school food standards, it also called for the agency to update standards for “competitive foods” -- that is, foods sold outside the school meal program in vending machines, fundraisers or school stores. The USDA will take on this task next and needs advocates who care about healthy food in schools to stay engaged and lend support for health-promoting standards in this area.

Kudos to the USDA for taking this important step and to the advocates and school food service directors who will work to turn these guidelines into healthier meals for our nation’s students.

Raise Your Voice for the Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act

By Meagan Lloyd, HSC intern

Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to taste fresh, local fruits and vegetables prepared at our annual Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest! High school culinary students prepared delicious and healthy dishes that featured local kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, apples and more. 

It was exciting to learn that Chicago Public Schools students have access to these fruits and vegetables through the farm to school program and that in addition to supporting healthy eating, this program is supporting local farmers.

Seeing and tasting the dishes prepared from these local ingredients at Cooking up Change emphasized how important it is to support farm to school programs and increase access to local and regional foods. Earlier this month, Congress introduced legislation that would do just that! The Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act [pdf] would allow children greater access to fresh, healthy food by enabling schools to use some of their school lunch dollars to purchase local and regional foods. 

The Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act not only supports healthier school food, it would also expand access to healthy foods for the general public and for vulnerable populations by supporting the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program and improving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participant access to farmers’ markets. 

This is exciting news for schools, local farmers, and the general public and we encourage you to show your support for this important legislation by sending a letter to your representatives in Congress. Our friends at  Healthy Food Action have set up an online tool that lets you easily take action. Click here to send a letter. 

Let your Congress members know that you support increased access to local and regional foods and want to see more of these ingredients end up on students’ plates around the country.

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Plus: Check out more news and updates in the Farm to School section of HSC's blog!

Raise Your Voice to Support School Repair and Renovation in Jobs Plan

by Rochelle Davis, President and CEO

In his recent address to the nation, President Obama called for federal funding for school repair and renovation as part of his jobs-creation plan. School repair and modernization are critical to student health and achievement, so I was pleased to see the president highlight this enormous need as a priority.

For a glimpse of the needed repairs this funding could begin to address, I encourage you to check out Through Your Lens, the photo contest that HSC presents with Critical Exposure and the 21st Century School Fund.

The student and teacher photos say more than I ever could about the needs and potential of our nation’s school buildings.

Broken Wooden Door by Brittney from Washington, D.C.

The photos also highlight the significant disparity in our country’s school conditions. While the president mentioned technology and science lab upgrades in his address, he also mentioned emergency repairs and asbestos removal --  basic unmet needs that stand in sharp contrast to the healthy learning environments available in other schools.

Budget Cuts by Riva from San Diego

In Through Your Lens, we not only received photos of schools in need of repair but also many photos of schools that truly support learning. Some of these show new facilities with cutting-edge technology and energy-efficient design; others show schools that have made a strong investment in the arts or in providing spaces for physical activity.

Murch Elementary School's historic Cupola by Holden from Washington, D.C.

Many powerful photos, though, simply show old school buildings that have been kept in good repair. These historic spaces may not always have the newest possible technology, but they have been maintained well and provide good environments where students and teachers can come to school and focus on learning. 

The Library by Janelle from Las Vegas

Safe, well-maintained school buildings are fundamental to learning and health. We know students and teachers can’t do their best in school if they, like students who shared their photos in Through Your Lens, are shivering next to broken windows, straining to hear over ineffective ventilation systems or worrying about water dripping through a leaky ceiling.

They also can’t do their best when they need to leave the classroom because of asthma or other health problems exacerbated by unhealthy indoor air quality. Keeping school buildings in good repair is a simple and critical element of student health and learning.

I applaud the president’s proposal to address this serious need as part of his jobs-creation plan. The plan will now go before Congress, where the school-repair funding will need strong support. Please take a moment to contact your Senators and Representative to let them know you support federal funding for school repair in the jobs bill. Click here to send a letter.

 

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If you’re interested in learning more, I encourage you to check out Education Week’s excellent summary for more background on the proposal. This recent Washington Post editorial (published prior to the president’s address) also offers compelling background on the logic of including school repair in a jobs bill.

For more on this issue, check out the Through Your Lens section of our blog.

Urge Congress to Support Updated Nutrition Standards for School Food: Take Action Today

Earlier this year, we saw an exciting step forward for school food reform when the USDA released a proposal for updated nutrition standards for school food. These standards would add more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat milk to school meals and would require schools to limit the levels of saturated fat, sodium, calories and trans fats served to students.

Now, the USDA is refining the standards based on the input received during a comment period earlier this year (more than 130,000 comments were submitted!) and planning to release the final standards this winter. These updated standards can make an important contribution to improved dietary intake and the long-term health of millions of children across the country; this is especially key given increasing childhood obesity rates and the substantial role school meals play in children's diets.

However, several members of Congress are attempting to stop the USDA’s efforts to complete this process and improve school meals. While attention has been focused on the debt debate, Congress continues to work on other issues key to children’s health, including this issue of nutrition standards for school meals. Now is an important time to raise your voice to help ensure that we don’t lose important progress for healthy school food.

Please take a moment to let your Senators and Representative know that you support healthier school meals by asking them to sign a letter in support of the USDA’s new standards. Our friends at the Center for Science in the Public Interest have created an excellent action alert on this issue: we encourage you to take action here.

We urge the USDA to continue to move forward with developing the new nutrition standards and strongly support their efforts to help schools implement the standards by the start of the 2012 school year.  Timely implementation is essential to protect child health, support school food service staff in implementing the recommended changes, and get the most out of the national investment in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Please take a moment to raise your voice in support of healthy school food.

Will Healthy School Food be Jeopardized by Political Games?

The year 2010 ended with good news for Americans who support healthier school food: with overwhelming support, President Obama signed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act. This is a bill that, among other things, will improve nutrition standards for school food, increase the reimbursements that schools receive for the meals they serve (by about six cents per meal), and increase access to school food. 

This came after nearly two years of advocacy for healthy school food and was widely regarded as a good step forward for kids’ health. However, it seems that passing and signing a bill doesn’t necessarily mean an end to the political games. 

Last week, on June 16, the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed an agriculture spending bill. In addition to cutting funding for many public food programs, the committee attached language to the bill [pdf, see page 42] that directs the USDA “to issue a new proposed rule that would not require an increase in the cost of providing school meals.” In other words, the committee’s note instructs the USDA to disregard the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act’s requirement for more healthful school lunch guidelines.

What does this really mean? Well, there’s good news and bad news. 

First, the good news: this language isn’t going to do anything. 

This statement does not have the power of legislation, is not likely to wind up in any final bill or likely to be considered binding by the USDA. In fact, blogger Ed Bruske of Better D.C. School Food reported: 

“(the USDA) will not back away from proposed guidelines for more expensive school food despite demands from Republican lawmakers that the agency eliminate any requirements that would increase the cost of the federally-subsidized school meals program.”

We don’t need to worry that the new nutrition standards will disappear before they even get here.

The bad news is equally simple: this political maneuver brings attention to the reality that we have elected representatives who support attempts to derail efforts to improve school food.

While this specific challenge to the child nutrition law and the USDA’s authority will likely fade away when the bill is brought up by the US Senate, it will not be the last challenge we see.

The last few years have seen great momentum for improving school food. Although we have a new law in place and are seeing positive changes in schools around the country, we can’t let this momentum for advocacy stop: raising your voice for healthy school food is just as important as ever. Our friends at the Kids’ Safe & Healthful Foods Project have an online action center where you can send a letter voicing your continued support. Click here to send a letter.

Invite Your Legislators to (School) Lunch. . . and Help Students Change the Future of School Food

Next week, six teams of high school students from across the U.S. will gather in Washington, DC to compete in the national finals of the Cooking up Change healthy cooking contest and take part in a Capitol Hill briefing on the future of school food. A school lunch designed by students will also be served in the House of Representatives cafeteria!

Please join these remarkable students in speaking up for healthy school food!

Cooking up Change challenges high school students to create a school lunch that meets high nutrition standards on a tight budget. But the students have access to a key resource that many school food service staff lack: full kitchens with adequate equipment for cooking a meal. Many school kitchens only have the equipment to heat food, not cook from scratch.

Now, Congress is considering action that would help bring proper kitchen equipment, plus professional development for food service staff, to more schools.  

Please urge your senators and representative to support healthy school meals! Click here to send a letter inviting them to attend the briefing on Capitol Hill, try the student-designed meal in their own cafeteria and support action that would help bring proper kitchen equipment and training to more schools.

Thank you for being part of this effort. Stay posted for updates from the student teams next week in DC!

Through Your Lens: Tell Your School's Story to Make a Difference

Today we have a guest blog by Sean O’Donnell, Senior Communications Associate at the 21st Century School Fund.

 

photos submitted in Through Your Lens

This country’s 55.5 million school-aged children know that their school buildings matter, with almost 90 percent of kids enrolled in 98,000 public schools, including over 4,600 charter schools. The physical learning environment affects their ability to hear and concentrate on a lesson, their comfort and their health.  New or modernized school buildings tend to have better equipment and classroom design for today’s curriculum, and the updated surroundings send a message to both students and teachers that their work and accomplishments are valued.  Despite this, millions of public school students are stuck in sub-par school buildings.

Public school facility investment generally tracks the income level of the community the school is located in.  From 1995 to 2004, schools in low-income zip codes had one third the funding for capital projects as schools in wealthier zip codes. (See Growth and Disparity: 10 Years of PK12 Public School Construction [pdf] for details.)

Although federal, state and local policies are mounting increased pressure to improve test scores and graduation rates, many students and teachers spend time in schools that are deteriorating, out-of-date and overcrowded.  School districts have an estimated $271 billion of deferred building and grounds maintenance in their schools. (See Repair for Success: An Analysis of the Need and Possibilities for a Federal Investment in PK-12 School Maintenance and Repair [pdf] for details.)

A federal, state and local partnership is necessary to ensure that each and every community has sufficient resources to provide high-quality school buildings to their students.

Today, only half of all states have any partnership with their local school districts to share in the responsibility for providing adequate school facilities, and the federal government contributes only 86 cents for every $1000 dollars that states and local districts spend on public school building improvements paid through capital outlay. (See Federal Spending on PK-12 School Facilities [pdf] for details.) For all students and teachers to attend school in buildings that can help them meet the nation’s high expectations, this reality must change.  All three levels of government must contribute to reducing deferred maintenance, modernizing outdated buildings, and reducing overcrowding through building new schools.

Students and teachers can take action today to address inequities in our nation’s school building infrastructure by being part of Through Your Lens, submitting an essay or photo showing their school building conditions and by contacting their elected leaders at www.ThroughYourLens.org.  Please take the time to participate in Through Your Lens. Your story will help make sure all students and teachers learn and teach in a healthy, safe, environmentally sound and educationally appropriate building.

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Plus: Check out photos and stories shared in Through Your Lens!

Today: Urge President Obama to Support Federal Investment in School Facilities

Photo of school submitted in 2009-10 Through Your Lens contest

Today, President Obama will address Congress and the nation in the State of the Union address; the weeks that follow will bring much discussion of budget and legislative priorities for the year ahead. This is a key opportunity to urge President Obama to make federal investment in school facilities a priority.The president's administration has indicated interest in highlighting this important investment; now, we urge you to contact the president and your members of Congress to express support for federal investment in school facilities that support health and learning for all students.

The Through Your Lens contest and exhibit that HSC presents with the 21st Century School Fund and Critical Exposure offers a rarely-seen window into the reality of our nation's school building conditions. It also includes a simple way to take action. We urge you to view the images submitted by students and teachers across the nation, then send a letter to President Obama in support of safe, healthy school buildings.

From the letter:

All students and teachers have the right to adequate, appropriate learning conditions that will allow them to strive for and achieve the goals being set for them. No single level of government can accomplish this alone. We must create a new federal, state, and local partnership to ensure that each and every community has sufficient resources to provide high-quality school buildings to their students. Since quality education requires quality spaces, school buildings must be part of the federal government’s education investment.

Thank you for taking action!

Congress Passes Bill for Child Nutrition Act Reauthorization! What Does This Mean for Schools?

Good news for school food!

Today, the House of Representatives voted with strong and bipartisan support to pass the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, the bill that reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act. The Senate voted unanimously in favor of the bill this summer. It will now go to President Obama’s desk for signature. As the act is reauthorized only once every five years, this vote marks a significant move to shape the future of school food.

Simply put, this is good news for children’s health. In a time when far too many children face both hunger and obesity, this bill presents an opportunity to set policy that will bring healthier food to the children who need it most.

We are concerned that the limited increase in the reimbursement will not alleviate the financial pressure facing school food programs. We will continue working with hard-working and creative school food service leaders to support their efforts to bring the healthiest meals possible to students.

However, we ultimately believe that the bill will have a positive impact on school food and children’s opportunities to live healthy lives.

This vote comes after nearly two years of advocacy for a reauthorization that makes healthy school food -- and children’s health -- a priority.

It’s been a long road since the Child Nutrition Act first came up for reauthorization two years ago. We commend the Congressional leaders who have stayed the course in making sure that children’s health remained  a priority throughout this long process.

And just as important, we express our sincere and heartfelt appreciation for the many advocates who continued to raise a collective voice in support of fresh, healthy school food during this lengthy and occasionally discouraging political process. It is hard to imagine that this health-promoting policy would have been successful without such strong and consistent advocacy from so many different communities of people who care about children’s well-being.

What does this mean for schools? The reimbursements that schools receive for the meals they provide will increase by six cents per meal. We’ll see improved common-sense nutrition standards for school meals. The legislation will bring policies that help schools send consistent messages about healthy eating throughout the school -- including vending machines, school stores and more. It also includes provisions that should help simplify the process that children who are eligible for free meals go through to receive those meals. And the bill includes pilots for expansion of farm-to-school programs as well as organic foods.

As we’ve discussed, this is not a perfect bill. We advocated for more funding for school food and funding from different sources. But ultimately, we  believe this bill is an important step and will  bring meaningful change for kids’ health.

Stay posted for updates and more analysis in the weeks ahead.

House to Vote Wednesday on Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act: Contact Your Representative Today

This Wednesday, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, the legislation that provides funding and sets standards for school food.

The House is considering the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (S. 3307) which, though far from perfect, includes excellent policy changes to improve school food now and in the future. In a time when many children face both hunger and obesity, this bill presents an opportunity to set policy that will bring healthier food to the children who need it most.

Your voice is crucial in making this policy a reality. Please call your Representative today:

Dial 1-877-698-8228 and enter your zip code to be connected directly to your Representative’s office. Deliver this simple message: "Congress must not adjourn without passing the child nutrition bill. Please vote yes for the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act."

Thanks to Feeding America for providing this dial-in number to advocates nationwide.

We have urged those who care about school food to speak up about this issue several times over the past two years as reauthorization worked its way through Congress. Now, as Congress prepares to vote, your voice is more important than ever.

Thank you for taking action.

Speak Up for Kids' Environmental Health at School: Urge Your Senators to Support the Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools Initiative

by Alex Schaible, Writer & Policy Analyst

The Senate Subcommittee on the Environment, Interior and Related Agencies is preparing to meet soon to discuss the EPA budget for fiscal year 2011.  We at HSC are particularly excited about the proposed EPA budget because it includes a substantial increase in funding for the Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools Initiative.  The inclusion of $6.3 million for this initiative represents a $6.2 million increase from last year’s funding.

While $6.3 million may seem like a negligible amount in comparison to the overall proposed EPA budget (pdf - see page 10 for the Clean Green and Healthy Schools Initiative) of $10 billion, this dramatic increase in funding represents an important step toward acknowledging the importance of providing children with healthy school environments.

We are excited to see federal recognition of the important role schools play in supporting the environmental health of children.  With concerns increasing about children’s to chemicals, toxic building materials and mold, this initiative offers a great opportunity to create and support healthier school environments for children.

The proposed funding for this initiative will support efforts to develop existing school environmental health programs that focus on asthma, indoor air quality, chemical cleanout, green practices and integrated pest management.  If the full funding is approved, EPA will lead efforts to create healthier school environments for all students.

As Congress continues to review the EPA budget for fiscal year 2011, please contact your Congress members and urge them to support the Clean, Green, and Healthy Schools Initiative.   We can help establish a national precedent of supporting the healthy development of our nation’s children by providing them with healthier school environments they deserve.

Opportunity to Speak Up for Clean Air & Kids' Health

by Alex Schaible, HSC writer & policy analyst

We at Healthy Schools Campaign believe protecting communities against environmental exposures is a necessary step in providing children with a healthy school environment.  Exposure to environmental contaminants, such as those found in air pollution, can place the health and well-being of children at risk.  Our friends at the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago alerted us about an opportunity to speak out against air pollution and support healthy school environments in your community. 

The U.S. EPA will be holding three public hearings (in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Atlanta) on a proposed national power plant emissions rule.  The proposed Clean Air Transport Rule would have significant benefits for clean air and public health.  The rule is designed to cut Sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants by 71 percent and smog-forming Nitrogen oxide pollutants by 52 percent. 

EPA estimates that these rules would save 14,000-36,000 lives a year.

The Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago and their clean air partners will be speaking at the hearings to urge U.S. EPA to adopt a strong rule.  Please join this important effort to share your thoughts and express your support for a strong, effective rule. 

For more information about the hearings, click here. 

Hearings will be held:

• Chicago, August 19
• Philadelphia, August 26
• Atlanta,  September 1

To register to speak at the hearings, please contact Pamela Long by email or at 919-541-0641. 

For more background on the EPA Transport Rule, click here [pdf]. 

Plus: If you are planning to attend the Chicago hearing, please also contact Ashley Collins of the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, who is spearheading the Chicago outreach efforts.

Child Nutrition Act Bill Mark-Up to Begin Today: Now's the Time to Speak Up

The reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, the federal legislation that determines school food policy and resources, is moving in Congress. The bills introduced for reauthorization include several health-promoting policy provisions but do not include adequate funding to make fundamental change for healthy school food.

The House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee will begin mark-up of the bill today, July 14. The current version of the House bill increases the school food reimbursement rate by only six cents per meal, not enough for schools to make health-promoting changes to support students' wellness and learning.

Now, representatives need to hear that the public supports increased funding for healthy school food.

If you’d like your voice to be heard on this issue, now is the time to speak up! Please take a moment to contact your representative in support of a timely and well-funded reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act.

At a committee hearing this month, Sec. of Agriculture Tom Vilsack testified in support of a reauthorization that makes kids’ health a priority. "To state it simply, we are here today because school meals matter," he said. "Our schools are on the front line of efforts to improve childhood nutrition, our collective health, and the future of our great nation."

With the support of the administration, parents, students and advocates across the country, Congress now has a critical opportunity to change the future of school food by providing funding for healthy school meals. Add your voice to the call for kids’ health by sending a letter today.

New Legislation Supports Community Schools, Increasing Focus on Health & Home

As Congress prepares for the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), we're seeing bills propose a variety of measures to reform the education system. The Full Service Community Schools Act of 2009 [pdf] and the Keeping Parents and Communities Engaged Act [pdf] both incorporate the concept of community schools, a concept that is closely linked with health, wellness and sustainability.

A community school is a public school that combines education with a range of other in-house health and social services. So kids come to school to learn, of course, but parents may also drop by the school for a dental check-up. This engagements means that community schools are often the center of neighborhood life; they are open evenings, weekends, and summers for events, activities, and appointments.

In addition to providing ready access to important medical services right in the neighborhood,  community schools take on the vital role of engaging and connecting with parents. In particular, schools can give parents the opportunity to learn about health and wellness in a comfortable, familiar environment that puts kids' well-being front and center. Schools may host evening sports and nutrition education activities for families, for example, creating consistency between the home and school environment.

Community schools also promote health and sustainability by the simple fact that they are located in a community. When a school is located in a neighborhood, kids (and families) can often walk or bike there. (And many neighborhood schools also happen to be historic buildings -- check out our recent guest post to learn more about the many benefits historic school buildings can offer a community.)

And of course, parent engagement is good for kids' education. Research continues to demonstrate the positive connection between parent involvement, community support and kids' success at school.

HSC partner Coalition for Community Schools offers more resources on community schools and has taken a position on both of these pieces of relevant legislation. To learn more, click here.

Support for Healthy School Food in National Defense Bill

At first glance, H.R. 5136, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011, may seem an unlikely place to highlight the importance of child nutrition. The bill’s purpose, "to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2011 for military activities of the Department of Defense," does not seem to be directly related to obesity or child nutrition.

But, as HSC's Mark Bishop explained in a recent blog, the connection is not too far of a stretch:

. . . 75 percent of 17 to 24 year-olds are not eligible to enlist in the armed forces. There are many reasons for this, but one of the most significant is obesity. This made me think that the more things change, the more things stay the same. Prior to World War II, military and government leaders became concerned with the health of army recruits: as a whole, they were malnourished.  . . .

We currently have a 60-year-old system designed to get more calories to a malnourished student population, delivering too many calories to a student population facing record levels of obesity. Just as the National School Lunch Program was established to deliver more calories to malnourished children, it must now be adapted to provide the kind of healthy meals that can help this generation of children develop healthy eating habits for a lifetime.

Last month, the US House of Representatives voted in favor of an amendment to this military spending bill to demonstrate support for adequate funding for healthy school food in the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. The amendment includes a statement that "hunger and obesity are impairing military recruitment and must be properly addressed." The bipartisan amendment was offered by Representatives James McGovern (D-MA), Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), and Sanford Bishop (D-GA).

Both the House and the Senate are moving forward with reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act and we need advocates from every community -- from education to health to national defense -- to speak up about why healthy school food matters. Click here to raise your voice.

"School climate can be measured with the same rigor as academic achievement:" Coalition Comes Together for School Environment

By Laura Fillenwarth

On June 15, the National Collaboration for Youth will host a briefing on Capitol Hill on School Climate and Academic Achievement: using data to improve conditions for learning and youth outcomes.

The briefing will show that school climate can be measured with the same rigor as academic achievement and will reinforce the idea that school climate is an issue that is not limited to one model, approach or framework.  In connection with the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, ESEA, the briefing will discuss how school climate data can be measured and utilized to improve student performance.

 

On a similar note, the National Collaboration for Youth is also advocating for a minimum of $410 million for the Successful, Safe and Healthy Students program to be included in the FY 2011 Labor/HHS/Ed Appropriations bill. HSC is also supportive of this initiative.

 

As outlined in the President’s FY 2011 budget, the Successful, Safe and Healthy Students program at the U.S. Department of Education will increase the capacity of states and local education agencies to create safe, supportive, healthy, and drug‐free school environments. With it, schools would improve school climate by:

• reducing drug use, violence, bullying, or harassment
• increasing students' physical health and well‐being through nutrition, physical activity, and fitness
• and strengthening students' mental health and well‐being through the use of counseling, health and mental health services, and social services.

As the National Collaboration for Youth writes in its letter to Senators Harkin and Cochran:

A positive school climate is essential to student academic achievement, health and well-being. By establishing school climate standards and measuring school climate with the same scientific rigor used to measure academic achievement, schools can identify problem areas and promote concrete changes in curriculum and instruction, co-curricular programs, support services, and community partnerships that are essential to great teaching and learning.

Speakers at the June 15 hearing will include Dr. Peter Benson, President of Search Institute; Dr. Shane Lopez, Senior Scientist at Gallup and architect of the Gallup Student Poll; Dr. Jonathan Cohen, President of Center for Social and Emotional Education (CSEE) and Co-Chair of the National School Climate Council; among others.

In the DC area? Learn more or RSVP for the briefing here.