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State Board of Education looking to revise lunch rules for elementary and middle schools

Posted March 20, 2008 11:00 pm

Adriana Colindres

Fruit smoothies made with low-fat yogurt could be sold in the school cafeteria to sixth-graders but not to fifth-graders, under a proposal from the Illinois State Board of Education.

To help students get healthy and stay that way, the board wants to revise rules governing the kind of food that may be sold in elementary and middle school.

Board spokesman Matt Vanover said the proposal builds on the school "junk food ban" approved in 2006. That measure, spurred by concerns about rising rates of childhood obesity, barred Illinois' K-8 schools from selling candy and soda during the entire school day.

"I think this keeps that commitment to the healthy lifestyle, healthy eating … that we want to instill in our youth, beginning at a young age," Vanover said.

The new revision makes a distinction between what's nutritionally appropriate for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, as compared with students in sixth through eighth grade. It does not apply to high school students.

Students in grades six, seven and eight would be allowed larger portion sizes and more calories, Vanover said.

The older students also would be given a wider range of options.

For instance, they would be permitted to buy flavored water, as long as the serving size doesn't exceed 25 calories. They also would be allowed to buy fruit smoothies, provided the serving size doesn't exceed 200 calories and the beverages are made with low-fat yogurt or another low-fat dairy alternative.

Another aspect of the proposed rule changes deals with portion sizes and calorie restrictions on "a la carte" items, which can include salad bars and additional entrees.

Here's an example, as described in a State Board of Education memo: If a school serves pizza on a particular day as part of the national school lunch program, it also may separately sell a single slice of pizza "a la carte." But the portion sizes must be the same for the "a la carte" slice and the school lunch-program slice.

In addition, if a school wants to sell individual slices of pizza "a la carte" on a day when the national school lunch program offering doesn't include pizza, it may do so. But each serving must be 400 calories or less for students in fifth grade or below, and 450 calories or less for students in sixth through eighth grades.

According to the board's memo, the Illinois Association of School Boards has expressed concern that schools would find it difficult to follow two sets of rules - one for students up to fifth grade and another for students in grades six through eight.

The recommended rule changes are the result of a series of meetings that State Board of Education officials held last fall with school superintendents, dieticians and other experts, Vanover said.

The board on Thursday voted to approve the proposal for "initial review" and conduct a 45-day public comment period. Board member Dean Clark abstained from the vote, saying the so-called "junk food" rule has little to do with junk food and is an issue best left to local school boards, rather than the state.

Vanover said the board is expected to discuss the proposed rule changes again in June and could make modifications based on public comments. The next step would be to go to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, a bipartisan panel that reviews administrative rules put forth by state agencies.

Adriana Colindres can be reached at (217) 782-6292 or adriana.colindres@sj-r.com.

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