Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/2864
pointing” given the poor health of students, says Lederer, a member of the Fairfield-Suisun Unified Teachers Association. But old habits die hard — thons and jog-a-thons to raise money. Each district is responsible for enforcing the new law, and the state has mandated ev- ery district to come up with its own “well- ness plan” promoting its goals for nutrition and physical activity. Some plans have more support than others. Fairfield-Suisun Unified School Dis- trict’s board of trustees watered down a wellness plan that teachers and food ser- vice workers had created, says Cindy Lederer, a PE teacher from Crescent Ele- mentary School. The original plan had called for a “no cupcake” rule for class- room birthday parties along with healthy items that could be substituted. In its final version, the plan merely “suggested” healthier food choices. This was “disap- especially among parents — when it comes to creating a sugar-free zone in the classroom. “Now, if a teacher says ‘no cupcakes,’ the parent goes to the principal, the principal tells the parent to go to the district office, and the district office says that the no-cup- cake rule was only ‘suggested,’” says Lederer. “Because our school’s wellness plan has no teeth, a teacher has nothing to stand on.” Committing to improved health Health-conscious teachers in the New Healthy changes at California schools > Entrees should contain up to 400 calories and not more than 4 grams of fat per 100 calories. > Snacks may contain no more than 35 percent of calories from fat and not more than 10 percent of calories from saturated fat; not more than 35 percent sugar by weight and not more than 250 calories per item. > Beverages can only be milk, unsweetened water or sports drinks with no more than 42 grams of sugar per 20 ounces. > Sodas are no longer sold in campus vending machines. Haven Unified School District — where ev- ery elementary school has a vegetable gar- den — say their district’s wellness plan is quite palatable because it shows real com- mitment to better health. Many attribute its success to Lorrene Ritchie, a nutritionist and research scientist at UC Berkeley and parent of three students in the district, who helped organize a volunteer committee of teachers, school staff and parents called HEART (Health Education and Research Team). “We came together because there was concern among teachers, students, parents and the community around the issues of healthy eating and physical activity,” says Ritchie. “We wanted to formalize a way to promote healthy eating and physical activity through a variety of activities.” HEART has raised money to provide teachers with “mini-grants” for activities Right: New Haven Teachers Association member Blake Chong at the HEART Nutrition Olympics. Top: A nutritious selection at Cabrillo Middle School. 18 California Educator | february 2009 such as buying pedometers so students can measure how much they walk each day. Members developed guidelines for healthy school fundraisers, providing parent groups and booster clubs with lists of creative and nonfattening things to sell. They have also compiled a list of healthy foods for school lunches as well as items — such as fruit smoothies and yogurt pops — that can be given out on birthdays and holi- days instead of fattening food like cupcakes and freezer pops. One of the most popular HEART events is the Nutrition Olympics, designed to pro- mote activity and appreciation of healthy foods. Students at New Haven schools par- ticipate in events where they lift melons as dumbbells, enjoy Coconut Bowling (rolling coconuts to knock over pins) and do the Carrot Hop, hopping to the finish line hold- ing a carrot under their chins. There is also the 5-A-Day Prize Wheel, where students get to spin a wheel and answer a fruit or veg- gie question. “I’d love to see more of these kinds of things,” says New Haven Teachers Associa- tion member Vince Rosato, a teacher at Searles Elementary School whose fifth- graders starred in a HEART-produced video on healthy cooking a few years ago that is still shown on public television. “It’s time we looked at the health and wellness of the whole person, and not just how students do academically and socially.” For more information on California’s school food laws, visit www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/he.