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Schools

St. Thomas School Board Enacts New Food Policy

St. Thomas the Apostle School in West Hempstead adds Health and Wellness Policy.

Following in the footsteps of local public schools, St. Thomas the Apostle in West Hempstead recently enacted a policy to address the quality of foods served to its students.

The school board met earlier this month to address questions about the proposed new Health and Wellness Policy for the school that they had drafted. The proposal is based on New York State and Diocesan of Rockville Centre health and nutrition standards. The general recommendations are that food sold or provided to children at St. Thomas during the school day and at school events must be nutritionally sound.

The draft of the Health and Wellness Policy was made available on St. Thomas’ Web site and many parents had expressed concerns about the proposal and the way it is to be implemented.

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St. Thomas’s School Board Secretary Lori Lang, of Malverne, explained the motivation behind the added policy.

“A number of parents, myself included, were concerned about the quality of the food options our children are given during school events such as pizza day, bagel day and during holidays and birthdays when parents bring snacks to school," Lang said.

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Members of the board researched the standards used by public school districts and the dioceses before drafting their proposed health and wellness guidelines.

School board member Bonnie Porzio, who has two children attending St. Thomas stated, tried to put some of parents' concerns to rest.

“Noone’s objecting to pizza day or bagel day," she said. "We’re just concerned about our children’s health and would like them to have healthier options to choose from.”

The St. Thomas’s Health and Wellness Policy, which will go into effect in the fall of 2011, provides guidelines for meals, snacks and beverages, including food served in the classrooms, cafeteria and at school events. The policy sets nutrition standards for both food and beverages and also includes a food allergy protocol.

The choice of beverages will now include water, non-fat plain and chocolate milk or 100 percent juice with no added sugar. Meal and snack choices will now include fruit and baked options, and most importantly, will take into account children who may have food allergies. Teachers and parents will work together to minimize the exposure of foods that cause allergic reactions to children in the school who may be at risk.

Going forward, a Health and Wellness Committee will be formed and include three people; one member of the school board, one teacher and one representative of the Parents’ Club. They’re responsibility will be to ensure compliance of the policy. Parents are encouraged to suggest amendments.

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