The Austin Independent School District will be taking the lead in limiting student access to unhealthy snacks and beverages as part of our AISD Initiative for Health Kids. I wanted you to know that beginning tomorrow the Coca-Cola Company will begin restocking all our beverage machines on secondary campuses with healthier drinks, including water, POWERade, juices and milk. Currently, no beverage machines are accessible to elementary students in AISD. (This will not apply to the machines in teachers lounges and only accessible by adults.)

Our snack vending machines will also be restocked with healthier choices for students. These will include trail mix, granola bars, baked chips, pretzels and dried fruit.

This AISD initiative meets and exceeds the requirements of new state regulations for food made available to children in our schools. We share in the community's concern about nutrition, unhealthy eating habits, and childhood obesity. While the schools are not totally responsible for what children eat, we can do our part to point them in much healthier directions that will benefit them throughout their lives.

We are requiring all our campuses to eliminate unhealthy foods-which the Agriculture Department calls "foods of minimal nutritional value (FMNV)." Campuses not in compliance with state regulations will be subject to severe state penalties, including reimbursement for food service accounts. While state regulations apply only to elementary schools and middle schools, we are extending the same regulations to our high schools.

Even though our elementary school students don't have access to these foods through vending machines, we want to make sure that teachers are mindful not to distribute these unhealthy foods to students as rewards and that cafeterias don't sell them as extra snacks. It is important that your PTAs and other school organizations know that students are not to receive these foods during the school day or on field trips.

So, goodbye to Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, Blow Pops, chewing gum, Jolly Ranchers, and Twizzlers, and hello to bottled water, teas, milk, juices, POWERade, graham crackers, Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars, animal crackers and light popcorn. No students will suffer from this change, but they will all benefit through this important change in their lifestyles. And some of your classrooms may be calmer places.

Below please find a summary of our new regulations.

Thank you for helping us lead this charge to benefit the health and well-being of our students. If you have any questions, contact Tracy Diggs, Coordinator of Health Services, at 414-9778 or tdiggs@austinisd.org.

Summary of District Regulations

• All AISD schools may not serve or provide access for students to FMNV or carbonated beverages at any time anywhere on school premises during the school day.
• FMNV foods and carbonated beverages may not be sold or given away on school premises by the school, school or non-school organizations (PTA groups, fundraisers, booster clubs, etc), teachers, parents, or any other person or group during the school day.
• Vending machines do not have to be removed or relocated if they are stocked with appropriate healthy choices
• A student may bring FMNV foods or beverages from home as long as the student is not selling, or providing the items to other students.
• FMNV foods and beverages may not be made available to students on field trips.
• The policy does not include sports drinks, tea, or juices. The policy only covers prohibited carbonated beverages and foods of minimal nutritional value.