School settings—from childcare through high school—are formative environments for children. Children typically eat one or more of their meals and snacks at a school each day, which means that schools have a role in promoting healthy food choices.

While schools must provide nutritious meals through the federal School Lunch Program, many schools allow unhealthy foods to be sold outside of the cafeteria. For example, close to 90 percent of schools in the United States allow the sale of candy, high-fat snacks, and sugary drinks, yet only 10 percent of schools have policies that promote fruits or vegetables in school settings.

Schools also are a prime location for students to engage in physical activity. Several studies have shown that students’ academic performance does not suffer when classroom instruction time is replaced with physical education or physical activity time. In fact, research indicates that students’ performance may improve if they are offered time for physical activity. Schools need support in offering physical activity time for students as they face increased pressure to raise standardized test scores.

NPLAN’s Childcare and K-12 Learning Community focuses on developing legal and policy tools that increase children’s access to healthy food and physical activity in school and childcare settings. Currently, the group is considering the following policy topics:

• Developing and executing effective joint use agreements
• Restricting food and beverage advertising in schools
• Promoting children’s ability to walk and bike to schools
• Facilitating the availability of healthy beverages on school campuses
• Establishing nutrition and physical activity standards in childcare settings

An important message about the information contained on our website: NPLAN is a nonprofit organization that provides legal information on matters relating to public health. NPLAN attorneys do not represent individual clients, provide legal advice, or otherwise form attorney-client relationships. For legal advice or representation, readers should consult a lawyer in their state.