New school Nutrition & Physical Activity policy in Arkansas
By Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Friday, September 9, 2005
The Arkansas legislative committee that rejected proposed state nutrition and physical activity rules two weeks ago has reversed its position and endorsed the proposal. After the state Department of Education agreed to hold public hearings, the Legislative Council's Administrative Rules and Regulations Subcommittee endorsed the plan, which would limit the use of vending machines in secondary schools and require all students to have at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. The new rules would require that fruit juice, low-fat or fat-free milk, and unsweetened water comprise at least 50 percent of vending machine drinks sold to secondary school students. Soda and sweetened noncarbonated drinks would be limited to 12 ounces, and vending machines would be off-limits to students during lunch. The Board of Education will hold public hearings about the content of school lunches and how federal guidelines might apply. Bobbie Davis, assistant commissioner for fiscal and internal administration for the Department of Education, hopes that the hearings will generate "a menu of items that schools could look at and know that those activities could be used to meet the physical activity [requirement.]" The rules should go into effect this week.