Food Services
Daily Food Menus
- K-8 Breakfast
- Elementary School Lunch
- Unity Jr. High Lunch
- EC Center Breakfast & Lunch
- Extended Day Snack
- Nutritional + Allergen Info
Wellness Policy
Student wellness—including good nutrition and regular physical activity—will be actively promoted through the District’s educational programs, school-based activities, and meal services. This policy is in alignment with Section 204 of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA).
The Superintendent is responsible for ensuring that each school building complies with this policy. Additionally, the policy will be made available to the community on an annual basis through either printed copies or online access to the Board Policy Manual. The Superintendent will also ensure that the community is kept informed about the progress of the policy’s implementation.
This reflects the District’s ongoing commitment to fostering a healthy school environment for all students.
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The goals for addressing nutrition education and promotion include the following:
- Schools will support and promote sound nutrition for students.
- Schools will foster a positive relationship between sound nutrition, physical activity, and students’ ability to develop and learn.
- Nutrition education will be integrated into the District’s comprehensive health education curriculum. (See Board Policy 6:60, Curriculum Content.)
These goals reflect the District’s commitment to creating a learning environment that supports healthy choices and lifelong wellness.
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The goals for addressing physical activity include the following:
- Schools will support and promote an active lifestyle for all students.
- Physical education will be provided at every grade level and will follow a developmentally appropriate, sequential curriculum. This curriculum will foster the development of movement skills, improve health-related fitness, increase student knowledge, provide opportunities for cooperative group work, and encourage lifelong healthy habits and attitudes. (See Board Policies 6:60, Curriculum Content, and 7:260, Exemption from Physical Education.)
- All students will be required to participate in daily physical education during the school day, unless exempted in accordance with district policy.
- The physical education curriculum will align with the Illinois Learning Standards for Physical Development and Health, as established by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE).
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Students will be offered—and schools will actively promote—nutritious food and beverage choices throughout the school day, in accordance with Board Policy 4:120, Food Services, which requires compliance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Smart Snacks nutrition standards.
To further support student health and help reduce childhood obesity, the Superintendent or designee will:
- Restrict the sale of competitive foods, as defined by the USDA, in food service areas during meal periods
- Ensure full compliance with all Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) rules
- Prohibit the marketing of foods and beverages during the school day that do not meet the standards outlined in Board Policy 4:120. All in-school marketing must align with competitive food standards.
Please note: Competitive food standards do not apply to items not sold in school during the school day, such as packed lunches, classroom party treats, school celebrations, or reward incentives.
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All food and beverages sold to students on school campuses during the school day must meet the general nutrition standards for competitive foods as defined by federal law. These standards ensure that all items sold support student health and align with national nutrition guidelines.
In addition, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) prohibits the use of exempted fundraising days (EFDs) for grades 8 and below in schools that participate in the federal Child Nutrition Programs. This policy helps maintain consistent access to nutritious food options throughout the school day.
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All reimbursable school meals served shall meet, at a minimum, the nutrition standards and regulations set forth by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or the School Breakfast Program (SBP). These guidelines ensure that every meal supports students’ health, development, and academic success.
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In collaboration with the District’s local health department, the Superintendent or designee will:
- Develop and support a Food Sharing Plan focused on redistributing unused food to support students in need.
- Implement the Plan consistently across all schools in the District.
- Ensure full compliance with the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and related USDA guidance on the Food Donation Program.
- Oversee that all leftover food is donated appropriately to help reduce food insecurity within the community, following all applicable federal regulations and state and local health and sanitation codes.
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At least once every three years, the Superintendent shall provide the Board with data and/or reports evaluating the implementation of this wellness policy. This triennial report will include sufficient detail to allow the Board to effectively monitor the policy and make adjustments as needed.
The report will include, at a minimum:
- An assessment of the District’s implementation of the wellness policy
- The extent to which schools are in compliance with the policy
- A comparison of the District’s policy to model local school wellness policies
- A description of progress made toward achieving the goals of the policy
- An explanation of how the assessment results will be shared with the public
- The location where assessment records will be retained
The Board will review the findings and revise the policy as necessary, in accordance with Board Policy 2:240, Board Policy Development.
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The Board and Superintendent will actively seek and welcome suggestions and feedback on the development, implementation, periodic review, and updates of the school wellness policy. Input will be invited from a diverse group of stakeholders, including parents, students, school food authority representatives, physical education teachers, school health professionals, members of the school board, school administrators, and the broader community.
All methods of community involvement should align with Board Policy 2:140, Communications To and From the Board, and the Community Engagement section of Board Policy 8:10, Connection with the Community.
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The Superintendent shall ensure that all records related to the implementation and compliance of this policy are properly retained in accordance with the District’s records retention protocols and the requirements of the Local Records Act.
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Legal and Policy References
- Pub. L. 108-265, Sec. 204, Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004
- 42 U.S.C. §1771 et seq., Child Nutrition Act of 1966
- 42 U.S.C. §1751 et seq., National School Lunch Act
- 42 U.S.C. §1758b, Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-296)
- 42 U.S.C. §1779, implemented by 7 C.F.R. §§210.11 and 210.31
- 50 ILCS 205/, Local Records Act
- 105 ILCS 5/2-3.139
- 23 Ill. Admin. Code Part 305, Food Program
- ISBE’s School Wellness Policy Goal, adopted October 2007
Cross References:
- 2:140 (Communications To and From the Board)
- 2:150 (Committees)
- 2:240 (Board Policy Development)
- 4:120 (Food Services)
- 5:100 (Staff Development Program)
- 6:60 (Curriculum Content)
- 7:260 (Exemption from Physical Education)
- 8:10 (Connection with the Community)
