The Healthy Schools Act is a model piece of local legislation that aims to improve the health and well being of Washington, DC youth attending public and public charter schools. It was signed into law in 2010 and was amended in 2011. The act sets high nutrition standards for school meals, expands access to school meals, and heightens school-based health and physical education requirements.
The Farm to School section of the Act provides an extra 5 cents for each breakfast or lunch meal served that contains at least one fresh, locally-grown meal component. Schools also must:
- Serve fresh, locally-grown foods in school meals whenever possible;
- Report where fruits and vegetables served in school meals come from;
- Promote and educate students about farm to school programs (at least one celebratory event each year); and
- Work with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education on an annual farm to school status report.
Note that the 2011 Amendment to the Act specifies that local milk no longer counts for the farm to school reimbursement of 5 cents per meal (if that meal includes a fresh, local component) and that the farm to school reimbursement can be for a breakfast OR lunch meal.
Resources, Information and Links about the Healthy Schools Act
Healthy Schools Act of 2011 – This is the actual language of the Healthy Schools Act, including the amendments that were added in 2011.
Healthy Schools Act website – This site breaks down each section of the Healthy Schools Act, and shares news and updates.
School Meals – Healthy Schools Act in the Healthy Schools Act – this document breaks down the nutrition and access requirements in the act that school meals must meet in order to qualify for an extra 10 cent per meal reimbursement, and the farm to school requirements to get an extra 5 cent per meal reimbursement.
Farm to School in the HSA – a History – This document chronicles how the sections of the Healthy Schools Act related to farm to school were conceived, passed, funded and implemented. The emphasis is on the D.C. Farm to School Network’s role in shaping the farm to school and school nutrition sections of the act.
Back to the Home Page
