OBESITY IN MISSISSIPPI

What is Mississippi Doing?Thanks to the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004[PL 108-265], each school had to establish a Local School Wellness Policybefore the 2006-2007 school year to continue to receive funding from U.S.Department of Agriculture Child Nutrition Programs. To assist schooldistricts, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) createdThe Local School Wellness Policy Guide for Development, including all therequirements necessary to comply with the federal regulations and theMississippi statutes and standards. The guide also offers additional policyoptions that schools are encouraged to use while developing their specificgoals based on data collection and needs assessment.Using the attention from this spotlight on improving the health ofTHREE-STEPAPPROACH TOSCHOOL WELLNESSMDE suggests athree-step approach todeveloping an effectivelocal school wellnesspolicy. Schools areencouraged to1.2.3.Conduct a needsassessment.Develop and approve aschool wellness policy.Implement the policy.Mississippi’s students, a collaborative group of individuals and organizationssucceeded in persuading the state legislature to act further. In 2006, afteragreeing that vending machines play a significant role in the health of students,the legislature mandated that the State Board of Education must adoptregulations defining the products that may be sold in vending machines onschool campuses and when they can be sold. The State Board of Educationsubsequently boldly adopted rules and regulations that phased in restrictionsagainst the selling of unhealthy products in school vending machines.Striving to further the focus on student health, the legislature passed theMississippi Healthy Students Act in April 2007 (amending Mississippi Code of 1972Annotated Section 37-13-134). An advisory committee was formed to assist theState Board of Education in developing the regulations of the MississippiHealthy Student Act.In October 2007, the committee submitted recommended provisions to theState Board of Education. The State Board of Education in due course adoptednutrition standards and rules and regulations for physical and health education.As a result of efforts across the state, Mississippi was recognized in a fall 2009report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of thetop states regarding school health policy implementation.MISSISSIPPIHEALTHY STUDENTS ACTThe Mississippi HealthyStudents Act establishes:• Minimum requirementsfor health and physicaleducation• A physical activitycoordinator at the MDE• Local school healthcouncils as mandatory• That the State Board ofEducation must adoptregulations that addresshealthy food andbeverage choices• The appointment of anadvisory committee toadvise the State Board ofEducation in developingthese regulations• That each local schoolboard must develop awellness policy based on acoordinated approach toschool health9