Classroom party guidelines may squelch party food at Republic

The Republic School Board discussed the district’s “Smart Snack” standard, a part of the district’s wellness policy which is designed to promote healthy eating among students. During the August board meeting, the board asked the district to put the standard on hold to give them time to study and gain a better understanding of the policy.
Todd Wojciechowski, board president, began the discussion by stating several people had put in a lot of effort to make the discussion over the standard possible, and he thanked them for their hard work.
Wojciechowski then spoke about the information the board had requested, including: Mandated requirements for snacks not provided by the school, specifically birthday parties and school/classroom celebrations, ramifications for not following Smart Snack standards, and additional options for the board to consider.
Further on, Wojciechowski said the information provided to the board stated that the district is required to have nutritional standards for birthday parties and classroom celebrations, the district may set the nutritional standards, and once the standards are set, the district is bound to follow them.
“It comes back to we, as a district, have to establish the standards, and then we have to maintain and abide by those standards that we established,” he stated.
Wojciechowski also said there are no known ramifications if the district doesn’t follow the standards.