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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: Ann
Collis |
State Rep. Tony Payton |
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Payton school breakfast bill would help kids get healthy start to day
HARRISBURG, June 20 – Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Tony Payton Jr., D-Phila., that would give kids a healthy and nutritious start to their school day was reported out of the House Education Committee today and will now go before the full House of Representatives for consideration.
Payton’s bill (H.B. 908) would require schools with high percentages of low-income students to provide breakfast programs. The bill also would provide incentive funding for school districts to adopt the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s recommended Guidelines for Nutritional Standards.
“Eating breakfast is the first step toward a productive school day and a healthy lifestyle,” Payton said. “This legislation would invest $6.5 million in the health of Pennsylvania’s children by ensuring that more students have access to school breakfast, and by improving the nutritional quality of food sold in cafeterias and vending machines.”
All schools where at least 20 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches would be required to offer breakfast unless they could prove that doing so would create an unfunded mandate.
In addition, under the legislation, schools that agree to high standards for healthy food options in their cafeterias and vending machines would receive higher reimbursement rates for every breakfast and lunch sold in the school. This would be the first increase in the state reimbursement since 2000-01.
Research shows that children who eat a nutritious breakfast are more likely to succeed in the classroom. On average, 1.1 million Pennsylvania students participated daily in the National School Lunch Program during 2004-05, while only 223,000 participated in the School Breakfast Program. In 2005-06, Pennsylvania ranked 42nd in the nation with just 71 percent of schools participating in the School Breakfast Program.
“This is an excellent way to teach children at an early age about healthy eating habits, and hopefully this would help decrease rising child obesity rates,” Payton said.
Payton also noted that Pennsylvania would be able to receive another $23.6 million from the federal government by getting more students to eat breakfast and by increasing the state’s breakfast and lunch reimbursement rates to school districts.
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