An area school director with concerns over nutrition in our schools recently expressed his platform on the issue on a national level.

Lehighton Area School Board Director Rocky Ahner participated in the National School Boards Advocacy Institute held this past weekend in Washington, D.C.Ahner, who was appointed to the National School Boards Association Federal Relations Network, said his main focus was Bill 3663, introduced by Congresswoman Kristi Noem of South Dakota.Noem said in an email, "Parents, students and school administrators alike have reached out to me with serious concerns about the new school lunch standards.""I've introduced legislation that would give those who see our kids every day the flexibility they require to make sure students are getting the food necessary to be successful," Noem said. "Making sure our kids are healthy is one of my top priorities, but I also have a responsibility to make sure they don't go hungry either."In December, Noem introduced the new school nutrition bill that reduces federal mandates on school lunch standards, which have been a point of contention since their implementation at the beginning of the 2012 school year.The Reducing Federal Mandates on School Lunch Act has been endorsed by the National School Boards Association, the School Superintendents Association and the Council of the Great City Schools.Essentially, the bill would make the USDA's temporary easing of the meat and grain requirements permanent, allowing schools more flexibility in serving meats and grains while still staying within calorie maximums; and give administrators flexibility on some of the rules that have increased costs for school districts.The conferenceAs part of his visit, Ahner spoke to Congressman Lou Barletta and his legislative Director Kelley Hastings. Hastings was helpful with her knowledge of child nutrition in school districts across the country, Ahner said.Ahner also spoke to a board member from Aldine, Texas, on how their district has ninth grade structured. It turns out it is similar to LASD's proposed seventh grade Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program, he said."Among curriculum would give more hands-on teaching in these areas," he said. "The idea of having this in our ninth grade would give our students a (better) perspective on what is available at Carbon Career Technical Institute (CCTI)."Ahner also had a chance to address the entire conference on nutrition in our school."I explained the booklet School Lunch Review, loss of lunches, loss of reimbursement dollars for district and additional cost to parents," he said.Ahner also thanked the Pennsylvania School Board Association members that made his visit productive, and gave special thanks to Dr. Richard Frerich, John Callahan, Sean Fields, Larry Feinberg, Ron Williams, Mark Miller, Marcella Myers and Joe Tommarello. "To all others, I may have forgotten your name, but I will not forget your ideas," he said.School DistrictLunch Data:While at the conference, Ahner shared data on the decrease in lunch counts, particularly at the high school and middle school level in 2012-13, when the Federal Health Kid Act came into effect. Ahner said Lehighton was already participating in the Voluntary Healthy Kid Act since 2008 that incorporated Low Sodium, Low Fat, and Low Sugar.In the 2010-11 school year, the total yearly lunch count in the district was 249,256; in 2011-12, it was 259,542, an increase of 10,286; and in 2012-13, it was 237,245, a decrease of 22,293. Reimbursement dollars to the district were gained from the 2011-12 year from the previous year, when the district was on the state Voluntary Healthy Kid Act, that contained low fats, low sugar, low salts, no soda etc. When the Federal Healthy Kid Act came in the 2012-13 school year, a decline of 22,293 lunches were lost; even at the minimum amount of reimbursement of .44 cents, the district would have a loss of $9,809.There was an increase of 10,286 total lunches from 2010-11 to 2011-12, although the enrollment decreased by 47 students. In 2012-13, the New Federal Regulation came into effect, and the counts went down 22,293, with a decrease of only seven students.Throughout the district, 833 students are eligible for a free lunch, 633 eat and 200 students don't even take a free lunch. 200 lunches for 179 days at the reimbursement rate of $3.09 comes to loss of reimbursement to the district of $110,622.