Healthy Kids Act Impacts Iowa Schools

In May of 2008, the Iowa Healthy Kids Act was signed into law by Governor Culver. This law will affect Iowa’s K-12 schools in the following ways:

• Established nutritional content standards for food and beverages sold or provided on school grounds during the school day. Effective July 1, 2010.
• Requires school districts and accredited non-public schools to ensure every student in grades K-5 has 30 minutes per day of physical activity and every student in grades 6-12 has 120 minutes per week of physical activity. Effective July 1, 2009.
• Requires every student to complete a course that leads to certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) by the end of grade 12. Effective for the class of 2011-2012.
• Requires Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs), or a consortium of two or more AEAs, to contract with a licensed dietitian. Effective July 1, 2009

The Healthy Kids Act was developed to help children develop healthy eating habits, to promote active lifestyles, and to provide students with a solid foundation for a better future. For more information on this law, please visit the Iowa Department of Education’s Healthy Kids Act web site by clicking the graphic link below.

Iowa Department of Education Healthy Kids Act