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• National School Lunch Program [HTML 1,088kb]
  The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting public comments to help the department prepare for the 2009 legislative reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Programs, including the School Lunch and School Breakfast programs, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
  
• Kentucky student charged for exposing allergic classmate to peanuts [HTML 2,776kb]
  A middle school student faces felony charges after putting crumbled peanut butter cookies in the lunch box of another student with a severe allergy to peanuts. The allergic student, another eighth-grader, did not eat the cookies and did not suffer a reaction.
  
• U.S House votes against Medicaid cuts [HTML 1,552kb]
  A veto-proof majority of the U.S. House voted to block seven Medicaid regulations issued by the Bush administration that would cut federal payments to states by $33 billion during the next decade.
  
• Federal attempts to shift Medicaid costs threaten schools [HTML 4,722kb]
  A planned cut in Medicaid funding could cost Florida’s Pasco County School District about $1.2 million, district officials say.
  
• Federal attempts to shift Medicaid costs threaten schools [HTML 4,680kb]
  A planned cut in Medicaid funding could cost Florida’s Pasco County School District about $1.2 million, district officials say.
  
• CMS eliminates payment for school-based administrative and transportation activities [HTML 1,502kb]
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) of the Department of Health and Human Services has issued a final rule eliminating federal Medicaid payment for the cost of certain school-based administrative and transportation activities.
  
• District rescinds penalties for student’s purchase of candy, amid media frenzy [HTML 2,953kb]
  A New Haven middle school honors student, suspended for buying candy from a classmate, will have the discipline expunged from his record, the superintendent of schools said.
  
• Congressional hearing highlights beef recall problems for schools [HTML 2,306kb]
  Local school districts got incomplete—and, at times, tardy—information about last month's massive beef recall, several school administrators told Congress on Tuesday.
  
• CDC reports resistant Staph infections represent major health-care problem [HTML 3,153kb]
  Researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta (CDC) report that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections represent a “major health-care problem” and are linked to an estimated 18,600 U.S. deaths in 2005.
  
• Agreement holds schools accountable for providing diabetic students services and care [HTML 2,877kb]
  The California Department of Education (CED) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recently announced an agreement that holds schools accountable for providing diabetic students with adequate services and care.
  
• Medicaid reimbursement [HTML 2,295kb]
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued a proposed rule that would eliminate federal Medicaid payments for administrative activities performed by school districts and transportation from home to school and back for school-aged children with individualized education programs (IEPs) established pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
  
• Feds expected to attempt to cut Medicaid funding for low-income children with disabilities [HTML 1,911kb]
  In a letter to members of Congress, below, NSBA’s Office of Advocacy has warned that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services may publish a rule in the near future to eliminate reimbursement to school districts under the Medicaid program for transportation and administrative services provided to low-income children with disabilities.
  
• Afterschool snacks [HTML 1,239kb]
  The Food and Nutrition Service of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a final rule regarding afterschool snacks in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
  
• Texas House passes bill requiring random steroids testing for athletes [HTML 1,687kb]
  The Texas House has passed a bill requiring random steroids testing for high school athletes. The bill goes to Governor Rick Perry, who has not publicly stated any opposition.
  
• Pandemic Planning [HTML 1,178kb]
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an interim pre-pandemic planning guidance document, titled “Community Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Mitigation in the United States,” below, that includes a planning guide for elementary and secondary schools.
  
• Those planning for an influenza pandemic must be aware of practical and legal issues that could affect schools [HTML 2,620kb]
  Public officials and others planning for an influenza pandemic must be aware of numerous practical and legal issues that could affect school districts and plan accordingly.
  
• Multi-state analysis charges majority of revenue from school beverage contracts goes to beverage firms and not schools [HTML 4,481kb]
  The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) have released a multi-state analysis charging the majority of the revenue from U.S. school beverage contracts goes to beverage firms and not schools.
  
• Mother files suit against school district accusing it of unjustly removing her son from school over AIDS rumors [HTML 2,437kb]
  The mother of a Grove, Oklahoma high school student who was removed from school has filed a lawsuit in state court against Grove School District, accusing the district of unjustly removing her son from school and spreading rumors he is carrying the AIDS virus.
  
• Clinton strikes deal with snack food manufacturers to discourage unhealthy selections in school vending machines [HTML 3,180kb]
  Former President Clinton has struck a deal with five of the largest manufacturers of snacks foods to discourage schools from stocking vending machines with food high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt.
  
• Center for Science in the Public Interest issues school food report cards [HTML 2,260kb]
  The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has issued school food report cards this month evaluating school policies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on food and drinks sold "a la carte" in cafeterias, snacks in vending machines, and food and drinks available in school stores and at fundraisers.
  
• Connecticut House of Representatives approves bill to ban sales of all sodas in schools [HTML 3,110kb]
  The Connecticut House of Representatives in a narrow 76 to 71 vote has approved a bill that will ban the sale of all sodas and sports drinks, such as Gatorade and Powerade, in public schools.
  
• Beverage industry agrees to pull high calorie drinks from the nation’s schools [HTML 2,982kb]
  The beverage industry has agreed to pull all its high calorie drinks from the nation’s schools. A coalition of anti-obesity groups led by former president Bill Clinton brokered the agreement.
  
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration revises terms and conditions for exemptions allowing persons with insulin-treated mellitus diabetes to operate commercial vehicles [HTML 3,580kb]
  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued a notice of revised final disposition revising the terms and conditions for when FMCSA may issue exemptions allowing persons with insulin-treated mellitus diabetes (ITMD) to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce.
  
• Court order blocks North Carolina law requiring kindergarteners to undergo eye examinations [HTML 3,682kb]
  A state court has issued an order blocking the State of North Carolina from enforcing a new law requiring children entering kindergarten to undergo eye examinations.
  
• Massachusetts high school considers ban on the wearing of fragrances [HTML 1,000kb]
  A Massachusetts high school is considering a ban on the wearing of fragrances. The Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School Committee met to discuss Superintendent Barry J. Motta's proposal to prohibit school staff and students from wearing colognes, perfumes, scented deodorants, and body sprays.
  
• North Carolina School Boards Association challenges new law requiring eye tests before children enter kindergarten [HTML 3,010kb]
  The North Carolina School Boards Association (NCSBA) and 11 local school boards have filed suit against the state challenging a new law, effective this fall, to require children to have comprehensive eye tests before starting kindergarten.