Overview

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A local school wellness policy (LSWP) is a written document of official policies that guide a local educational agency (LEA) or school district’s efforts to establish a school environment that promotes students’ health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity. The local SWP requirement was established by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-265), and further strengthened by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. It requires that schools and institutions participating in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) must develop a LSWP that promotes the health of students and addresses the growing problem of childhood obesity. The responsibility for LSWP development is at the local level to allow each school district and institution to address their unique needs.

• Final Rule 
  • Comparison Chart: Local School Wellness Policies (LWP): Comparison Chart of 2004 versus 2010 Requirements
  • Final Rule: Local School Wellness Policy Implementation Under the HHFKA of 2010
  • Summary of USDA Final Rule on SWP
• Local Wellness Policies: Overview and Action Steps
• USDA Memo SP 24-17: Local School Wellness Policy: Guidance and Q&As

LSWP Requirements

At a minimum, the LSWP must:

• include goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school- based activities that promote student wellness;
• include nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages on school premises during the school day that are available for sale to students or given to students;
• permit parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the general public to participate in the development, implementation, and review and update of the local wellness policy;
• inform and update the public (including parents, students, and others in the community) about the content and implementation of local wellness policies; and
• be measured periodically on the extent to which schools are in compliance with the local wellness policy, the extent to which the local education agency’s local wellness policy compares to model local school wellness policies, and the progress made in attaining the goals of the local wellness policy, and make this assessment available to the public.

LSWP Triennial Assessment

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Final Rule: Local School Wellness Policy Implementation Under the HHFKA of 2010 requires that each local LEA  must complete an assessment of their LSWP at least once every three years. The first LSWP assessment must be completed by June 30, 2022, as established by the USDA's COVID–19: Child Nutrition Response #98: Nationwide Waiver of Local School Wellness Policy Triennial Assessments in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast. The second triennial assessment will be due by June 30, 2025.