§ 17:17.3 — Physical fitness; pilot program

Louisiana § 17:17.3

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 17: Credit Union Law

Text

§17.3. Physical fitness; pilot program
A.(1) Subject to the approval of its city, parish, or other local public school board,
referred to in this Section as "local school board", and pursuant to rules and guidelines
adopted by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, referred to in this
Section as "state board", any public school that contains grades seven, eight, nine, or ten may
apply to the state board for participation in a pilot program established by this Section.
(2) The state board shall select no more than eight schools from each of the eight
regional service districts, as established in R.S. 17:3781 et seq., to participate in the program.
(3) The state board shall make every effort to achieve an equal geographic
distribution of pilot school system sites throughout the state in its selection process.
B. The program shall consist of the following elements in a three-year study pursuant
to the development and implementation of recommendations provided pursuant to
Subsection C of this Section:
(1) An assessment that measures aspects of health-related fitness, rather than skill
or agility, of the students in participating schools. The assessment shall be administered
during the month of September beginning in the 2005-2006 school year and each subsequent
year of the pilot and may include a post-assessment during the school year as may be
determined by the state board pursuant to the development of the program as provided in
Subsection C of this Section.
(2)(a) An assessment of the changes in weight status of the students who are enrolled
in participating schools and who are receiving combined nutritional and physical activity
intervention versus a nutritional intervention or physical activity intervention alone.
(b) The pilot study shall be done as a randomized, controlled, four-group, repeated
measures study.
(c) Participating schools shall be randomly assigned to one of the following four
groups:
(i) A group in which the students shall receive nutritional intervention only.
(ii) A group in which the students shall receive physical activity intervention only.
(iii) A group in which the students shall receive combined nutritional intervention
and physical activity intervention.
(iv) A group in which the students shall receive no intervention.
(d)(i) Nutritional intervention shall require that not less than fifty percent of
beverages offered for sale to students for consumption at school, other than those sold as part
of the lunch program, shall be one of the following options:
(aa) Fruit juice or drinks that are composed of one hundred percent fruit juice and
that do not contain added natural or artificial sweetener.
(bb) Drinking water.
(cc) Milk, including low-fat, nonfat, chocolate, and nondairy milk.
(dd) Electrolyte replacement beverages which contain forty-two grams or less of
sweetener per twenty-one ounce serving.
(ii) Nutritional intervention shall require that not less than fifty percent of foods
offered for sale to students for consumption at school, other than foods sold as part of the
lunch program, shall be food items that meet all of the following requirements:
(aa) Have not more than thirty-five percent of the total calories from fat unless the
item is seeds or nuts.
(bb) Have not more than ten percent of the total calories from saturated fat.
(cc) Have not more than thirty grams per serving of sugar unless the item is a fruit
or vegetable.
(iii) Beverages and foods that are offered for sale to students for consumption at
school, other than those sold as part of the lunch program, that comply with the requirements
of this Subparagraph may be offered for sale at participating schools beginning with the last
ten minutes of each lunch period and continuing for the balance of the school day. Other
beverages and foods may be offered in compliance with the current rules regulating such
concessions adopted by the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
(3) The collection of individual baseline and longitudinal data to measure the
improvement of each individual student. No assessment shall compare any student to
another.
C. The following agencies, representatives, and entities shall work in collaboration
with the state board to develop the elements of the pilot program and the recommendations
for its implementation, including the methods and tools which may be used for such
assessment:
(1) Department of Education.
(2) Louisiana Department of Health.
(3) Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Pennington Biomedical
Research Center.
(4) Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
(5) Repealed by Acts 2013, No. 184, §7(B).
(6) Louisiana Association of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
(7) American Heart Association.
(8) A representative designated by the governing authority of the Louisiana Soft
Drink Association.
(9) A representative designated by the governing authority of the Vending Machine
Operators of Louisiana.
D.(1) Each participating school may accept and incorporate appropriate educational
and marketing material that supports the goals of increased physical fitness and activity
provided by participating food and beverage suppliers.
(2) Participating food and beverage suppliers shall be encouraged to measure the
effect of nutritional interventions on the revenue to the supplier and to the school earned at
any school in which nutritional intervention occurs and to report the result of such measure
to the collaborative group specified in Subsection C of this Section.
E.(1) Each school selected to participate in the program shall provide a
comprehensive report to the state board at the end of each school year on the effectiveness
of the pilot program in accomplishing the objectives specified in R.S. 17:17(B).
(2) The state board shall report to the governor and to the Senate and House
committees on education no later than July first of each school year on the progress of the
pilot program and shall provide a written report of findings and recommendations upon
termination.
F. Implementation of the pilot program shall be for three years, beginning in the
2005-2006 school year.
G. The pilot program established pursuant to the provisions of this Section shall in
no way interfere with or replace any effort, purpose, assessment or program implemented by
the Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
H. The provisions of this Section shall be effective upon the appropriation of funds
for this purpose.

Legislative History

Acts 2004, No. 734, §1, eff. July 6, 2004; Acts 2013, No. 184, §7(B).