While students are hungrily inhaling the food in Oak Harbors schools, others are sometimes watching the students — wondering how to stop them from eating the wrong things and gaining more weight.

At lunchtime recently at Oak Harbor Middle School, students took a break from their classes to devour their lunch prepared by the school district. The selection for the day included pizza, chicken nuggets, fruit and a salad.

While a majority of students take advantage of the well-balanced lunch the school district offers, officials remain concerned with the health and weight of students.

They are concerned because the number of students who are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight has increased in recent years.

“I think it’s part of our responsibility as school directors to look out for the interest of our children and re-examine policies and procedures,” said Kathy Jones, school board member.

Health officials say that the increased consumption of high calorie, high sugar foods combined with less physical activity contribute the weight problem.

Excess weight can be linked to a variety of diseases including heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

To get a snapshot of how many students are overweight in schools, a ninth-grade physical education class was recently measured. Officials found that 17 percent of the 33 students measured would be considered obese.

The numbers countywide are similar as approximately 20 percent of high school students in the county are overweight or in danger of becoming overweight, according to health officials.

Overweight nationwide

The numbers of overweight students have been increasing nationwide and the Oak Harbor School District is one of many trying to address the problem.

Jones added that the school district is making progress offering healthier alternatives to its students. Thanks to the maintenance and operations levy voters approved in 2001, the district was able to offer a lunch program in all schools and physical education teachers in the elementary schools. Approximately 60 percent of the students in the Oak Harbor School District eat school lunches.

David Connors, director of the food service program, said the lunch program is the most regulated of any program the school district offers. He has to follow federal guidelines in providing nutritious meals.Those guidelines state that no more than 30 percent of the calories in meals can come from fat and nor more than 10 percent of those can come from saturated fat.

Connors added that school cafeterias also offer a salad bar and will soon add fruits and vegetables as a side dish during lunch time.

He said that the food staff has to work finding new items to serve because it’s the best way to make sure students enjoy the lunch program.

“Our main goal is to maintain the program and find new food that is appealing to students,” Connors said. To further help get students through the lunch lines at the high school, a third cashier was recently added. Now the high school lunch program averages 600 meals a day, which is up from 400 in previous years.

Connors added that the most negative impact on a student’s diet comes from soft drinks and snack foods.

One Oak Harbor school has already taken steps to improve access to healthy drinks. Last year, Oak Harbor Middle School removed all soda from the vending machines on campus.

“Schools need to set an example of healthy living,” said Peggy Ellis, principal at Oak Harbor Middle School.

In place of soft drinks is now a selection of juice, sport drinks and bottled water.

“I think schools need to be examples of what they’re teaching,” Ellis said, pointing out that the school’s health class encourages students to pursue a nutritious diet.

Ellis said that the PTA and student leadership were involved in the decision. Students apparently adapted quickly to the lack of soda fizz in the machines. The ASB, which receives money from vending machine sales, hasn’t been affected by the switch, and sales remained consistent.

Vending machines provide a significant source of income for some programs within the school district. The athletic program is budgeted to receive $22,000 from vending this year, so it’s important to retain revenue while switching to healthier drinks.

Can’t afford

to measure all

The number of overweight children in Island County is a difficult number to nail down. One reason is Oak Harbor School District doesn’t have the resources to weigh and measure each student.

“We haven’t done any weighing,” said Az Franciose, school nurse for the Oak Harbor School District. “There are two nurses for 6,000 kids.” The survey of ninth graders was done to give officials a snapshot of the problem in Oak Harbor. A fifth grade class at Oak Harbor Elementary School was also surveyed. No obese children were found in that sample.

The 20 percent number the county cites for overweight children comes from a health survey that families took in 2000.

Karen Grossman, physical activity coordinator for Island County, said the number could be higher because parents predictably underestimate their children’s measurements.

Another reason school districts are developing policies for nutrition and physical fitness is because the state is telling them to do so.

The state passed legislation, which became effective last June, requiring school districts to develop a policy regarding access to nutritious foods and appropriate exercise for students.

The legislation targets middle school students, stating they should have a daily exercise period that includes 20 minutes of aerobic activity per day.

The Washington State School Directors Association is working on a model policy that will be available for school districts in January. Every school district in the state needs their own policy developed by August of 2005.

Grossman said the policy provides some guidelines for allows schools to tailor their policy to the needs of its students.

“I think it’s great. It will drive school districts into making policies that will benefit children,” Grossman said.