MOUNT VERNON — Mount Vernon resident Kimberly McConville recently received word on her appointment to the Healthy Choices for Healthy Children Council by Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. The council was created in September by Senate Bill 210 in the 128th Ohio General Assembly.
Duties of the council are to monitor progress in improving student health and wellness; make periodic policy recommendations to the State Board of Education regarding ways to improve the nutritional standards for food and beverage for sale at schools; and make recommendations for changes to nutritional standards within 60 days of the U.S. Department of Agriculture adopting any regulations for the sale of food or beverages in schools.
The council also makes periodic recommendations to the Ohio Department of Education for the development of a clearinghouse of best practices in the areas of student nutrition, physical activity for students and Body Mass Index screenings; assists the Ohio Department of Health in developing a list of resources regarding health risks associated with weight status for distribution to parents under BMI screening requirements; and regularly reviews developments in science and nutrition to ensure the council remains informed for purposes of making its recommendations.
