§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.

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