Thursday, January 22, 2015

 

Spearman Provides Guidance on Smart Snacks

Columbia, SC – Today, State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman issued guidance to school districts on school fundraisers and smart snacks.

“There’s a right way and wrong way to address school fundraisers,” said Spearman.  “The right way is for South Carolina parents, school districts, and school boards to work together and develop policies that benefit students in local communities.  The wrong way is to allow Washington to dictate how we run our schools in South Carolina.

“I am pleased to issue guidance today allowing schools to hold a limited number of fundraisers exempt from the federal smart snacks rules.  This flexibility enables local decision-making, rather than forcing us to follow mandates from the federal government.  Schools now have clear, commonsense guidelines in place that will benefit students and local communities.  In fact, many school leaders have already taken the initiative to embrace healthy lifestyle choices for their students, which I strongly support,” concluded Spearman.

The new guidance from Superintendent Spearman provides schools with 13 exempt fundraisers that can last up to three days in length for the remainder of the 2014-15 school year.  For the 2015-16 school year, schools can host up to 30 exempt fundraisers, with each event lasting up to three days.  For school year 2016-17, schools can host up to 30 exempt fundraisers that last up to two days in length.  For school year 2017-18 and beyond, schools can host up to 30 exempt fundraisers that each last one day.

To see the memorandum Superintendent Spearman issued today, please click here.