healthy schools

The U.S. Department of Agriculture submitted a proposal, congruent with first lady Michelle Obama’s campaign to combat childhood obesity, that will essentially ban unhealthy foods from schools nationwide.

The Agriculture Department is proposing new rules that would blacklist high-calorie drinks, fatty chips and sugary snack cakes sold in vending machines or in lunch lines.

The four-legged member of the counseling team at the high school in suburban Chicago waits patiently, as a crush of students fills the hallways. Junie began her role as a therapy dog at Prospect High School less than four months ago. It's just one of a number of ways high schools across the country are trying to address what some call an epidemic of stressed-out, overwhelmed students.

With a 73 percent increase from 2010, in 2012, New York City public schools placed 1,756 orders to pizza joints.

In addition to stricter rules for the type of food schools serve, the HealthierUS Schools Challenge was started in 2004 to reward schools that go above and beyond.

Research shows that yoga can help young children learn skills such as focus, relaxation and self-control.

A new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant designed to help schools respond to the growing demand for locally-sourced foods and to increase opportunities for local producers and food businesses will make it easier for area farmers to supply thousands of students in northern Michigan with fresh, locally-grown produce.

“Traffic accidents are the No. 1 cause of death among young adults,” according to information provided by Sabrina Pritchett-Evans, a State Farm Insurance agent in Kalamazoo, and the mother of a young man who will graduate this spring from Kalamazoo Central High School.

Civil rights advocates say harsh disciplinary practices at many Mississippi schools lead to children being expelled and even incarcerated for minor infractions, policies that disproportionally affect minorities.

A Massachusetts high school has will enact a new policy that allows trained members of his administrative team to perform a breathalyzer test if a student is suspected of being intoxicated during a school event or during the school day.