School started Thursday in Hays with a half-day of classes for USD 489 students.

The new academic year also brings, for all schools in the United States,  the federally sponsored “Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.”

USD 489 Director of Nutrition Services Sheila Brenning says it’s part of the “Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.”

“The new guidelines emphasize the consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and provide minimum and maximum calorie levels for children at various grades.  Lower sodium levels also will be phased in,” says Brenning.

Find out more about the nutritional guideline changes tonight on Street Beat Eagle Community TV Channel 14.