We're in Texas and headed the same direction. We already have strict rules in place for what can be offered/consumed by students during school hours.

Now the districts are looking at decisions on 1) making sure there are healthy alternatives included in concession sales at school events and 2) exploring whether student fundraisers of items such as candy and cookie dough should be restricted.

I currently serve on the Campus Academic Advisory Council (CAAC) as a parent rep for my two school, plus the District council and am swamped with various committee meetings. Even so, I volunteered to be on the new wellness committee that will be exploring these issues as I think it's very important. The committee will continue it's work on other health issues such as teen pregnancy, general student health. But these will be two new hot potato-ones for this year. The findings/recommendations will be taken to the Board of Trustees for implementation.

Your principal should even have a binder there with the school finances -- they have to let you see it-- it should be there too

Lucella

to answer your Q (maybe the link above answers it, i havent surfed it so i dont know), i am familiar with many different states and district policies -- every school has a DOLLARS PER DAY PER CHILD allottement for 'qualified attendance days', from the state or fed govt, or mixture of both, i dont know the true source of all funds.

go to your district website under finances, you will see how much $$$ they get from the state or fed PER CHILD per YEAR, you divide that by 180 days of school, approx, and you get teh DOLLARS PER DAY the school is docked for 'unexcused
absences'.

this is ball park figure of course, the best way to find out, is ask principal or super the specifics for your school and district.

the catch is, each district and or state defines differently, what is considered excused or unexcused absence. some places, family holiday or funeral or illness will NOT imapct the schools funding for the child if htey have a note from home, but other places, there are NO excused absences, ie the district or school loses the per child per day $$$ allotment for just about ANY absence.

thats why most schools insist on timely arrival for ROLL CALL. if your kid is late for roll call, some places your child is considered 'not at school' the entire day, and teh school loses $$$ for that child that day.

anwya, this is info all needs to be verified for each case, i just share what i have learned and it doesnt apply everywhere. SO ask your school management about the specifics for your school.

its public information, this finance stuff about dollar per year per child, and therefore how much a kid is 'worth' to the school for each day they attend school. i believe the school sends the attendance record to the state or fed, for funding reimbursemtn purposes.
anyway, all this stuff should be no secret at all and your school admin or finance dept should be forthcoming with the information to you, if you ask them.

its under the Right to Know Law, the public record aspect of this financial stuff. you can google that term if you are not familiar w that law.

My ex-sister has a son and had trouble with attendance with, not to either one of their own doing.

Her son had sinus related problems and would cough from the drainage. Nothing at all remotely contagious. She would send her son to school after taking his prescribed medications and he would no more than get to school and the nurse would be calling and stating that they were sending him home due to his cough. She even had the doctor write a note to verify that this was not contagious...after several times of sending him home for the cough, she then received a letter in the mail stating that he had missed too much school and the next "absence" would lead to the school turning her into Family Social Services for failure to send him to school. He was being sent to school, they were sending him home continually for a non-contagious cough and even having a note from the doctor explaining this. She then called and threatened to sue the school if they turned her in and told them not to call her anymore to pick him because she would refuse.

Needless to say that they never called her again.

Please see the following webpage for further information: www.nsba.org/site/doc_cosa.asp?TRACKID=&DID=35141&CID=454

Here in Alabama school funding is tied to attendence. There are long legal descriptions in the handbook and they're very strict. Illnesses and appointments are allowed but regulated. The big twist - the parents are called into court and given the punishment:

"... shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $100 and may also be sentenced to hard labor for the county for not more than 90 days ..."

I guess it got so out of control with a lot of parents just not getting up and getting thier kids to school and the schools were losing too much money. But, like all state laws and local interpretations, the 'cure' seems worse than the 'illness'.