GRANBY — Granby Public School students used to the jolt of a caffeinat·ed beverage to get through the school day are out of luck this school year.
That’s because the district has implemented a new health and wellness policy that bans students from bringing energy, coffee and soda drinks onto school grounds.
“We were seeing a lot of students bringing (caffeinated beverages) in at the high school level, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended that students not be ingesting that,” said school nurse leader Nancy Jenks.
Over the summer, the district’s health and wellness committee implemented an updated policy that not only includes the caffeine drink ban, but also prohibits high-sugar food and drinks, along with other changes to the district’s approach to health matters.
Additionally, no food or drinks aside from water are permitted outside of the school cafeteria, with the latter rule primarily intended to protect students with allergies, according to a news release on the Granby Junior-Senior High School webpage.
Jenks and Superintendent Sheryl Stanton said the change came from concerns voiced by members of the district’s health and wellness committee.
The old policy mostly encompassed physical activity and nutrition and was “weak in several areas,” Jenks added, noting that caffeine can have negative effects on cardiovascular and neurological health.
Caffeinated beverages are widely consumed among American youth, with a study published in 2014 by the American Academy of Pediatrics finding that around 73 percent of children drink caffeine “on any given day.”
The nurse’s office will continue to provide ginger ale, although no other soda will be allowed on school premises.
Summer Molin, a senior at Granby Junior-Senior High School, said that she was not aware of the rule until she was told to throw her coffee away as she entered the school.
“I’m really upset towards (the rule), because I’ve been bringing coffee to school every morning since I started drinking coffee, and it personally helped me focus more on school, focus in the morning,” Molin said.
“It just really bothers me because I’m a senior and the faculty is allowed to have it, and I feel like because I’m a 17-year-old person who can drink what I want and my parents allow me to have it, I should be allowed to drink it in school if it helps me get through the day,” she added.
Molin said she understands the school’s concerns regarding younger students, but believes the district could have handled the policy in a different way.
“I feel like it would have been appropriate if they didn’t let middle schoolers have it, but I think high school students should totally be allowed to have caffeine and coffee, especially if their parents say it’s OK,” she said.
While Granby and other Hampshire County school districts follow federal and state nutrition standards for the food they provide, Granby’s limitations on high-sugar and caffeinated food and beverages from outside of school stand out in the area.
In Easthampton Public Schools, for instance, state nutrition policy prohibits the school from providing competitive food and beverages that contain “more than trace amounts of caffeine,” although this policy does not pertain to outside food and drinks.
“We do everything we can to try to promote students making healthy choices, both in what they bring to school and what we offer,” Easthampton Superintendent Allison LeClair said. “We can’t necessarily police what parents pack for lunch or send in with students, but we definitely try to encourage students to make healthy choices.”
Likewise, Northampton Public Schools Superintendent John A. Provost said students are “not subject to any confiscations” regarding outside food and beverage.
Hatfield Public Schools also do not have any policies addressing caffeine and high-sugar content food and drinks that students bring from home, Food Service Director Amy Hutchins said.
“I think that all schools are concentrating on health and wellness, but they just have different goals and specific areas that they’re working on,” Hutchins said, adding that Hatfield schools are currently focusing on aspects such as social and emotional well-being and farm fresh foods. “It’s truly very hard to cover all of them.”
Along with the move away from caffeine and high-sugar products, Jenks and Stanton said that Granby schools are also incorporating health and wellness measures such as mindfulness training and helping students to identify healthy relationships. Staff members are also encouraged to act as positive role models for students.
Additionally, the district is bringing in outside speakers and partnering with organization such as the YWCA and Tapestry to teach older students about topics such as domestic violence and sexual education.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to enhance everything that we’re doing and promoting health in all areas,” Jenks said.
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com