§18-2-6a. Sale of healthy beverages and soft drinks in schools.

(a) In order to generate funding for necessary programs and supplies, county boards may permit the sale of healthy beverages and soft drinks in county schools except during breakfast and lunch periods as follows:

(1) During a school day, soft drinks may not be sold in areas accessible to students in an elementary school, middle school or junior high school through vending machines on the premises, in school stores or in school canteens or through fund raisers by students, teachers, groups or by any other means. In elementary, middle school or junior high school, only healthy beverages may be sold in vending machines on the premises, in school canteens or through fund raisers by students, teachers, groups or by any other means. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit or limit sale or distribution of any food or beverage item through fund-raising activities of students, teachers or educational groups when the items are intended for sale off the school grounds.(2) Those high schools which permit the sale of soft drinks through vending machines also shall offer for sale healthy beverages. Of the total beverages offered for sale, at least fifty percent shall be healthy beverages. Vending machines containing healthy beverages shall be in the same location or substantially similar location as vending machines containing soft drinks.

(3) The sale of healthy beverages and soft drinks shall be in compliance with the rules of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program of the state Board and the Nutrition Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, which became effective on June 17, 1985. Seventy-five percent of the profits from the sale of healthy beverages and soft drinks shall be allocated by a majority vote of the faculty Senate of each school and twenty-five percent of the profits from the sale of healthy beverages and soft drinks shall be allocated to the purchase of necessary supplies by the principal of the school.

(b) For the purposes of this section:

(1) "School day" means the period of time between the arrival of the first student at the school building and the end of the last instructional period; and

(2) "Healthy beverage" means water, one hundred percent fruit and vegetable juice, low-fat milk and other juice beverages with a minimum of twenty percent real juice.