From display ads for soft drinks on vending machines to fast-food logos on book covers and sports scoreboards, students are often surrounded at school by promotions for unhealthy foods. While these ads can bring much-needed revenue to cash-strapped schools, they also promote unhealthy food choices and compromise the educational environment of the school setting.

The good news for parents, nutrition advocates, and school administrators is that schools have broad authority to control commercial messages on their campuses. This fact sheet outlines the steps a community can take to create a school district policy restricting food and beverage advertising.

Our other advertising tools include: 

• Model Policy Limiting All Food and Beverage Advertising, a sample policy restricting the advertising of all foods and beverages on school campuses
• District Policy Restricting the Advertising of Foods and Beverages Not Permitted to be Sold on School Grounds, an alternative policy allowing advertising for products that can be sold on school property
• First Amendment Implications of Restricting Food and Beverage Marketing in Schools, a legal memorandum for school officials and attorneys outlining why the First Amendment does not prohibit schools from restricting food and beverage advertising