MEDIA ALERT

Release Date: October 9, 2009

Contact: Pete Smith Director of Communications, 601-359-1336

Mississippi is one of the top states in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention school health profile report

Who: Dr. Howell Wechsler, Director Division of Adolescent and School Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Janey Thornton, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services
Dr. John W. Jordan, Interim State Superintendent of Education
Dr. Mary Currier, State Epidemiologist, Mississippi State Department of Health
Anne Travis, CEO, The Bower Foundation
Paul Hurst, Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor
Mr. Johnny Franklin, Education Policy Advisor
And other state and federal officials

What: Press Conference to announce Mississippi as a top state in providing healthy nutritious food and beverages in secondary schools. Mississippi scored high percentages in schools that prohibited all tobacco use at all time in all locations; schools with a health education curriculum that addresses all eight national standards for health education; schools that had a school health council, committee or team; schools that did not sell less nutritious foods and beverages anywhere outside the school food service program and schools in which students could not purchase soda pop or fruit drinks and candy and salty snacks

When: Monday, October 12, 2009 at 3:00 p.m.

Where: Mississippi Department of Education (Fourth Floor Board Room), 359 Northwest Street, Jackson