SJUSD Outside Food Policy

3 hours ago
3 min read

By Melvin Najarian Feb. 11, 2026

For years, potlucks and shared food have been a familiar part of student life at school. From club meetings to cultural celebrations, bringing food from home has allowed students to connect with one another and build a sense of community. However, San Jose Unified School District (SJUSD) recently enforced restrictions on outside food brought onto campus during the school day, limiting potlucks and other edibles brought as treats for club meetings and events.

“Potlucks used to be a great way for students to celebrate in the remaining days after finals. In my Linguistics Club, we would host simple potlucks with boba and donuts, and it brought people together. Now, potlucks feel more like a memory than something we can still experience, which makes the change especially disappointing,” Senior Chengmin Xu said.

Jamie S. Karp, director of Student Nutrition Services, emphasized that the policy is intended to prioritize student health and safety rather than limit student activities. She acknowledged that putlucks have long been a meaningful way for students and staff to build community but explained that homemade food is restricted on school campuses to prevent foodborne illnesses, manage severe allergies and comply with strict standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the California Department of Education as well as local health regulations.

“Foods prepared in home kitchens are not subject to routine health inspections or food safety oversight since schools cannot verify how they are prepared, stored, transported or handled, increasing the risk of foodborne illness. These restrictions focus on preventing illness, protecting students with medical conditions and maintaining strict nutritional standards,” Karp said.

SJUSD’s food policies are tied to its participation in two federal programs: the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Lunch Program (SBP), both of which are overseen by the USDA. The NSLP, established in 1946, provided nutritionally balanced, low-cost or no-cost lunches to students each school day, while the SBP, which became a permanent federal program in 1975, offers breakfast to millions of students across the country.

Because SJUSD participates in both federal meal programs, the district is required to follow USDA’s Nutrition Standards for School Means for school-provided breakfast and lunch as well as for food served or brought onto campus during the school day. According to Karp, this requirement is the reason behind SJUSD’s use of a Student Food and Beverage Snack List, intended to promote student health, support nutrition education, and help students maintain a healthy weight. The snack list primarily serves as guidance for what food is allowed during school hours, including items such as yogurt, pretzels, fruit snacks and canned fruit. Items that do not meet the nutrition standards during the school day include soda, candy, hum, fried chips, Doritos, food brought for birthday or personal celebrations and daily food rewards.

Although the snack list outlines what food is permitted during the school day, student events or fundraisers involving outside food such as boba, donuts or pizza are subject to an additional approval process. Karp said Student Nutrition Services reviews these requests in coordination with Health Services and Purchasing & Contracts, a step she described as necessary to ensure food safety and reduce potential health risks for students.

“It should not be necessary for students to pre-order food days in advance for club meetings. This is a high school, and bringing food to clubs has been a long-standing practice. Students are mature, club advisors are present and students with food allergies are typically aware of what they can and cannot eat. Requiring advance approval takes away from the fun and sense of community that clubs are meant to create,” Christopher Barros, Foreign Language Department, said.

While the policy has changed how students can share food on campus, Karp elaborates that this policy is not intended to diminish cultural expression or community connection, but rather to prioritize nonnegotiable food safety and risk considerations. Moving forward, students and clubs may need to adapt by planning events in advance or working with districts to ensure food meets safety requirements.