The Mountain View Los Altos Union high School District is concerned with the student store’s sales of several items during school hours because they conflict with two different parts of the California Education Code, according to Associate Superintendent of Business Joe White. He learned of this during an interview with Talon Staff.

The student store has been selling candy for about 30 minutes immediately after sixth period (fifth period on Thursday) with a nutritional content outlawed for sale in California high schools until 30 minutes after the end of the school day. According to White, this would correspond to a time of 4 p.m. During the 30 minutes the store is open for candy sells, it sells fewer than 15 candy items a day. Approximately two-thirds of students finish school before the start of seventh period.

In addition, the student store has been selling Gatorade and bottled water, items also sold by the district’s Food Services Program. According to the education code, no items may be sold that are also sold by the district’s program.

“I’ll have to talk to them about what they’re selling,” White said.

California’s School Food Nutrition Standards Bill, formerly SB12, states that certain snacks cannot be sold on high school campuses until at least one half hour after the end of the school day. Among other restrictions, the rule applies to snacks that contain more than 250 calories or more than 35 percent sugar by weight. The student store has been selling several types of candy including Reese’s Nutrageous bars and Hershey’s Mr. Goodbars, that have nutritional contents deemed unfit by the state for sale during school hours.

Assistant Principal Cristy Dawson, who oversees the student store, declined to go on record about the items being sold.

According to White, the consequences for not complying with the education code could be detrimental.

“We could definitely lose state funding because we get state support on our state reimbursable meals,” White said. “I do not know if noncompliance with state would also lose us some federal dollars, which would be a problem.