Stalling legislation in the U.S. Congress that would allow schools more flexibility in feeding students recently prompted area food service professionals to lobby lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

“We know our congressmen feel this is an important issue for our students,” said Gina Howard, food services director for Warren County Public Schools. “I think that they are working to pass something that would be good for our community and our schools.”

Howard traveled to Washington in February and asked lawmakers to support the Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act, which Howard said would reauthorize school lunch programs and free up regulations without sacrificing nutritious meals. She was joined by Amy Oliver from Cumberland Trace Elementary School and Heather Bushelman from Jody Richards Elementary School, and the group was among about 80 school nutrition professionals lobbying in the nation’s capital.

Howard got to meet Republican U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, Sen. Rand Paul, both of Bowling Green, and office staff of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

“I feel like our voice was heard, and I feel like they are really listening to us and wanting to make our program even better,” she said.

Kristy Hodges, a food service director for Grayson County Schools, also enjoyed meeting with Guthrie.

“He was very knowledgeable about it and had several questions,” she said. “I thought it was a really good experience.”

Howard said a key advantage to the act is a provision allowing cafeterias to serve 80 percent whole grain foods instead of 100 percent. Additionally, it would keep a sodium requirement at its current level. Students would still also be required to take half a cup of fruit or vegetables. For Howard, the flexibility means kids could enjoy non-whole grain biscuits and pastas and thus increase participation in school lunch programs.

“Currently the bill that is in Congress is sitting in committee,” she said.

The legislation was supposed to be passed in 2015, Howard said, but it has stalled. A timely passage would help food service professionals plan for future meals and follow regulations, she said.

Bushelman is a guidance counselor who teaches health to students at Jody Richards Elementary and also said she supports the legislation. She said keeping sodium levels where they currently are instead of decreasing them further would prevent the flavor of food from decreasing and steering kids away from the lunch line.

“I just want to make sure the politicians know that we are seeing changes within the right direction,” she said.

Bushelman noticed one of those positive changes in her son. He used to shun apples but “just last week he started eating them at school again.”

She worried not passing the legislation now could sabotage its chances with the next administration.

— Follow education and general assignment reporter Aaron Mudd on Twitter at twitter.com/aaron_mudd bgdn or visit bgdailynews.com.