The high spike in student illness in some schools from the consumption of energy drinks at school is not an issue at Manteca Unified campuses.

That’s because 10 years ago the Manteca Unified School District Board of Education adopted Board Policy 5030.

It’s a Student Wellness policy that bans the selling — or providing students with — caffeinated beverages at the district’s seven high school campuses.

In addition to districtwide wellness requirements, individual school sites may establish campus-specific expectations regarding student possession or consumption of energy drinks.

These site-level practices may vary and are intended to promote student safety, health, and a positive learning environment.

In other school districts — especially outside of California — energy drinks have become a problem.

Energy drink consumption in districts such as Lampasas School District in central Texas led to 1,000 more visitors to the nurse’s offices last May compared to May of 2024.

The jump in visits were driven by classic signs of excess caffeine consumption — panic attacks and heart palpitations.

Officials in the Texas school district this fall banned energy drinks from campus — either from being sold or consumed — while noting popular drinks such as Celsius and Ghost have roughly 200 milligrams of caffeine. That’s the equivalent of an average cup of coffee.

A University of Michigan survey shows that 25 percent of all high school seniors said they consumed one or more bottles or cans of energy drinks daily, up from 1 in 6 four years ago.

Before the banned energy drinks this fall, Lampasas High Principal Paul Weinheimer said he watched students down as many as two or three cans of Ghost or Alani Nu a day — the equivalent of six cups of coffee.

At Kline Whitis Elementary School across town, teachers saw fourth- and fifth-graders with energy drink cans. Administrators were surprised to catch Lampasas middle-schoolers tucking caffeine pouches under their lips.

Now energy drinks and caffeine pouches are on the school district’s list of prohibited items, along with fireworks and firearms.

Manteca Unified’s Student Wellness policy is designed to promote healthy eating, physical activity, and overall student well-being, according to Tracee Franks, Director of Nutrition Education.

The policy establishes nutritional standards for all foods and beverages sold or provided to students during the school day and requires compliance with the United States Department of Agriculture's Smart Snacks in School standards, California Department of Education competitive food regulations, and district wellness requirements.

Under these requirements, beverages sold to students during the school day are limited to specific categories, including water with no added sweeteners, qualifying fruit and vegetable juices, and certain milk and non-dairy milk products that meet strict nutrition standards.

At the secondary level, some electrolyte replacement beverages may be sold only if they meet specific limits on calories, sugar, sodium, and potassium and contain no added caffeine.

In addition, foods and beverages provided to students must comply with California's restrictions on certain synthetic food dyes. As reflected in the District's wellness policy, products provided to students may not contain Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5, or Yellow 6.

Because energy drinks typically contain added caffeine and often do not meet the nutritional requirements established for beverages sold or provided to students on campus, they are generally not eligible for sale or distribution during the school day.

The policy reflects the District's commitment to ensuring that foods and beverages available to students support both their physical well-being and academic success.