In 2001, a group of educators and business leaders created the Council for Corporate & School Partnerships to provide guidance to schools, school districts and businesses about how to create and maintain relationships that offer long-term, sustainable benefits for students and schools. The Council's first major outreach effort was the development of a series of Guiding Principles for Business and School Partnerships. These Guiding Principles are now offered as a resource to help schools and companies across the nation structure partnerships that have clear goals and measurable outcomes that provide tangible benefits to students, the school and the community.

The Model Guidelines for School Beverage Partnerships have been created in this same spirit of collaboration, and with similar goals. Developed by the Coca-Cola System in consultation with the education community, they are offered as a resource to schools that seek to ensure that beverage company partnerships continue to provide resources for a wide range of activities-such as instructional programs, student mentoring, school-to-career partnerships, extracurricular offerings, teacher professional development and many other services that would be substantially minimized without outside support and funding-while responding to concerns about commercialism and nutrition as well.

Recognizing the value that the education community places on local decision-making, the Model Guidelines for School Beverage Partnerships are strictly voluntary for adoption by schools and school districts; however, it is the intent of the Coca-Cola System for the guidelines to govern its activities in schools. The guidelines are strongly recommended as a vehicle for ensuring that:

1. Schools and school districts continue to retain the ability to generate needed revenues through partnerships with beverage providers;
2. Schools, school districts and beverage companies operate in compliance with federal, state and local requirements;
3. Beverage companies are respectful and responsive to the wishes and requests of parents, schools and communities to provide a wide variety of beverage choices that are appropriate to the school level; and
4. Beverage companies remain responsible and sensitive partners in addressing their commercial presence in schools.

The Guidelines on the left are designed to support parents and educators in guiding young people to learn how to make responsible choices. They are also designed to help schools and school districts receive the maximum benefit from their partnerships, while retaining the control and flexibility needed to meet the current and changing needs of their communities. The guidelines have been endorsed by the Coca-Cola System and will apply to all new school agreements moving forward.