7515 - District Wellness
| Policy: District Wellness | Policy Number: 7515 |
| Date of Original Policy: 07/10/2002 | Date Revision Adopted: 01/19/2022 |
| Reviewed by Policy Committee: 10/17/2018 | Date of Next Review: 12/09/2024 |
| Replacement of Policy Number: |
The District is committed to providing a school environment that promotes and protects children’s health and well-being, and the ability to learn by fostering healthy eating and physical activity. The District has established a wellness committee to develop the District’s proposed local wellness policy, making such policy recommendations for review and adoption by the Board of Education. The District’s wellness committee members include, but are not limited to, representatives from each of the following groups:
a) Parents;
b) Students;
c) The School Board;
d) The District’s food service program;
e) Physical education teacher or administrator;
f) Health professionals;
g) School administrators;
h) Members of the public.
c) The School Board;
d) The District’s food service program;
e) Physical education teacher or administrator;
f) Health professionals;
g) School administrators;
h) Members of the public.
The District Wellness Committee will assess current activities, programs and policies available in the District; identify specific areas of need within the District; develop the policy; and provide mechanism for implementation, evaluation, revision and updating the policy.
Goals to Promote Student Wellness
Taking into account the parameters of the School District (academic programs, annual budget, staffing issues, and available facilities) as well as the community in which the District is located (the general economy; socioeconomic and social institutions) the Wellness Committee recommended the following District goals relating to nutrition education, physical activity and other school-based activities:
Nutrition Promotion and Education
The District will provide and promote nutrition education to facilitate the voluntary adoption of healthy eating habits and other nutrition-related behaviors conducive to health and well-being by establishing the following standards for:
a) Classroom Teaching:
- Nutrition Education will be offered at each grade level as part of a comprehensive nutrition education program that meets state and national standards.
- An interdisciplinary approach will be taken with specific wellness topics assigned to health, physical education, home skills and science curricula. Concepts will be reinforced using various activities including guest speakers to promote student behavior change.
- The goals of the school district’s nutrition education will be to include, but not limited to the following content:
o Knowledge on the benefits of healthy eating, the relationship between diet and disease, the My Plate and USDA dietary guidelines, nutrients, weight management, eating disorders, healthy body image, safe food preparation, handling and storage.
o Skills on how to plan a healthy meal, use food labels, evaluate nutrition information and media messages, assess eating habits, set goals for healthier eating and reach goals.
b) Education, marketing and promotion links outside the classroom:
- Nutrition education will be offered in the school cafeteria as well as in the classroom, with coordination between the food service staff and teachers.
- Nutrition education will be shared with families and the community to help students receive consistent messages and adopt healthy eating behaviors.
c) Teacher Training:
- Staff that provides nutrition education will have professional development and training provided as needed. The training will meet the needs of each building and grade level.
The District will provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge and skills for specific physical activities, to maintain physical fitness, to regularly participate in physical activity, and to understand the short-term benefits of a physically active and healthy lifestyle.
The Wellness Committee has determined that the following standards are necessary to achieve this goal:
a) Physical Education graduation requirements:
- Each student must accumulate two (2) PE credits while in high school (9-12) in order to graduate.
b) Physical Education class requirements:
- Each week each student grades K-12 will receive 120 minutes of PE. The intensity for each class would vary, depending on the activity, but each student should try to be within their heart rate range for a cardiovascular workout. The rate could be checked by using polar rate monitors.
- Every student receives PE instruction. All of the activities are age appropriate.
- Both the National and State Standards are used in the PE program.
c) Staff training/certification for physical education:
- Certified physical education instructors.
- Conferences and workshops made available for teachers and coaches.
- CPR/AED certification for teachers and coaches.
d) Physical activity outside of physical education classes:
- Teachers will provide either recess or an alternative physical activity every day.
The district wishes to establish a school environment that presents consistent wellness messages and is conducive to healthy eating and physical activity for all. In order to present a coordinated school approach where District decision-making related to nutrition and physical activity encompasses all aspects of the school, the Wellness Committee has determined that the following standards are necessary to achieve this goal:
a) Federal School Meal Program:
The District will participate to the maximum extent applicable in available federal school meal programs [School Breakfast Program and National School Program].
b) Access to school nutrition programs:
All eligible students will have access to free/reduced price meals in a non stigmatized manner
through:
through:
1) ID Cards/ID Numbers used to make a purchase in the cafeteria, and
2) Letters sent to those believed to be eligible.
We have begun to offer meal options such as salads and vegetables.
c) Meal Environment:
The scheduling of the breakfast program at all schools should demonstrate participation in the school nutrition program. Lunches are scheduled in all buildings as to fit the requirements of the school nutrition program. The environment for each building cafeteria must promote healthy eating habits. Although students are supervised in each cafeteria, staff are presently not encouraged to eat with students. Drinking water will be available to students during meals.
Coaches will promote proper nutrition and encourage healthy snacks. The vending machines that are available for students use will provide healthy refreshments.
e) Community access to District facilities for physical activities:
The District shall provide access of its facilities for the Town Recreation programs for youth and adults. The District supports staff wellness activities by allowing lunch time walking and use of the facilities for basketball prior to the school day.
Nutritional Values of Foods and Beverages
a) Reimbursable school meals served at school will meet the program requirements and nutrition standards of the National School Lunch Program.
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx 05/7cfr210 05.html
b) Food of minimal nutritional value on the school campus will be replaced with more nutritional options by adhering to standards for nutritional value of foods and beverages:
c) Nutrition information for products sold on campus will be readily available near the point of purchase.
A la carte, vending machines, concession stands, parties, celebrations, and food-related fundraising will be under the same standards established in subheading a) Nutritional Values of Foods and Beverages. Access to vending machines will be limited to during lunch periods and after school hours. We will continue to allow celebrations that involve food during the school day as long as they adhere to the above standards.
Assurance
Guidelines for reimbursable school meals shall not be less restrictive than applicable federal regulations and guidance issued pursuant to the Child Nutrition Act and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, as those regulations and guidance apply to schools.
Implementation and Evaluation of the Wellness Policy
The District will ensure school and community awareness of this policy through various means such as publication in District newsletters and/or the District calendar. Further, professional development activities for staff and student awareness training will be provided, as appropriate, on the goals of the District’s wellness program, including activities/programs for the development of healthy eating habits and the incorporation of physical activity as part of a comprehensive healthy lifestyle.
The District shall establish an implementation and evaluation plan for the wellness policy in order to monitor the effectiveness of the policy and the policy and the possible need for further modification over time. Accordingly, the Superintendent shall designate one or more staff members within the district or at each school as appropriate to have operational responsibility for ensuring that the District meets the goals and mandates of its local wellness policy. Designated staff members may include, but are not limited to, the following personnel:
a) Administrators;
b) School health personnel including the school nurse and the health and/or physical education teacher: and
c) School Food Service Director and staff.
These designated staff members shall periodically report to the Superintendent on the District’s compliance with the wellness policy (or, if done at the building level, to the School Principal) and the Superintendent shall inform the Board of such findings. The Superintendent designee shall prepare a summary report on District-wide compliance with the District’s wellness policy based on input from schools within the District. Twice annually a report will be provided to the School Board and also distributed to the wellness committee, parent-teacher organizations, Building Principals, and school health services personnel within the District.
The report shall also be available to community residents upon request. These designated school officials will also serve as a liaison with community agencies in providing outside resources to help in the development of nutrition education programs and physical activities.
Evaluation and feedback from interested parties, including an assessment of student, parent, teacher, and administration satisfaction with the wellness policy, is essential to the District’s evaluation program. Further, the District shall document the financial impact, if any, to the school food service program, school stores, or vending machine revenues based on the implementation of the wellness policy.
District schools will provide nutrition education and physical education, with an emphasis on establishing lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity, and will establish linkages between health education and school meal programs, and with related community services. Communication with and training for teachers, parents, students, and food service personnel will be an integral part of the District’s implementation plan.
To the extent practicable, students and parents shall be involved in the development of strategies designed to promote healthy food choices in the school environment; and the school cafeteria will provide a variety of nutritionally sound meal and beverage choices. The school will encourage students’ active, age appropriate participation in decisions regarding healthy lifestyles and choices. Positive reinforcement such as letters of recognition and acknowledgment will be utilized as a means to encourage healthy eating patterns among the student population. In addition, the school will share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students; such information may be made available on menus, a web site, or in such other “point-of-purchase” materials.
Assessments of the District’s wellness policy and implementation efforts may be repeated on an annual basis, but it is recommended that such assessment occur no later than every three (3) years, to help review policy compliance, assess progress, and determine areas in need of improvement. The District, and individual schools within the District, will, as necessary, revise the wellness policy and develop work plans to facilitate its implementation. The Jordan Elbridge Central School District will utilize the CDC website and the School Health Index as a means of evaluation of the wellness program.
Additional resources may be found and utilized in an effort to improve upon the wellness plan.