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Wellness Policy

Wellness Policy

The Need to Know

Student Wellness

The Governing Board recognizes the link between student health and learning and desires to provide a comprehensive program promoting healthy eating and physical activity for district students. The Superintendent or designee shall build a coordinated school health system that supports and reinforces health literacy through health education, physical education and activity, health services, nutrition services, psychological and counseling services, health promotion for staff, a safe and healthy school environment, and parent/guardian and community involvement.

To encourage consistent health messages between the home and school environment, the Superintendent or designee may disseminate health information and/or the district's student wellness policy to parents/guardians through district or school newsletters, handouts, parent/guardian meetings, district and school web sites, and other communications. Outreach to parents/guardians shall emphasize the relationship between student health and academic performance.

School Health Council/Committee

The Board shall adopt goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness.

The district's nutrition education and physical education programs shall be based on research, consistent with the expectations established in the state's curriculum frameworks and content standards, and designed to build the skills and knowledge that all students need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Nutrition education shall be provided as part of the health education program and, as appropriate, shall be integrated into other academic subjects in the regular educational program. Nutrition education also may be offered through before- and after-school programs.

The Board prohibits the marketing and advertising of non-nutritious foods and beverages through signage, vending machine fronts, logos, scoreboards, school supplies, advertisements in school publications, coupon or incentive programs, free give-aways, or other means.

All students shall be provided opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis. Opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity shall be provided through physical education and recess and may also be provided through school athletic programs, extracurricular programs, before- and after-school programs, programs encouraging students to walk or bicycle to and from school, in-class physical activity breaks, and other structured and unstructured activities.

The Board may enter into a joint use agreement to make district facilities or grounds available for recreational or sports activities outside the school day and/or to use community facilities to expand students' access to opportunity for physical activity.

The Superintendent or designee shall encourage staff to serve as positive role models for healthy eating and physical fitness. He/she shall promote work-site wellness and may provide opportunities for regular physical activity among employees. Professional development may include instructional strategies that assess health knowledge and skills and promote healthy behaviors.

Nutritional Guidelines for Foods Available at School

For all foods available on each campus during the school day, the district shall adopt nutritional guidelines which are consistent with 42 USC 1773 and 1779 and support the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity. (42 USC 1758b)

The Board believes that foods and beverages available to students at district schools should support the health curriculum and promote optimal health, taking into consideration the needs of students with special dietary needs. Nutritional standards adopted by the district for all foods and beverages sold to students, including foods and beverages provided through the district's food service program, student stores, vending machines, or other venues, shall meet or exceed state and federal nutritional standards.

In order to maximize the district's ability to provide nutritious meals and snacks, all district schools shall participate in available federal school nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and after-school snack programs, to the extent possible. When approved by the California Department of Education, the district may sponsor a summer meal program.

The Superintendent or designee shall encourage school organizations to use healthy food items or non-food items for fundraising purposes. He/she also shall encourage school staff to avoid the use of non-nutritious foods as a reward for students' academic performance, accomplishments, or classroom behavior.

School staff shall encourage parents/guardians or other volunteers to support the district's nutrition education program by considering nutritional quality when selecting any snacks which they may donate for occasional class parties. Class parties or celebrations shall be held after the lunch period when possible.

Program Implementation and Evaluation

The Superintendent shall designate one or more district or school employees, as appropriate, to ensure that each school site complies with this policy.

The Superintendent or designee shall inform and update the public, including parents/guardians, students, and others in the community, about the contents and implementation of this policy. He/she shall periodically measure and make available to the public an assessment of the extent to which district schools are in compliance with this policy, the extent to which this policy compares to model wellness policies available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy.

Posting Requirements

Each school shall post the district's policies and regulations on nutrition and physical activity in public view within all school cafeterias or in other central eating areas.

Each school shall also post a summary of nutrition and physical activity laws and regulations prepared by the California Department of Education.

Legal Refernece

Education Code

  • 51795-51796.5 School instructional gardens
  • 51880-51921 Comprehensive health education
  • CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 5
  • 15500-15501 Food sales by student organizations
  • 15510 Mandatory meals for needy students
  • 15530-15535 Nutrition education
  • 15550-15565 School lunch and breakfast programs
  • UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 42
  • 1751-1769 National School Lunch Program, especially:
  • 1758b Local wellness policy
  • 1771-1791 Child Nutrition Act, including:
  • 1773 School Breakfast Program
  • 1779 Rules and regulations, Child Nutrition Act
  • CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 7
  • 210.1-210.31 National School Lunch Program
  • 220.1-220.21 National School Breakfast Program

References

Court Decisions

  • Frazer v. Dixon Unified School District, (1993) 18 Cal.App.4th 781
  • Management Resources:

CSBA Publications

  • Building Healthy Communities: A School Leader's Guide to Collaboration and Community Engagement, 2009
  • Safe Routes to School: Program and Policy Strategies for School Districts, Policy Brief, 2009
  • Monitoring for Success: Student Wellness Policy Implementation Monitoring Report and Guide, 2007
  • Nutrition Standards for Schools: Implications for Student Wellness, Policy Brief, rev. October 2007
  • Physical Education and California Schools, Policy Brief, rev. October 2007
  • Student Wellness: A Healthy Food and Physical Activity Policy Resource Guide, rev. April 2006
  • School-Based Marketing of Foods and Beverages: Policy Implications for School Boards, Policy Brief, March 2006

California Department Of Education Publications

  • Physical Education Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, 2009
  • Healthy Children Ready to Learn: A White Paper on Health, Nutrition, and Physical Education, January 2005
  • Health Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, 2003

California Project Lean Publications

  • Policy in Action: A Guide to Implementing Your Local School Wellness Policy, October 2006

Center For Collaborative Solutions

  • Changing Lives, Saving Lives: A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Exemplary Practices in Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Food Security in Afterschool Programs, March 2010

Centers For Disease Control And Prevention Publications

  • School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide, 2005

National Association Of State Boards Of Education Publications

  • Fit, Healthy and Ready to Learn, 2000

U.S. Department Of Agriculture Publications

  • Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005
  • Changing the Scene, Improving the School Nutrition Environment: A Guide to Local Action, 2000

Websites