8510 - WELLNESS

Grandville Public Schools

Bylaws & Policies

8510 - WELLNESS

As required by law, the Board of Education establishes the following wellness policy for the District.

The Board recognizes that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well being of the District's students. Furthermore, research concludes that there is a positive correlation between a student's health and well being and his/her ability to learn. Moreover, schools can play an important role in the developmental process by which students establish their health and nutrition habits by providing nutritious meals and snacks through the schools' meal programs, by supporting the development of good eating habits, and by promoting increased physical activity both in and out of school.

The Board, however, believes this effort to support the students' development of healthy behaviors and habits with regard to eating and exercise cannot be accomplished by the schools alone. It will be necessary for not only the staff, but also parents and the public at large to be involved in a community-wide effort to promote, support, and model such healthy behaviors and habits.

The Board sets the following goals in an effort to enable students to establish good health and nutrition habits:

A.	With regard to nutrition education, the District shall:

	1.	Nutrition education standards and benchmarks shall be age-appropriate and culturally relevant.

	2.	Nutrition education shall include enjoyable, developmentally appropriate and culturally relevant participatory activities.

	3.	Nutrition education may include opportunities for appropriate student projects related to nutrition, involving, when possible, community agencies and organizations.

	4.	Nutrition education shall extend beyond the classroom by engaging and involving the school's food service staff.


	5.	Nutrition education posters, such as the Food Pyramid Guide, may be displayed in the cafeteria.

	6.	Nutrition education shall extend beyond the school by engaging and involving families and the community.

	7.	Nutrition education shall reinforce lifelong balance by emphasizing the link between caloric intake (eating) and exercise in ways that are age-appropriate.

	8.	Nutrition education standards and benchmarks promote the benefits of a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, and low-fat and fat-free dairy products.

	9.	The District may provide information to parents that is designed to encourage them to reinforce at home the standards and benchmarks being taught in the classroom.

B.	With regard to physical activity, the District shall:

	1.	Physical Education

		a.	The physical education curriculum shall provide sequential instruction related to the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to participate in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.

		b.	Physical education classes shall provide students with opportunities to learn, practice, and be assessed on developmentally appropriate knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to engage in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.

		c.	The sequential, comprehensive physical education curriculum shall stress the importance of remaining physically active for life.


	d.	The sequential, comprehensive physical education curriculum shall provide students with opportunities to learn, practice, and be assessed on developmentally appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to engage in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.

	e.	The K-12 program shall include instruction in physical education as well as opportunities to participate in competitive and non-competitive team sports to encourage lifelong physical activity.

	f.	Planned instruction in physical education shall require students to be engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity for the majority of scheduled class time.

	g.	Properly certificated, highly qualified teachers shall provide all instruction in physical education.

	h.	Planned instruction in physical education shall teach cooperation, fair play, and responsible participation.

	i.	Planned instruction in physical education shall meet the needs of all students, including those who are not athletically gifted.

	j.	Planned instruction in physical education shall be presented in an environment free of embarrassment, humiliation, shaming, taunting, or harassment of any kind.

	k.	Planned instruction in physical education shall include cooperative as well as competitive games.


		l.	Planned instruction in physical education shall take into account gender and cultural differences.

		m.	Planned instruction in physical education shall promote participation in physical activity outside the regular school day.

		n.	Students should not be withheld from physical education for disciplinary purposes or as a consequence for regular classroom misconduct.

	2.	Physical Activity

		a.	Physical activity should not be employed as a form of discipline or punishment.

		b.	Schools shall encourage families to provide physical activity outside the regular school day, such as outdoor play at home, participation in sports sponsored by community agencies or organizations, and in lifelong physical activities like bowling, swimming, or tennis.

		c.	The school shall encourage families and community organizations to institute programs that support physical activity of all sorts.

C.	With regard to other school-based activities the District shall:

	1.	The schools shall schedule mealtimes so there is minimum disruption by bus schedules, recess, and other special programs or events.

	2.	The school shall provide clean environments in which the students eat.

	3.	Students, parents, and other community members shall have access to, and be encouraged to use, the school's outdoor physical activity facilities outside the normal school day.


	4.	The schools may provide opportunities for staff, parents, and other community members to model healthy eating habits by dining with students in the school dining areas.

	5.	There will be special events and planned activities to encourage and support staff wellness that will be made available to all staff.

	6.	The schools may demonstrate support for the health of all students by hosting health clinics and screenings and encouraging parents to enroll their eligible children in Medicaid or in other children's health insurance programs for which they may qualify.

	7.	Schools in our system utilize electronic identification and payment systems, therefore, eliminating any stigma or identification of students eligible to receive free and/or reduced meals.

	8.	Classroom teachers are encouraged to use physical activity and kinesthetic activities to promote learning.

	9.	Teachers should strive to avoid rewarding conduct with food.

D.	With regard to nutrition promotion, any foods and beverages marketed or promoted to students on school campus, during the school day, will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. Additionally, the District shall:

	1.	encourage students to increase their consumption of healthful foods during the school day;

	2.	provide opportunities for students to develop the knowledge and skills for consuming healthful foods.

The District Food Service department will promote and encourage Farm to School efforts in order to provide the healthy foods.

Furthermore, with the objectives of enhancing student health and well being, and reducing childhood obesity, the following guidelines are established:

	A.	In accordance with Policy 8500, entitled Food Service, the food service program shall comply with Federal and State regulations pertaining to the selection, preparation, consumption, and disposal of food and beverages, including but not limited to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, as well as to the fiscal management of the program.

	B.	As set forth in Policy 8531, entitled Free and Reduced Price Meals, the guidelines for reimbursable school meals are not less restrictive than the guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

		The sale of foods of minimal nutritional value in the food service area during the lunch period is prohibited.

	C.	The sale of foods and beverages to students that do not meet the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards to be consumed on the school campus during the school day is prohibited.

	D.	All food items and beverages available for sale to students for consumption on the school campus (any area of property under the jurisdiction of the school that is accessible to students during the school day) between midnight and thirty (30) minutes after the close of the regular school day shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, including, but not limited to, competitive foods that are available to students a la carte or as entrees in the dining area (except entree items that were offered on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) menu on the day of and the day after they are offered on the NSLP or SBP menu), as well as food items and beverages from vending machines, from school stores, or as fund-raisers, including those operated by student clubs and organizations, parent groups, or boosters clubs.


	E.	All foods offered on the school campus during the school day shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including competitive foods that are available to students a la carte in the dining area, as classroom snacks, or from vending machines.

	F.	All food and beverages that are provided, other than through sale, on the school campus during the school day (which may include classroom snacks, for classroom parties, and at holiday celebrations) shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

	G.	The school shall prepare and communicate to staff, parents, and after-school program personnel a list of snack items that comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.

	H.	The food service program shall be administered by a director who is properly qualified, certificated, licensed, or credentialed, according to current professional standards.

	I.	All food service personnel shall receive pre-service training in food service operations.

	J.	Continuing professional development shall be provided for all staff of the food service program.

The Board designates the Superintendent as the individual charged with operational responsibility for verifying that the District meets the goals established in this policy.

The Superintendent shall appoint a district wellness committee that meets at least 4 times per year and includes parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, educational staff (including health and physical education teachers), mental health and social services staff, school health professionals, members of the public and school administrators to oversee development, implementation, evaluation and periodic update of the wellness policy. The Wellness Committee shall be an ad hoc committee with members recruited and chosen annually.

The Wellness Committee shall be responsible for:

	A.	assessment of the current school environment;

	B.	review of the District�s wellness policy;

	C.	presentation of the wellness policy to the Board for approval;

	D.	measurement of the implementation of the policy;

	E.	recommendation for the revision of the policy, as necessary.

Before the end of each school year the Wellness Committee may recommend to the Superintendent any revisions to the policy it deems necessary and/or appropriate. In its review, the Wellness Committee shall consider evidence-based strategies in determining its recommendations.

The Superintendent may report annually to the Board on the progress of the Wellness Committee and on its evaluation of policy implementation and areas for improvement, including status of compliance by individual schools and progress made in attaining goals of policy.

The District shall assess the Wellness Policy at least once every three (3) years on the extent to which schools in the District are in compliance with the District policy, the extent to which the District policy compares to model wellness policies, and the progress made in attaining the goals of the District Wellness Policy. The assessment shall be made available to the public on the School District�s Website.

42 U.S.C. 1751, Sec. 204
42 U.S.C. 1771
7 C.F.R. Parts 210 and 220

Adopted 5/22/06
Revised 12/2/13
Revised 6/15/15
Revised 5/15/17