8510 - WELLNESS

Valders Area School District

Bylaws & Policies

8510 - WELLNESS

As required by law, the Board of Education establishes the following wellness policy for the Valders Area School District as part of a comprehensive wellness initiative.

The Board recognizes that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well-being of the District's students. Furthermore, research suggests 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.

Schools alone, however, cannot develop in students 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 choices to:

	A.	promote nutrition education with the objective of improving students’ health and reducing childhood obesity;
	B.	improve the health and well-being of our children, increase consumption of healthful foods during the school day, and create an environment that reinforces the development of healthy eating habits;
	C.	promote nutrition guidelines, a healthy eating environment, child nutrition programs, and food safety and security on each school campus with the objective of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity;
	D.	provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge and skills for specific physical activities, maintain physical fitness, regularly participate in physical activity, and understand the short and long-term benefits of a physically active lifestyle;
	E.	promote the health and wellness of students and staff through other school based activities.

The District Administrator shall obtain the input of District stakeholders, to include parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, educational staff (including physical education teachers), school health professionals, members of the public, and other school administrators in the development, implementation, evaluation, and periodic update, if necessary, of the wellness policy.

The District Administrator is encouraged to form a wellness committee to carry out this function.

The wellness committee shall be an administrative committee with members recruited and appointed by the District Administrator.

The District Administrator shall be responsible for accomplishing the following:

	A.	assess the current environment in each of the District’s schools;
	B.	measure the implementation of the District’s wellness policy in each of the District’s schools;
	C.	review the District’s current wellness policy;
	D.	recommend revision of the policy, as necessary; and
	E.	present the wellness policy, with any necessary revisions, to the Board for approval or re-adoption if revisions are necessary.

The District Administrator will oversee development, implementation, and evaluation of the wellness procedures.

The District Administrator shall conduct reviews of the progress toward school wellness procedures, identify areas for improvement, and recommend revision of procedures as necessary.

Before the end of each school year the District Administrator shall submit to the Board their report in which they describe the environment in each of the District’s schools and the implementation of the wellness policy in each school, and identify any revisions to the policy the committee deems necessary.

The District Administrator or a designee of the wellness committee shall report annually to the Board on the District’s wellness programs, including the assessment of the environment in the District, evaluation of wellness policy implementation District-wide, and the areas for improvement, if any, identified. The District Administrator or a designee from the wellness committee shall also report on the status of compliance by individual schools and progress made in attaining goals established in the policy.

With regard to nutrition education, the District shall:

		1.	Nutrition education shall be included in the Health curriculum so that instruction is sequential and standards-based and provides students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to lead healthy lives.
		2.	Nutrition education in the sequential, comprehensive health curriculum in accordance with the curriculum standards and benchmarks established by the State.
		3.	Nutrition education shall be integrated into other subject areas of the curriculum, when appropriate, to complement, but not replace, the standards and benchmarks for health education.
		4.	Nutrition education shall be age-appropriate and culturally relevant.
		5.	Nutrition education opportunities for appropriate student projects related to nutrition, involving, when possible, community agencies and organizations.
		6.	Nutrition education extending beyond the classroom by engaging and involving the school's food service staff.

With regard to physical activity, the District shall provide:

		1.	Physical Education
			A sequential, comprehensive physical education program for students in K-12 in accordance with the physical education academic content standards and benchmarks adopted by the State.
		2.	Physical Activity

			a.	Physical activity shall not be employed as a form of discipline or punishment.
			b.	Physical activity and movement integrated, when possible, across the curricula and throughout the school day.

With regard to other school-based activities:

		1.	The schools shall provide at least thirty (30) minutes daily for students to eat.
		2.	The schools shall schedule mealtimes so there is minimum disruption by bus schedules, recess, and other special programs or events.
		3.	The school shall provide attractive, clean environments in which the students eat.

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 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).
	C.	The food service program will strive to be financially self-supporting; however, if it is necessary to subsidize the operation, it will not be through the sale of foods with minimal nutritious value.
	D.	The food service program will provide all students affordable access to the varied and nutritious foods they need to be healthy and to learn well.

The District Administrator shall be responsible for informing the public, including parents, students and community members, on the content and implementation of this policy. In order to inform the public, the Superintendent shall post the wellness policy on the District’s website, including the assessment of the implementation of the policy prepared by the District.

42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.
42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.

Revised 1/18/16