721.1 Wellness
721.1 Wellness
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to assure a school environment that promotes and enhances students’ health, wellbeing, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity.
II. GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY
This policy ensures opportunities for all students to learn about nutrition and physical activity and to practice healthy behaviors throughout the day while minimizing unhealthy choices.
A. The school board recognizes that nutrition education and physical education are important components of education and with good health, student attendance and learning improve.
B. The school environment promotes and supports student health and the ability to learn about healthy eating and physical activity through effective educational practices.
C. Students have access to healthy food choices and physical activity before, during and after school.
D. The District establishes and maintains an infrastructure for implementing, monitoring and reviewing of the policy and involves students, parents, staff and community members in the process.
E. The District promotes and informs staff, students, families and the community about nutrition and physical activity.
III. DISTRICT WELLNESS COMMITTEE
A. The Superintendent’s Office, or designee, will convene a District Wellness Committee to advise on school health and wellness policies and programs, including development, implementation and periodic review and update of the policy.
B. The committee will have representation from stakeholder groups, such as family members, students, school nutrition, physical education and health teachers, support staff, administration, Community Education, health professionals, and the general public.
C. The Superintendent, or designee(s), will convene the Committee for the purposes of ongoing review, updates, and compliance.
D. The Committee will meet at least three times per year at published times.
E. Each school will designate a school wellness champion, who will ensure compliance with the policy and complete an annual checklist.
IV. NUTRITION EDUCATION AND PROMOTION
Goal: The school district will encourage and support healthy eating by students and engage in nutrition promotion.
A. Provide evidence-based nutrition information as a part of a comprehensive program or a part of health education classes which are designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health.
B. Require nutrition education for all elementary grades as well as in health or physical education courses at the secondary level.
C. The school district must encourage all students, staff and families to make healthy food and beverage choices, including those sold or not sold outside of the reimbursable school meals, such as a la carte, vending machines, fundraising events, concession stands, classroom parties, classroom snacks brought by parents, and school stores.
D. Encourage schools to limit the use of foods or beverages as a reward for academic performance or good behavior and will not withhold food or beverages as a punishment. Foods or beverages used as rewards should meet the Federal regulations for Smart Snacks in School nutrition guidelines.
V. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
All children and adolescents should participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on a daily basis for their health and wellbeing. A substantial percentage of this physical activity can be provided through a coordinated school physical education and activity program that includes but is not limited to quality Physical Education, co-curricular activities, recess, active academics, and out-of-school opportunities.
A. Physical Education
Goal: To provide students with opportunities for a quality physical education and daily physical activity in order to enhance learning, health, and to promote understanding of a physically active and healthy lifestyle.
a. Provide students with physical education, using an age-appropriate, sequential physical education curriculum consistent with national and state standards for physical education.
b. All elementary students should participate in physical education classes and regularly scheduled physically active recess.
c. All middle and high school students are encouraged to participate in physical education courses throughout their secondary experience.
d. Students will be moderately to vigorously active during physical education classes.
e. All physical education classes are taught by licensed teachers who are certified or endorsed to teach physical education.
f. Review the physical education curriculum regularly through the Curriculum Renewal Cycle.
B. Physical Activity
a. Students have periodic opportunities to be active throughout the school day on all or most days. These physical activity breaks will complement, not substitute, for physical education class, recess, and class transition periods.
b.Teachers incorporate movement and kinesthetic learning approaches into instruction when possible to limit sedentary behavior during the school day.
c. Elementary students participate in recess on all days during the school year, except inclement weather, and physical activity is encouraged and modeled by staff.
d .Teachers and staff serve as role models by being physically active alongside the students whenever feasible.
e. Students and their families can participate in a variety of out-of-school time physical activity opportunities through school-based activities and Community-Ed enrichment and childcare programming.
f. The community has access to its facilities for physical activity outside of the school day that is consistent with the District’s facility use policy.
g. Safe and active transport to and from school, such as walking or biking, is promoted when possible and resources are made available through the Safe Routes to School program.
VI. FOOD AND BEVERAGES
Good nutrition is linked to better learning. The environments in which we live affect the food choices we make. Schools and the community have an obligation to provide high quality, nutritional food choices to shape life-long healthy food habits
A. Nutrition Services
a. Ensure all school breakfasts and lunches will be consistent with the current USDA Nutrition Standards and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans including:
i. Meals must contain calories according to the age group with <30% of calories from total fat and <10% of calories from saturated fat.
ii.Menus will incorporate whole grains, fruits, veggies, lean proteins and low fat dairy products. A minimum of 2 choices of fruits and/or vegetables for lunch and continue to promote and administer the Farm to School program at all schools.
iii.Foods will be served with consideration of variety, appeal, taste and safety to ensure high quality meals.
b. Provide drinking water at no charge to students.
c. Minimize barriers to apply for free or reduced meals for students.
d. Recognize the needs of students with special dietary needs due to a chronic health condition or allergies.
e. Incorporate efficient serving methods so students have adequate time to eat.
f. Nutrition information will be made available to parents, staff and students through the Nutrition Services website.
g. The school district will designate the Director of Nutrition Services to be responsible for the school district’s food service program, whose duties shall include oversight of the menus to ensure compliance with regulations, ensure a la carte items meet the Smart Snack guidelines and provide continuing professional development opportunities to all food service personnel in schools.
B. Food and Beverages Sold to Students (A la Carte/Vending/Fundraising)
a. All food or beverages sold to students during the school day which is defined as the period from the midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day must meet the Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards which are as follows:
i. Be a “whole grain-rich” grain product; or
ii.The first ingredient must be a fruit, vegetable, dairy product or protein food; or
iii. Be a combination of a food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and/or vegetable; or
iv. Contain 10% of the Daily Value of one of the nutrients of public health concern (calcium, potassium, vitamin D or dietary fiber)
v. Foods must also meet several nutrient requirements:
1. Calorie limits
a. Snack items: ≤ 200 calories
b. Entrée items: ≤ 350 calories
2. Sodium limits
a. Snack items: ≤230 mg
b. Entrée items: ≤480 mg
3. Fat limits
a. Total fat: ≤35%
b. Saturated fat: <10% of calories
c. Trans fat: zero grams
4. Sugar limits
a. ≤35% of weight from total sugars in foods
b. Vending:
i. Elementary students will not have access to food and beverage vending machines at school.
ii. Secondary students may have access to vending machines with Smart Snack compliant food and beverages.
c. Fundraisers/School Stores:
i. Encourage food/beverages used by District sanctioned organizations as fundraisers to make healthy food choices that meet the Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards guidelines.
ii. All fundraisers administered during the school day must meet the Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards guidelines.
d. Concessions:
i. Concessions offered during non-school hours will be strongly encouraged to offer healthy food items which meet the Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards guidelines.
C. Product Marketing
a. School based marketing will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion based on the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The promotion of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy products is encouraged.
b. Schools and educational programs are encouraged to consider nutritious products, competitive pricing, and product placement and promotion strategies for the consumption of healthy foods.
c. Utilize marketing strategies to promote healthy food choices and market and advertise only those food and beverages that meet the Smart Snacks in Schools nutrition standards.
VII. COMMUNITY COLLABORATION AND WELLNESS PROMOTION
Goal: To collaborate with stakeholders and provide activities designed to promote student, family and staff wellness.
A. South Washington County School District will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children by offering relevant activities and opportunities; sharing research, best practices, and resources, and promoting information through a variety of forums.
B. The school district encourages parents/guardians to pack healthy lunches and snacks for their children and to avoid packing foods with little to no nutrition value.
C. Staff health and wellness programs, resources, and opportunities are available to help them live healthier lifestyles and better model healthy behaviors and attitudes to children.
D. South Washington County Schools partners with the community to leverage resources and support wellness policy implementation.
E. A broad stakeholder group from families, students, and staff is included in the wellness policy process.
F. The public is informed about the wellness policy on an annual basis, including any updates.
VIII. WELLNESS POLICY IMPLEMENTATION, AND MONITORING AND ACCOUNTABILITY
A. The Assistant Superintendents, or designee, will oversee compliance of the local wellness policy and update needs.
B. An assessment of wellness policy implementation will be conducted at least once every three years and contains the following components:
a. compliance with the wellness policy.
b. how the wellness policy compares to model wellness policies.
c. progress made in attaining goals of the wellness policy.
C. The following records must be maintained on file
a. copy of the written school board policy
b. documentation demonstrating how the policy and assessments are made available to the public;
c. documentation of efforts to provide annual updates to the local wellness policy including who was involved in the process and how stakeholders were permitted to participate;
d. the most recent triennial assessment of implementation of the policy.
Cross References:
District policy 720 (Vending Machines)
Legal References:
Minn. Stat. § 121A.215 (Local School District Wellness Policy)
42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq. (Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act)
42 U.S.C. § 1758b (Local School Wellness Policy)
42 U.S.C. § 1771 et seq. (Child Nutrition Act of 1966)
7 U.S.C. § 5341 (Establishment of Dietary Guidelines)
7 C.F.R. § 210.10 (School Lunch Program Regulations)
7 C.F.R. § 220.8 (School Breakfast Program Regulations)
POLICY ADOPTED: May 24 2007
POLICY REVIEWED: February 209; May 2011, February 15, 2018, November 18, 2021
POLICY REVISED: March 26, 2009; June 16, 2011, August 20, 2015, August 17, 2017