NEPN/NSBA Code:  JL

STUDENT WELLNESS

The School Committee recognizes that student wellness and good nutrition are related to student’s physical and psychological well-being and their readiness to learn. The School Committee is committed to providing a school environment that supports student wellness, healthy food choices, nutrition education, and regular physical activity. The School Committee believes that students who learn and practice healthy lifestyles in their formative years may be more likely to be conscious of the importance of good nutrition and exercise as adults, practice healthy habits, and reduce their risk of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. 

Nutrition Standards 

The school district will ensure that meals provided by its Food Services Program meet the nutrition standards established by the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and other applicable Federal child nutrition programs.

Any foods and beverages sold or available for sale to students during the school day (“competitive foods”) will meet the USDA Smart Snacks guidelines.

Water

To promote hydration, free, safe, unflavored drinking water will be available to students throughout the school day, including mealtimes, at every school.

Nutrition Education 

Nutrition education will be integrated into the instructional program through the health education program and/or the curriculum as aligned with the content standards of Maine’s system of Learning Results. Nutrition education should focus on the knowledge and skills students need to adopt and maintain healthy eating behaviors. Students should receive consistent nutrition messages throughout the schools, including classrooms, cafeterias, all school activities, and school-home communications. 

Nutrition Promotion

Schools will support healthful eating by students and encourage parents/guardians to provide healthy meals for their children by providing consistent nutrition messages and information and by cooperation with other agencies and organizations.

Staff Qualifications and Professional Development

All school nutrition program directors, managers, and staff will meet and exceed hiring and annual continuing education/training requirements in the USDA standards for school nutrition professionals.

Foods and Beverages for Celebrations and Rewards

The School Committee delegates to the Superintendent/designees the responsibility for guidelines for “healthy celebrations”, with the intent that refreshments served at parties or celebrations during the school day, whether supplied by parents/guardians or staff, meet the “Smart Snacks” standards.

Foods used as rewards in the instructional program must meet “Smart Snacks” standards.

Physical Activity 

The School Committee will strive to provide all students with developmentally appropriate opportunities for physical activity through physical education classes, recess periods for elementary school students, and extracurricular activities (clubs, intramural and interscholastic athletics). School programs are intended to build and maintain physical fitness and to promote healthy lifestyles. Parents are encouraged to support their children’s participation in physical activities, including available before- and after-school programs. 

Other School-Based Wellness Activities 

The School Committee or Superintendent/designee, may implement other appropriate programs that support consistent wellness messages and promote healthy eating and physical activity. 

The school district may develop programs that encourage or provide opportunities for staff to learn and engage in healthy lifestyle practices. 

Leadership

The Superintendent/designee shall be responsible for the oversight of the development and implementation of the wellness policy in the schools. This includes ensuring that the school unit evaluates its schools’ compliance with the wellness policy and progress in attaining wellness goals and making required information available to the public.

The evaluation process must include a comparison of the wellness plan with model local wellness policies, and it may include surveys or solicitation of input from students, parents/guardians, staff, and school administrators, including suggestions for improvement in specific areas. 

Annual Notification of Policy

The school district will annually inform staff, families, and the public of basic information about the wellness policy, including its contents, any updates, and implementation status. This information will be made available on the school district’s website.  It will include the contact information for the person coordinating the wellness committee as well as information about opportunities for the public to get involved with the wellness committee.

Triennial Progress Assessments

Every three years, the Director of Nutrition will:

Assess the extent to which the school district’s schools are in compliance with the wellness policy;

Assess the extent to which the school district’s wellness policy compares to model wellness policies; and

Provide a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the school district’s wellness policy.

The school district’s wellness committee will update the wellness policy based on the results of the triennial assessment and/or as:

The school district’s priorities change;

Community needs change;

Wellness goals are met;

New evidence-based health science emerges; or

New or updated Federal or State regulations are issued.

Parent Communications

The school district will inform parents of improvements that have been made to school meal standards; availability of child nutrition programs and how to apply them; the school district’s meal charging policy; and a list of healthy celebration party ideas (including a list of foods and beverages that meet the Smart Snacks standards).

Food and Beverage Advertising in Schools and On School Grounds

Brand-specific advertising of food or beverages is prohibited in school buildings and on school grounds except for those meeting the standards for sale or distribution on school grounds in accordance with 20-A MRSA § 6662(2), i.e., those that meet Smart Snacks standards.

The School Committee regards the following as “advertising” for the purpose of this policy:

Brand names, logos, or tags, except those that are present as labels on the food or beverage product or its container;

Displays, such as vending machine exteriors;

Corporate brands logos, names or trademarks on school equipment such as message boards or scoreboards;

Corporate brands logos, names or trademarks on cups used for beverage dispensing, menu boards, coolers, trash cans, and other food service equipment;

Corporate brands logos, names or trademarks on posters, book covers, or school supplies distributed or offered by the school district;

Advertisements in school and school unit publications or mailings;

Product coupons or free samples.

“Advertising” does not include advertising on broadcast media or in print media such as newspapers and magazines, clothing with brand images worn on school grounds or advertising on product packaging.

Corporate brand names, logos, and trademarks for companies that market products that comply with the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards will not be prohibited solely because they offer some non-compliant food or beverage items in their product line. 

Appointment and Role of the Wellness Committee 

The School Committee or Superintendent/designee shall appoint a district-wide Wellness Committee comprised of at least one of each of the following: 

• School Committee member; 

• School administrator 

• Food Services Director/designee; 

• Student representative; 

• Parent representative; 

• Community Representative; 

The Wellness Committee may also include: 

• School nurse and/or other school health professional; 

• Teacher(s); 

• Guidance counselor; 

• Social worker; 

• Community organization or agency representative 

• Other staff or persons, as designated by the School Committee or Superintendent/designee

The Wellness Committee shall serve in an advisory capacity to the School Committee on student wellness issues and will be responsible for making recommendations related to the wellness policy, wellness goals, administrative or school regulations, and practices, or raising awareness of student health issues. 

With the prior approval of the Superintendent/designee, the Wellness Committee may survey parents, students, and the community and/or conduct focus groups or community forums. 

The Wellness Committee shall provide periodic reports to the Superintendent/designee and to the School Committee. 

Wellness Goals 

The School Committee has identified the following goals associated with student wellness: 

Goals for Nutrition Education 

• To provide nutrition education that focuses on the skills students need to adopt and maintain healthy eating behaviors; 

• To provide a sequential, comprehensive health education program aligned with the content standards of the Maine Learning Results; 

• Encourage nutrition education to be integrated into other subjects as appropriate to supplement, not replace, the health education program; 

• Provide foods that meet or exceed the federal nutrition standards, adequate time for students to obtain food and eat, lunch scheduled at appropriate hours of the day, adequate space to eat, and a clean and safe meal environment; 

• Provide appropriate professional development will be provided for food services staff and other personnel as appropriate. 

Goals for Nutrition Promotion

• School district staff will cooperate with agencies and community organizations to provide opportunities for nutrition-related student projects and learning experiences.

• Appropriate and consistent nutrition messages will be disseminated throughout Lewiston schools including classrooms, cafeterias, administrative offices, all school activities, and school-home communications; 

• The School Committee, administrators, faculty, and staff are encouraged to model nutritious food choices and eating habits; 

• Schools will encourage parents/guardians to provide healthy meals and snacks for their children through take-home materials or other means.

• Students will have access to clean and safe drinking water throughout the school day and during school activities.

• Schools will promote the consumption of water as an essential element in maintaining overall health and wellness.

Goals for Physical Activity 

• The physical education program will provide all students with the knowledge and skills needed to be physically fit and take part in healthful physical activity on a regular basis; 

• Students will develop motor skills and apply them to enhance their coordination and physical performance; 

• Students will demonstrate responsible personal and social behaviors in physical activity settings; 

• The physical education curriculum will be aligned with the content standards of the Maine system of Learning Results; 

• Physical education classes will keep all students involved in purposeful physical activity for the majority of the class period; 

• Physical education classes will provide an opportunity for students of all abilities to learn; 

• The School Committee will provide a physical and social environment that encourages safe and enjoyable physical activity and fosters the development of a positive attitude toward health and fitness; 

• The School Committee will provide facilities adequate to implement the physical education curriculum for the number of students served; 

• Schools will promote efforts to provide opportunities for students to engage in age-appropriate activities on most days of the week in both school and community settings; 

• The schools will provide opportunities for physical activity through a variety of before- and/or after-school programs including, but not limited to, intramural sports, the arts, interscholastic athletics, and physical activity clubs;

• Professional development will be provided for physical education staff and other staff, as appropriate. 

Goals for Other School-Based Activities 

• Goals of the wellness policy will be considered when planning school or classroom parties, celebrations or other events; 

•  Parents/guardians will be encouraged to provide nutritionally sound snacks from home and food for classroom parties or events; 

• Schools will encourage maximum participation in school meal programs; 

• Schools will encourage parents/guardians and students to take advantage of developmentally appropriate community-based after-school programs that emphasize physical activity; 

• The schools will encourage parents/guardians to support their children’s participation in physical activity, to be physically active role models, and to include physical activity in family events; 

• Where feasible, school physical activity facilities will be made available after school hours for student, parent, and community use to encourage participation in physical activity; 

• School Committee members, administrators, staff, parents, students, and community members will be encouraged to serve as role models in practicing healthy eating and being physically active, both in the school environment and at home; 

• Student organizations will be encouraged to engage in fundraising projects that are supportive of healthy eating and student wellness consistent with School Committee policies; 

• School-based marketing of foods and beverages, such as through advertisements in school publications, school buildings, athletic fields, and other areas accessible to students shall support the goals of the wellness policy; 

• Schools are encouraged to cooperate with agencies and community organizations to support programs that contribute to good nutrition and physical activity. 

Legal reference: 42 U.S.C. § 1751 (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act)

7 CFR Parts 210 and 220

20-A MRSA § 6662

Cross Reference: EFDA – Sale of Foods and Beverages Outside of the School Nutrition Program 

EFE – Vending Machine 

Adopted: May 22, 2006 

Reviewed: September 24, 2012 

Revised: August 21, 2017 

Revised: September 25, 2023