6142.101 - Student Nutrition and Physical Activity

6142.101

Instruction

Student Nutrition and Physical Activity (Student Wellness Policy)

Policy Intent/Rationale

The Windsor Locks Board of Education recognizes the importance of a coordinated school health model and student achievement, and is committed to a school environment that promotes the health, well-being, and academic success of students. A school environment that enhances learning and encourages development of lifelong wellness practices evidences this commitment.

Formation of The Health and Wellness Council

 a. The membership of the Health and Wellness Council shall include at a minimum:

·         the Director of Curriculum Instruction and Assessment,

·         the Food Service Director

·         parent representatives,

·         administrative representatives,

·         physical education teacher(s)

·         a health representative,

·         Board of Education representative,

·         registered nurse

·         student representative

 b. The Council shall meet a minimum of once annually. Additional meetings may be scheduled as needed.

Nutrition Education and Promotion

1. Schools will provide nutrition education as part of a planned, ongoing, systematic, standards based school health education program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health.  Nutrition Education shall be standards based, using national or state-developed standards, such as the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Healthy and Balanced Living Curriculum Framework.

2. Professional development and training opportunities will be available to staff.  Staff members responsible for nutrition education shall be adequately prepared and shall participate in professional development activities to effectively deliver the nutrition education program as planned.  Staff members shall not advocate dieting behaviors or any specific eating regimen to students, other staff members or parents.

3. The nutrition education program will link with school meal programs, other school foods, and nutrition related community services that occur outside the classroom or that link classroom nutrition education to the larger school community, such as school gardens, cafeteria-based nutrition education and after-school programs.

4. Staff is encouraged to integrate nutritional themes from the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Healthy and Balanced Living Curriculum Framework and the health benefits of good nutrition into daily lessons.

5. Windsor Locks Public Schools shall assess all nutrition education lessons and materials for accuracy, completeness, balance and consistency with the state’s/district’s educational goals and curriculum standards.

6. School Instructional staff members are encouraged to collaborate with agencies and groups conducting nutrition education in the community to send consistent messages to students and their families.  School officials shall disseminate information to parents, students and staff members about community programs that offer nutrition assistance to families, focusing on but not limited to:

a. healthy snack, lunch and breakfast ideas

b. non-food celebration ideas

c.     nutritional needs of children

d. healthy portion sizes

e. food label reading guidelines

f. fun activities

7. School staff members are encouraged to model healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.

Communication and Promotion

1. The Health and Wellness Policy will be shared with school staff, families, and community agencies through the district website, the food service menu, school and PTA newsletters.

2. The Health and Wellness Policy will be published using local media.

Physical Activity and Physical Education

1. The Windsor Locks Board of Education shall provide physical education that is standards-based, using national or state-developed standards, such as Connecticut’s Physical Education – A Guide to K-12 Program Development and National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Guidelines.  Physical education classes shall be sequential, building form year to year, and content will include movement, personal fitness and social responsibility.  Students shall be able to demonstrate competency through application of knowledge, skills and practice.

2. Physical education classes/wellness curriculum will promote:

a. the benefits of physical activity

b. physical activity being incorporated into the classroom routines where appropriate

c. physical education classes to include at least 50% of moderate to vigorous activity in all or most lessons

d. rubrics that objectively evaluate and encourage active participation in  physical education

e. during inclement weather, efforts shall be made to provide an indoor back-up plan for physical education

f. periodic and on-going programs to increase the activity and positive nutritional choices for students

3. All physical education shall be taught by certified physical education teachers.  Student involvement in other activities involving physical activity (e.g., interscholastic or intramural sports) shall not be substituted for meeting the physical education requirement.

4. Windsor Locks Public Schools shall prohibit the use of exercise as punishment, and shall develop alternative practices for promoting appropriate behavior.

At elementary school students shall have a minimum of 20 minutes per day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which the schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity and provide space, equipment and an environment that is conducive to safe and enjoyable activity.  Elementary schools shall prohibit withholding recess as punishment, and shall develop alternative practices for promoting appropriate behavior.  Recess shall not be withheld as a consequence of incomplete school assignments.

5. Upper elementary, middle and high schools shall offer extracurricular physical activity programs, such as physical activity clubs or intramural programs. Windsor Locks High School and Middle School, as appropriate, shall offer interscholastic sports programs. Windsor Locks Public Schools shall offer a range of activities that meet the needs, interests and abilities of all students, including boys, girls, students with physical and cognitive disabilities, and students with special health care needs.

6. When appropriate, the district shall work together with local public works, public safety and/or police departments to make it safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school.

7. School spaces and facilities shall be available to students, staff members and community members for physical activity during and after the school day, on weekends and during school vacations. These spaces and facilities shall also be available to community agencies and organizations offering physical activity and nutrition programs. School policies concerning safety and supervision shall apply at all times.

Nutrition Standards for School Foods and Beverages

1. School meals shall offer varied and nutritious food choices that are consistent with USDA nutrition standards and the Dietary Guidelines (which focus on increasing fruits, vegetables and whole grains). School meals shall:

   1. • Meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state and federal statutes and regulations;

      • Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables;

      • Attempt to provide as many whole grain options as possible, as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

2. Menus shall be planned to be appealing and attractive to children. School meals shall be planned to incorporate the basic menu planning principles of balance, variety, contrast, color and eye appeal. Information about the nutritional content of meals shall be shared with students, families and school staff members. Menus shall be planned with input from students, parents and other school personnel and shall take into account students’ cultural norms and preferences. Schools shall engage students and parents, through surveys and taste-tests of new entrees, in selecting foods sold through the school meal programs in order to identify new, healthful and appealing food choices.

         3.  Districts shall encourage all children to have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional     needs and enhance their ability to learn. Schools will:

• To the extent possible, operate the School Breakfast Program

• the extent possible, arrange bus schedules and use methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation.

• Notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program, if the school serves breakfast to students; and

• Encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children through newsletter articles, take home materials, or other means.

  4.   With appropriate medical documentation, modified meals shall be prepared for students with food allergies or other       special dietary needs.

  5.    Families are encouraged to promote participation in the school meal program. If their children do not participate in the school meal program, families should provide their children with healthy snacks/meals.

Other School – Based Activities to Promote Student Wellness

1. School meals shall be served in clean and pleasant settings. A cafeteria environment that provides students with a relaxed, enjoyable climate shall be developed. The cafeteria environment is a place where students have adequate space to eat, clean and pleasant surroundings, and adequate time to eat meals. Students and staff are encouraged to wash and sanitize hands before meals.

2. Schools shall provide appropriate meal times with adequate time allotted for students to eat.

3. Schools shall make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.

4. The school food service program shall aim to be financially self-supporting. However, the program is an essential educational support activity. Budget neutrality or profit generation shall not take precedence over the nutritional needs of the students. If additional funds are needed, they shall not be from the sale of foods that have minimal nutritional value and/or compete nutritionally with program meals.

5. Qualified nutrition professionals shall administer the school meal programs. As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, continuing professional development shall be provided for all nutrition professionals in schools. Staff development programs shall include appropriate certification and/or training programs for school food service directors, managers and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.

6. All food service personnel shall have adequate pre-service training in food service operations and regularly participate in professional development activities that address requirements for Child Nutrition Programs, menu planning and preparation, food safety, strategies for promoting healthy eating behaviors and other appropriate topics.

7. All foods made available at school shall comply with state and local food safety and sanitation regulations. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and guidelines shall be implemented to prevent food-borne illness in schools.

8. Schools shall not use non-nutritious foods such as candy, chips, sugared drinks, cupcakes, cookies, etc. as incentives or rewards for academic performance or good behavior, unless this practice is allowed by a student’s individualized education plan (IEP). Schools shall not withhold food or beverages (including food served through school meals) as a punishment. Alternative rewards shall be developed and promoted.

9. Schools shall discourage students from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns with allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.

10. The district highly values the health and well being of every staff member and shall plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff members to maintain a healthy lifestyle and that encourage staff members to serve as role models.

Program Evaluation

At the district level the following procedures shall be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Health and Wellness policy:

a. The district Health and Wellness Council shall continue monitoring the Health and Wellness policy, evaluating policy progress, serving as a resource, and making recommendations for policy.

b. The policy shall be reviewed, at least annually, to determine if it meets current district needs, state and federal requirements, and promotes healthy eating and physical activity.

(cf. 3542 – Food Service)

(cf. 3542.33 – Food Sales Other Than National School Lunch Program)

(cf. 3542.34 – Nutrition Program)

(cf. 3452.45 – Vending Machines)

(cf. 6142.6 – Physical Education)

(cf. 6142.61 – Physical Activity)

(cf. 6142.62 – Recess/Unstructured Time)

(cf. 6142.10 – Health Education)

Legal Reference:     Connecticut General Statutes

10-16b Prescribed courses of study.

10‑215 Lunches, breakfasts and the feeding programs for public school children and employees.

10-221 Boards of education to prescribe rules, policies and procedures.

                                 10‑215a Non‑public school participation in feeding program.

                                 10‑215b Duties of state board of education re: feeding programs.

                                 10‑216 Payment of expenses.

                                 10-215b-1 State board of education regulation. Competitive foods

National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program; Competitive Foods. (7 CFR Parts 210    
    and 220, Federal Register, Vol. 45, No. 20, Tuesday, January 29, 1980, pp. 6758‑6772)

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, Public Law 108-265

10-221o Lunch periods. Recess

10-221p Boards to make available for purchase nutritious low fat foods and drinks.

PA 06-63 An Act Concerning Healthy Food and Beverages in Schools

Policy Adopted:     May 9, 2007                            WINDSOR LOCKS PUBLIC SCHOOLS

                                                                                                           Windsor Locks, Connecticut