Embedded Files
School Health Councils
The District Wellness Committee recommends that a school health council be created to address wellness issues. The District and/or individual schools within the District will create, strengthen, or work within existing school health councils to develop, implement, monitor, review, and, as necessary, revise school nutrition and physical activity policies. The councils also will serve as resources to school sites for implementing those policies. A school health council consists of a group of individuals representing the school and community, and will include parents, students, and representatives of the school food authority, members of the Board, school administrators, teachers, health professionals, and members of the public. The composition of the School Health Council will be determined by the chairperson(s) of the District Wellness Committee;
Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus
School Meals. Meals served through the Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program will:
Be appealing and attractive to children;
Be served in clean and pleasant settings;
Meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by federal, state, local and/or federal statutes and regulations;
Consider the recommendations of the individual Building Team Committee regarding nutritional content and presentation, if applicable;
Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables utilizing fresh, locally grown products to the greatest extent possible;
Serve low-fat and fat-free milk, (hormone and antibiotic free) and nutritionally equivalent non-dairy alternatives (to be defined by USDA); and
Ensure that, at a minimum, half of the served grains are whole grain.
To the greatest extent possible, all meals should be based on whole foods, minimally processed.
Make free drinking water available at locations where meals are served.
Schools will share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students. Such information will be made available through menus, a website and point of purchase materials.
Breakfast. The District will 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.
The District will:
To the extent required by regulation, operate the School Breakfast Program;
To the extent possible, utilize methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation, including “grab-and-go” breakfast, or breakfast during morning break or recess; and
Encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children through newsletter articles, take-home materials, or other means.
Free and Reduced-priced Meals. Schools will 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. Toward this end, schools may utilize electronic identification and payment systems; promote the availability of school meals to all students; and/or use nontraditional methods for serving school meals, such as “grab-and-go” or classroom breakfast.
Meal Times and Scheduling.
Schools will:
Provide students with adequate time for meals as determined by the school’s building committee;
Schedule meal periods at appropriate times;
Not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities or an appropriate location will be made available;
Provide students access to hand-washing or hand-sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks; and
Take reasonable steps to accommodate the tooth-brushing regimens of students with special oral health needs (e.g., orthodontia or high tooth decay risk).
Qualifications of School Food Service Staff. Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the school meal programs. All menus should be reviewed and accepted by the Director of Wellness Programs or their designee before being offered. The designee shall be appointed by the Director of Wellness Programs or the District’s Wellness Committee. As part of the District’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the District will provide continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals in schools. Staff development programs should include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, school nutrition managers, and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility. This training should include the nutrition requirements of the school age population, safe preparation and handling of food and the specific dietary needs of students/staff with dietary restrictions. This training should be offered to all appropriate food service personnel where this applies annually and for all new employees. Each building will have at least one food service personnel certified in safe food handling and preparation.
Sharing of Foods and Beverages. Schools will strongly discourage students from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.
Any foods and beverages sold and/or made available individually to students during the school day, other than those foods provided as part of the reimbursable school meal program (i.e. foods sold through vending machines, cafeteria a la carte [snack] lines school stores, and fundraisers
will meet or exceed the federal guidelines established in USDA’s Nutrition Standards for
All Foods Sold in Schools (Smart Snacks Standards) rule. Foods and beverages sold as a part of fundraisers that are not intended for consumption at school are exempt. The school day is defined as the midnight before to 30 minutes after student dismissal.
Elementary Schools. To the extent possible, all foods prepared, sold, and/or made available on school grounds may not contain peanuts and/or tree nuts. The food and beverages provided by the food service program will be approved before sale to students in elementary schools. Given young children’s nutrition skills, food in elementary schools will be sold as balanced meals. If available, foods and beverages sold individually will be limited to low-fat and non-fat milk, fruits, and non-fried vegetables.
Middle/Junior High and High Schools. To the extent possible, all foods prepared, sold and/or made available on school grounds may not contain peanuts and/or tree nuts. In middle/junior high and high schools, all foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable school meal programs (including those sold through a la carte [snack] lines, vending machines, student stores, or fundraising activities) will meet USDA Smart Snacks in School Guidelines.
Snacks. To the extent possible, all snacks served, sold, and/or made available during school and after school activities may not contain peanuts and/or tree nuts and will meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually. Snacks served during the school day or in after-school care or enrichment programs will make a positive contribution to children’s diets and health, with an emphasis on serving fruits and vegetables as the primary snacks and water as the primary beverage. Schools will assess if and when to offer snacks based on timing of school meals, children’s nutritional needs, children’s ages, and other considerations. A summary of the standards is in the table below and the smart snacks in school calculator can be found at The Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
Fundraising Activities. To support children’s health and school nutrition-education efforts, school fundraising activities are required to meet the nutritional guidelines of the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools. Foods and beverages sold as a part of fundraisers that are not intended for consumption at school are exempt. Food fundraisers should fit into the context of the healthy school environment. Schools will encourage fundraising activities that promote physical activities. The District will make available to parents and teachers a list of healthy fundraising ideas (examples found here).
Rewards. Schools will not use foods or beverages as rewards for academic performance or good behavior (pizza parties, ice cream parties, etc.) and will not withhold food or beverages (including food served through school meals) as a punishment. Alternative ways to reward children can be found here.
Celebrations. All celebrations and parties will meet the Smart Snacks nutrition standards. Snacks for birthday parties must be purchased through the District’s cafeteria vendor. Party bags or holiday cards containing food are prohibited. Soda, candy, and gum are not permitted. Pencils, stickers, etc. are fun treats that can be shared or distributed.
On-Campus After-School Events (such as, but not limited to, athletic events, dances, or performances, both school-sponsored and those run by outside groups). Foods and beverages prepared, sold, and/or made available at after-school events outside the school day, to the extent possible may not contain peanuts and/or tree nuts and to the extent possible offer healthy alternatives.
Physical Activity and Nutrition Education Promotion and Food Marketing
Nutrition Education and Promotion. The District aims to teach, encourage, and support healthy eating by students and staff. Schools will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that:
Is offered at each grade level as part of a sequential, comprehensive, standards-based, and skills-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;
Is part of not only health education classes, but also classroom instruction in subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences, and elective subjects;
Includes enjoyable, developmentally-appropriate, culturally-relevant, participatory activities, such as contests, promotions, farm visits, and school gardens;
Promotes fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and health-enhancing nutrition practices;
Emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure (physical activity/exercise);
Emphasizes the importance of proper lifelong nutrition in the prevention of illness and disease;
Links with school meal programs, other foods, and nutrition-related community services;
Teaches media literacy with an emphasis on food marketing; and
Allows opportunities for training and materials to be made available for teachers and other staff. School nutrition services shall use the Smarter Lunchroom Self-Assessment Scorecard to determine ways to improve the school meals environment.
School nutrition services should implement Smarter Lunchroom techniques or similar programs at each school.
The District should implement Farm-to-School activities such as:
1. Incorporating local or regional products into the school meal program
2. Host school gardens
3. Field trips to local farms
4. Promote special events, such as tastings, that highlight the local/regional products
Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom Setting. It is the policy of the District to encourage opportunities for physical activity beyond physical education class. Examples include:
Classroom health education which will complement physical education by reinforcing the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically-active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities, such as watching television;
Opportunities for physical activity will be incorporated into other subject lessons; and
Classroom teachers will provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate.
Communication with Parents. The District/school will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children. The District/school may offer healthy eating seminars for parents, send home information, and post nutrition tips on school websites. Schools will encourage parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks and to refrain from including beverages and foods that do not meet the above nutrition standards for individual foods and beverages. The District/school may provide parents a list of foods that meet the District’s snack standards and ideas for healthy celebrations/parties, rewards, and fundraising activities. In addition, the District/school will provide opportunities for parents to share their healthy food practices with others in the school community.
The District/school will endeavor to provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities before, during, and after the school day and will support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school. Such support will include sharing information about physical activity and physical education through a website, newsletter, or other take-home materials, special events, and/or physical education homework.
Food Marketing in Schools. Food marketing will be consistent with the nutritional guidelines of this policy. Accordingly, schools will limit food and beverage marketing to the promotion of foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards for meals and beverages sold individually (above). The promotion of healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products is encouraged.
Staff Wellness. The District will support the health and well-being of every staff member and will encourage the planning and implementation of activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Each school will establish and maintain a staff wellness committee composed of staff members and other appropriate resources. The committee will develop, promote, and oversee a plan to promote staff health and wellness. The plan should be based on input solicited from school staff and should outline ways to encourage healthy eating, physical activity, and other elements of a healthy lifestyle among school staff.
Student Wellness. The District will support the health and well-being of every student and will encourage the planning and implementation of activities that encourage healthy lifestyle. Wellness clubs will be encouraged as well as student representation on the student wellness committees to advocate, plan and promote healthy eating, physical activity and other elements of healthy lifestyle among all students.
Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education
Physical Education (P.E.) K-12
Students shall engage in physical education for at least the minimum number of hours or days per week under State requirements, and incorporate the appropriate NYS Learning Standards
On a regular basis, physical education classes will attempt to emphasize the four components of fitness: muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance;
Promotion of physical activity in childhood and adolescence is vital to lifelong fitness habits;
Students should engage in regular physical activity to promote health, psychological well-being, and healthy body weight;
Physical education classes should provide an environment in which students learn, perform and are assessed on motor and social skills that are appropriate for students in K-12;
Physical education classes are encouraged to provide a physical and social environment that encourages safe and enjoyable activities for all students, including those who are not gifted athletically and those with special needs: and
Physical education classes are recommended to have at least a teacher/student ratio comparable with those of other classes.
Daily Supervised Physical Activity. All K-5 elementary school students will have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised physical activity, preferably outdoors, during which schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity through the provision of space and equipment.
Physical Activity Opportunities Before and After School
All elementary, middle, and high schools may offer age appropriate extracurricular physical activity programs. Such programs could include:
Interscholastic sports
Intramural programs
Recreational activities including recreational dance
Programs, which promote lifelong physical activity (i.e. golf, tennis, swimming, etc.)
Appropriate facilities and time should be made available to accommodate physical activities for all students
Schools will offer a range of activities that meet the needs, interests, and abilities of all boys, girls, students with disabilities, and students with special health-care needs, etc.
Physical Activity and Punishment
The District prohibits the use of physical activity or the withholding of participation in physical education class as a punishment. Physical education class should not be compromised for other program needs.
Monitoring, Implementation and Policy Review
Monitoring. The Superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with established District-wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies. In each school, the principal or designee will be charged with operational responsibility for distributing and ensuring compliance with those policies in his/her school and will report on the school’s compliance to the Superintendent or designee annually.
School food service staff, at the school or District level, will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas. Guidelines for reimbursable school meals shall not be less restrictive than regulations and guidance issued by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) of section 10 of the Child Nutrition School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758 (f) (1) and 17 (a) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758 (f) (1), 1766 (a), as those regulations and guidance apply to schools.
The Superintendent or designee will develop a summary report annually on District-wide compliance with the District’s established nutrition and physical activity wellness policies, based on input from schools within the District. That report will be provided to the school board and distributed to all school health councils, parent/teacher organizations, school principals, and school health services personnel in the District via the school website.
Policy Review. To help with the continual development of the District’s wellness policies, each school in the District will assess the school’s existing nutrition and physical activity environments and policies. The results of those school-by-school assessments will be compiled at the District level to identify and prioritize needs.
The District shall monitor and review the implementation and effectiveness of this policy by conducting:
Periodic checks of the nutritional content of food offered in the cafeterias for meals and a la carte items, and sales or consumption figures for such foods.
Periodic checks of the nutritional content of foods available in vending machines, and sales or consumption figures for such foods.
Periodic surveys of student/parent opinions of cafeteria offerings and wellness efforts.
Periodic checks of the amount of time students spend in Physical Education classes, and the nature of those activities.
Periodic checks of extracurricular activities of physical nature, in the number of offerings and rates of participation by students.
NYSSBA’s Student Wellness Assessment Checklist at least every three years to review the effectiveness of this policy.
The District shall inform and update the public about the content of implementation of this wellness policy on the District website:
https://sites.google.com/yorktown.org/healthandwellness/home
Record Keeping
The district shall keep records as required by state and federal regulations.
Adopted date: August 10, 2006
Amended date: June 2008
Reviewed date: February 2009
Amended date: October 19, 2009
Amended date: January 11, 2016
Amended date: October 1, 2018
Amended date: June 17, 2024
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