Adopted:  5/22/2006

First Reading:  4/24/2006

 

533      WELLNESS

 

[Note:  Not later than the first day of the school year beginning after June 30, 2006, all school districts that receive funding from the federal school lunch program are required by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (“the Act”) to have a Wellness Policy that includes nutrition guidelines, goals for nutrition education, and physical activity to promote student wellness.   The Act requires the involvement of parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, the school board, school administrators, and the public in the development of the wellness policy.  The Act also requires a plan for measuring implementation of the policy and the designation of at least one person charged with operational responsibility for ensuring the school district is in compliance with the policy.  The Act provides for technical assistance and information from the Secretary of Agriculture to aid state and local educational agencies and school food authorities in establishing healthy school nutrition environments, reducing childhood obesity, and preventing diet-related chronic diseases.]

 

I.          PURPOSE

 

The purpose of this policy is to assure a school environment that promotes and protects students’ health, well being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity.

 

II.        GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

 

            The Cannon Falls Area Schools is committed to providing a healthy school environment because:          

 

A.        The school board recognizes that nutrition education and physical education are essential components of the educational process and that good health fosters student attendance and education.

 

B.         The school environment should promote and protect students’ health, well being, and ability to learn by encouraging healthy eating and physical activity.

 

C.        The school district encourages the involvement of students, parents, teachers, food and nutrition services staff, school board, school administration, and other interested persons in implementing, monitoring, and reviewing school district nutrition and physical activity policies.  A Wellness Committee will assist in planning, implementing and improving the school district’s nutrition and physical activity in the school environment.

 

D.        The School District will promote and provide access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn, thrive and achieve academic success.

 

E.                  All students in PreK-12 will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.

 

 

F.                  Qualified food service personnel will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; try to accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.

 

 

 

III.       GUIDELINES

 

            A.        Foods and Beverages Served/Sold During the School Day

 

[Note: The Act requires that school districts have nutrition guidelines, selected by the school district, for all foods available on the school campus during the school day with the objective of promoting student health and reducing student obesity.]

 

                        1.         All foods and beverages made available on campus (including concessions, vending, beverage contracts, and a la carte cafeteria items) will be consistent with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.  Food and beverages offered over the course of a school week will be nutrient-dense, including whole grain products and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables to provide students a variety of choices to maintain a balanced diet.  Foods and beverages available during school breakfast, lunch, vending, concessions and ala Carte will include a variety of healthy choices that are excellent quality, appealing to students, and served at the proper temperatures.  Foods and beverages available during the school day minimize the use of trans and saturated fats, sodium and sugars as defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

 

 

                                    Beverages:

·        Allowed:           Water without added caloric sweeteners; fruit and vegetable juices and fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50% fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; unflavored or flavored low-fat or fat-free fluid milk.

 

                                    Foods:

·        Foods and beverages available during the school day will minimize the use of trans and saturated fats, sodium and sugar as defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

·        A choice of at least two fruits and/or non-fried vegetables will be offered at all school sites where meals and food is served/sold.  Such items will include, but not limited to, fresh fruits and vegetables; 100% fruit and vegetable juice; cooked, frozen and canned vegetables.

 

                                    Portion Sizes:

·  Food and beverages will be offered in modest portion sizes age-appropriate for elementary, middle and high school students, respectively.

 

                        2.         Food service personnel will take every measure to ensure that student access to foods and beverages meet or exceed all federal, state, and local laws and guidelines.

 

                        3.         Food service personnel shall adhere to all federal, state, and local food safety and security guidelines.

 

                        4.         The school district 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.

 

[Note:  The Act requires that the school district’s wellness policy provide an assurance that guidelines for reimbursable school meals shall not be less restrictive than regulations and guidance issued by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to the Child Nutrition Act (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.) and sections 9(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 apply to schools.]

 

                        5.         The school district will provide student access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks.

 

                        6.         The school district will make every effort to provide students with sufficient time to eat after sitting down for school meals and will schedule meal periods at appropriate times during the school day.  Cannon Falls Schools will:

 

·        Recommend students have at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch;

·        Work to schedule lunch periods to follow recess periods (in the Elementary school) to increase student nutrient intake and reduce food waste.

·        If feasible, provide dining areas that are attractive and have enough space for seating all students.

 

                        7.         The school district will discourage tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities.

                        8.         School sites should discourage students from sharing their foods or beverages with one anther during meals or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.

 

9.           The school district will recommend that all children have breakfast, either 

     at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance

     their ability to learn:

 

·        School will, to the extent possible or by regulation, operate the School Breakfast Program.                                                                                                  

·        School will, to the extent possible, arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation, including serving breakfast in the cafeteria, “grab-and-go” breakfast, or breakfast during morning break or recess.

 

10.  Snacks:

Snack served during the school day (including breakfast and/or enrichment programs) will make a positive contribution to children’s diets and health, will emphasize serving whole grains, fruits, vegetables and dairy as the primary snack items.

 

11.  Field Trips:

            When planning a field trip that will occur during the scheduled lunch periods, the classroom teacher will, to the extent possible, collaborate with Food and Nutrition Services to provide the student the option of receiving a meal from School; being mindful of the number of students on free/reduced priced meals who may not be able to provide a lunch from home.

 

12.  Celebrations:

            Classroom celebrations, especially in elementary schools, should encourage healthy choices and portion control.  The celebration should take place after school lunch has been served.  When celebrations occur during the scheduled lunch periods, the classroom teacher will, to the extent possible, collaborate with Food and Nutrition Services. 

 

13.  Fundraising:

            To support children’s health and school nutrition-education efforts, schools will encourage fundraising that promotes the sale of non-food and nutritious food items: being mindful of food safety.

 

14.  School-sponsored Events (such as, but not limited to, athletic events, dances, or performances).

Concessions sales can be a an opportunity to provide and promote healthy choices.   Concessions will be encouraged to make healthy choices that are accessible and affordable.

           

            B.         School Food Service Program/Personnel

 

                        1.         The school district will provide healthy and safe school meal programs that strictly comply with all federal, state, and local statutes and regulations.

 

                        2.         The school district shall designate an appropriate person to be responsible for the school district’s food service program, whose duties shall include the creation of nutrition guidelines and procedures for the selection of foods and beverages made available on campus outside of the School Meals Program to ensure food and beverage choices are consistent with current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

 

                        3.         As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the school district will provide continuing professional development for all food service personnel in schools.

 

            C.        Nutrition Education and Promotion

 

                        [Note: The Act requires that wellness policies include goals for nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that are designed to promote student wellness in a manner that the school district determines is appropriate.]

 

                        1.         The school district will encourage and support healthy eating by students and engage in nutrition promotion that is:

 

                                    a.         offered as part of a sequential, comprehensive program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;

 

                                    b.         integrated into other areas of the curriculum such math, science, language arts, social sciences, and elective subjects, where appropriate; and

 

                                    c.         enjoyable, developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant, and includes participatory activities, such as contests, promotions, taste testing, and field trips.

 

                        2.         The school district will encourage all students to make age appropriate, healthy selections of foods and beverages, including those sold individually outside the reimbursable school meal programs, such as through a la carte [snack] lines, vending machines, fundraising events, concession stands, and student stores.

 

                        3.         The school district will recommend that foods or beverages are not used as rewards for academic performance or good behavior (unless this practice is allowed by a student’s individual education plan or behavior intervention plan). Food or beverages will not be withheld as a form of punishment.

 

                        4.         The school cafeteria may serve as a “learning laboratory” to allow students to apply nutrition skills taught in the classroom.  The promotion of healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy products will be encouraged.

 

5.                  Staff Wellness:

The Cannon Falls Area Schools highly values the health and well being of every staff member and will plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  The school staff should act as role models for food nutrition and physical activity behaviors.  The district will establish and maintain a Staff Wellness Committee.  The committee will develop, promote and oversee a multifaceted plan to promote staff health and wellness.

 

6.                  It is recommended that all staff be CPR and First Aid certified.  The following staff will be required to be CPR and First Aid certified:  Nurses, Special Education Paraprofessionals, Coaching Staff, Office Staff, Bus Drivers, Food Service personnel, and Physical Education staff.

 

                                   

            D.        Physical Activity

 

1.         Physical Education classes will be offered on a daily basis for all students in grades K-6. Physical Educaiton classes or Health classes will be offered to all students on a daily basis in grades 7-10. Elective Physical education classes will be offered to all students in grades 11-12.

 

                        2.       Students need opportunities for physical activity and to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior. Toward that end, health education will reinforce the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce sedentary activities.

 

                        3.         The Wellness Committeewill recommend opportunities for physical activity that may be incorporated into other subject lessons, where appropriate; and

 

4.      Classroom teachers will be encouraged to provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate.

 

5.      Students involvement in other activities involving physical activey (e.g., interscholastic or intramural sports) will not be substituted for meeting the physical education requirement.

 

6.         Daily Recess.   K-5 students will have a daily supervised recess.  7.           Physical Activity and Punishment

Teachers and other school and community personnel will discourage the use of physical activity (i.e. running laps, pushups) or withhold opportunities for physical activity (i.e. recess, physical education) as punishment.  The school district will discourage tutoring, club or organizational meeting or activities during recess or physical education class time

                                                                                                                                   

 

            E.         Communications with Parents

 

                        1.         The school district recognizes that parents and guardians have a primary and fundamental role in promoting and protecting their children’s health and well being.

 

                        2.         The school district will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children.

                        3.         The school district encourages parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks and refrain from including beverages and foods without nutritional value.

 

4.                  The school district will provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities and will support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school.

 

 

IV.       IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING

 

            [Note: The Act requires that the wellness policy establish a plan for measuring implementation of the policy, including designation of at least one or more persons within the school district or at each school, as appropriate, charged with operational responsibility for ensuring that the school meets the requirements of the wellness policy.]

 

A.     The CDC’s School Health Index will be used to access the nutrition and physical activity needs of students.  Assessments will be repeated, at a minimum, every three years to help review policy compliance, assess progress, and determine areas in need of improvement.

 

 

B.     To satisfy the requirements of Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, the Wellness Committee will monitor and evaluate the school district’s implementation of the Wellness Policy.  Once the policy is approved, the Wellness Committee will meet no less than once per year to review and update the policy.

 

 

C.     After the approval by the school board, the Wellness Policy will be implemented throughout the school district.

 

 

D.     Staff responsible for the areas outlined within this policy, at the school or district level, will ensure compliance and will report to the Wellness Committee, as appropriate.  An annual report of the school district’s compliance with the policy will be given to the Superintendent and School Board.

 

 

Legal References:      42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq. (Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act)

                                    42 U.S.C. § 1771 et seq. (Child Nutrition Act of 1966)

                                    P.L. 108-265 (2004) § 204 (Local Wellness Policy)

                                    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)

 

Local Resources:        Minnesota Department of Education, www.education.state.mn.us

                                    Minnesota Department of Health, www.health.state.mn.us