The District promotes healthy schools, by supporting wellness, good nutrition, and regular physical activity as part of the total learning environment. The District supports a healthy environment where children learn and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices. Schools contribute to the basic health status of children by facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Improved health optimizes student performance potential. The goals of the District's wellness policy are as follows:
1. Provide a comprehensive learning environment for developing and practicing lifelong wellness behaviors.
The entire school environment, not just the classroom, shall be aligned with healthy school goals to positively influence a student's understanding, beliefs, and habits as they relate to good nutrition and regular physical activity. A healthy school environment should not be sacrificed because of a dependence on revenue from high added fat, high added sugar, and low nutrient foods to support school programs.
2. Support and promote proper dietary habits contributing to student's health status and academic performance.
All foods available on school grounds and at school-sponsored activities during the instructional day should meet or exceed the district nutrition standards. Emphasis should be placed on foods that are nutrient dense per calorie. To ensure high quality, nutritious meals, foods should be served with consideration toward variety, appeal, taste, safety, and packaging.
3. Provide more opportunities for students to engage in physical activity.
A quality physical education program is an essential component for all students to learn about and participate in physical activity. Physical activity should be included in a school's daily education program from grades K through 12. Physical activity should include regular instructional physical education, co-curricular activities, and recess. A goal of 150 minutes per week for elementary students, 225 minutes per week for middle school students, and 2 units for high school students during high school years.
Policy 2750
(Regulation 2750)
4. The District is committed to improve academic performance.
Educators, administrators, parents, health practitioners, and communities should consider the critical role student health plays in academic stamina and performance and adapt the school environment to ensure students' basic nourishment and activity needs are met. To ensure widespread understanding of the benefits to school environments where nutritious foods are provided and where students have an opportunity for physical activity, a public awareness campaign that highlights research demonstrating the positive relationship between good nutrition, physical activity, and capacity of students to develop and learn should be conducted.
5. Establish and maintain a district-wide Nutrition & Physical Activity Advisory Council with the purposes of:
· Developing guidance to this policy
· Monitoring the implementation of this policy
· Evaluating policy progress
· Serving as a resource to school sites
· Revising policy as necessary
STUDENTS Regulation 2750
(Policy 2750)
Student Services
Wellness
1. Advisory Committee
A district-wide Nutrition & Physical Activity Advisory Committee will be established. The Committee would meet a minimum of two times annually. Any existing School Health Advisory Council will serve as the nucleus for the Committee. The Committee will include members as specified by law. Responsibility of the Nutrition & Physical Activity Advisory Council may include, but not be limited to, oversight of the following:
· Implementation of district nutrition and physical activity standards
· Integration of nutrition and physical activity in the overall curriculum
· Assurance that staff professional development includes nutrition and physical activity issues
· Assurance that students receive nutrition education and engage in vigorous physical activity
The Nutrition & Physical Activity Advisory Committee will be responsible for preparing a report that includes, but is not limited to, the following information:
· Monthly district menus and meal counts
· Listing of all a la carte, vending, and competitive foods sold by school food service
· Listing of all other sales of foods throughout the district including vending machines, school stores, culinary, and special education programs, in-school and in-class fundraisers, etc.
· Listing of physical activity programs and opportunities for students throughout the school year.
· Outcomes of Committee activities.
Regulation 2750
(Policy 2750)
2. Student Nutrition
The School Breakfast/Lunch Programs:
· The full meal school breakfast and lunch programs will continue to follow the USDA Requirements for Federal School Meals Programs.
· The School Food Service Program will follow the Smart Snacks Standards when determining the items in a la carte and "competitive foods" sales.
· The Food and Service Director must work closely with the Nutrition & Physical Activity Advisory Committee.
Cafeteria Environment:
· A cafeteria environment that provides students with a relaxed, enjoyable climate that shall be developed
· The cafeteria is a place where students have:
o Adequate space to eat in clean, pleasant surroundings
o Adequate time to eat meals
o Convenient access to hand washing or hand sanitizing facilities before meals
· When possible, recess time will be provided for elementary students before lunch
Fundraising:
All fundraising projects for sale and consumption of food items within and prior to the instructional day will follow the Smart Snacks Standards determining the items being sold.
Regulation 2750
(Policy 2750)
3. Student Nutrition Education:
The District has a comprehensive approach to nutrition in Kindergarten through 12th grade. All K-12 instructional staff will be encouraged to integrate nutritional themes into daily lessons when appropriate. The health benefits of good nutrition should be emphasized. Lessons will focus on skills and positive aspects of healthy eating. The district nutrition policy reinforces nutrition education to help students practice these themes in a supportive school environment.
Parent Nutrition Education:
Nutrition education may be provided in the forms of handouts, postings on the district website, articles and information provided in district or school newsletters, presentations that focus on nutritional value and healthy lifestyles, and through any other appropriate means available for reaching parents.
Staff Nutrition & Physical Activity Education:
Nutrition and physical activity education opportunities will be provided to all school staff at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. These educational opportunities may include, but not be limited to, the distribution of educational and informational materials and the arrangement of presentations and workshops that focus on nutritional and healthy lifestyles, health assessments, fitness activities, and other appropriate nutrition and physical activity-related topics.
4. District Nutrition Standards
The District strongly encourages the sale or distribution of nutrient dense foods for all school functions and activities. Nutrient dense foods are those foods that provide students with calories rich in the nutrient content needed to be healthy. In an effort to support the consumption of nutrient dense foods in the school setting, the district has adopted the following nutrition standards governing the sale of food, beverage, and candy on school grounds. Schools are encouraged to study these standards and develop building policy using the following District Nutrition Standards as minimal guidelines.
Regulation 2750
(Policy 2750)
Food:
· Encourage the consumption of nutrient dense foods, i.e. WHOLE GRAINS, FRESH FRUITS, VEGETABLES, and DAIRY PRODUCTS.
· Any given food item for sale prior to the start of the school day and throughout the instructional day, will have no more than 35% of its total calories derived from fat.
· Any given food item for sale prior to the start of the school day and throughout the instructional day, will have less than or equal to 10% of its total calories derived from saturated fat.
· Nuts and seeds with minimal added fat in processing (no more than 3 grams of added fat per 1.75 ounce or less package size) are exempt from these standards because they are nutrient dense and contain high levels of monounsaturated fat.
Candy:
· Candy is defined as any processed food item that has:
a. Sugar (including brown sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, fructose, glucose (dextrose), high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, molasses, raw sugar, table sugar (sucrose), syrup) is listed as one of the first two ingredients
AND
b. Sugar is more than 35% of the item by weight.
· Vending sales of candy will not be permitted on school grounds.
· Non-vending sales of candy will not be permitted until at least 30 minutes after the conclusion of the instructional day.
Regulation 2750
(Policy 2750)
5. Student Physical Activity
District Physical Activity Goal:
The District shall provide physical activity and physical education opportunities that provides students with the knowledge and skills to lead a physically active lifestyle. The District shall utilize the following Implementation Strategies:
1 Physical education classes and physical activity opportunities will be available to all students.
2 Physical activity opportunities shall be offered daily before school, during school (recess), or after school.
3 As recommended by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE), school leaders of physical activity and physical education shall guide students through a process that will enable them to achieve and maintain a high level of personal fitness through the following:
· Expose youngsters to a wide variety of physical activities
· Teach physical skills to help maintain a lifetime of health and fitness
· Encourage self-monitoring so youngsters can see how active they are and set their own goals
· Individualize intensity of activities
· Focus feedback on process of doing your best rather than on product
· Be active role models
4 Introduce developmentally appropriate components of a health-related assessment to the students at an early age to prepare them for future assessments.
5 Physical education classes shall be sequential, building from year to year, and content will include movement, personal fitness, and personal and social responsibility. Students should be able to demonstrate competency through application of knowledge, skill, and practice.
Missing Components:
Policies for marketing and advertising
Food and Beverage Marketing
Marketing and advertising is only allowed on school grounds or at school activities for foods and beverages that meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. This rule does not apply to marketing that occurs at events outside of school hours such as after school sporting or any other events, F-290-P including school fundraising events. The District will not immediately replace non-compliant products or logos to comply with the new USDA Smart Snacks in Schools nutrition requirements. All previously purchased products will be used, and all existing contracts honored. Similarly, all equipment that currently displays non-compliant marketing materials will not be removed or replaced (e.g., a score Board with a Coca-Cola logo). However, as the District reviews and considers new contracts, and as scoreboards or other such durable equipment are replaced or updated over time, any products that are marketed and advertised will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
Policies for foods provided not sold to students.
Standards for All Foods and Beverages Provided, But Not Sold to Students during the School Day
The District may provide a list of healthy party ideas or food and beverage alternatives to parents, teachers, and students for classroom parties, rewards and incentives, or classroom snacks. The District discourages the use of food and beverages as a reward or incentive for performance or behavior.
Suggestions for Healthy Foods for Snacks & Parties
Suggested Foods
· Fresh fruits and vegetables
· Dips based on low-fat yogurt or sour cream (be aware of sugar and salt content)
· Canned fruits (preferably packed in natural fruit juices instead of syrups)
· Dried fruits
· Trail mix, Chex Mix, or popcorn-based snack mix (be aware of products that contain nuts or nut byproducts and sodium content)
· Granola bars (be aware of products that contain nuts or nut byproducts)
· Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
· Yogurt or soy-gurt
· Jerky
· Baked chips (be aware that Baked Cheetos and Sun Chips are higher in fat and sodium than other baked chip varieties)
· Salsa, guacamole, bean dip and fruit salsa
· Pita bread or pita chips and hummus dip
· Whole-grain cereals (be aware of sugar content)
· Whole-grain or multigrain crackers and cheese (cheese made with 2% milk is better)
· 100% frozen fruit juice bars
· Frozen yogurt
· Fruit smoothies (preferably yogurt- or sorbet- based)
· Whole-grain and fruit/vegetable breads and muffins: banana, zucchini, carrot or oatmeal bread, bran muffins, etc.
· Other fruit-based desserts: fruit and yogurt parfaits, strawberry shortcake, mixed berries with whipped cream, baked apples with granola topping
· Fruit or pretzels dipped in a yogurt-based coating: strawberries, raisins, cherries etc.
· Quaker Multigrain Minis (Honey Graham, Cinnamon Sugar)
· Graham cracker–based items: Honey Maid Squares, Teddy Grahams, Animal Crackers, Goldfish Giant Grahams etc.
· Nutri-grain bars
· Pretzels (low salt is better)
· Bagels (whole grain is better)
· Tortilla roll-ups: meat and cheese, cream cheese and salsa, etc. (cut into finger-size pieces)
Portion Sizes
Portion sizes should be reasonable given the age of the student. Appropriate portion sizes for beverages are noted under “Beverages” in the healthy snacks and parties guidelines.
