Other School-Based Activities that Promote Student Wellness

Integrating Physical Activity into Classroom Settings

For students to receive the nationally recommended amount of daily physical activity and for students to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior, students need opportunities for physical activity beyond the physical education class. Toward that end, the school district will:

offer classroom health education that complements 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; discourage sedentary activities, such as watching television, playing computer games, etc.; provide opportunities for physical activity to be incorporated into other subject lessons; and, encourage classroom teachers to provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate.

Optional Issues

Communication with Parents

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

offer healthy eating seminars for parents, send home nutrition information, post nutrition tips on school web sites and provide nutrient analyses of school menus; encourage parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks and to refrain from including beverages and foods that do not meet the established nutrition standards for individual foods and beverages; provide parents a list of foods that meet the school district’s snack standards and ideas for healthy celebrations/parties, rewards and fundraising activities; provide opportunities for parents to share their healthy food practices with others in the school community; provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities before, during and after the school day; support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school; and, include sharing information about physical activity and physical education through a web site, newsletter, other take-home materials, special events or physical education homework.

Food Marketing in Schools

School-based marketing will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion. The school district will:

limit food and beverage marketing to the promotion of foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually; prohibit school-based marketing of brands promoting predominantly low-nutrition foods and beverages; promote healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products; and market activities that promote healthful behaviors (and are therefore allowable) including: vending machine covers promoting water; pricing structures that promote healthy options in a la carte lines or vending machines; sales of fruit for fundraisers; and coupons for discount gym memberships.

Examples: Marketing techniques include the following: logos and brand names on/in vending machines, books or curricula, textbook covers, school supplies, scoreboards, school structures, and sports equipment; educational incentive programs that provide food as a reward; programs that provide schools with supplies when families buy low-nutrition food products; in-school television, such as Channel One; free samples or coupons; and food sales through fundraising activities.

Staff Wellness

The school district 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. Each school should:

establish and maintain a staff wellness committee composed of at least one staff member, local hospital representative, dietitian or other health professional, recreation program representative, union representative and employee benefits specialist; develop, promote and oversee a multifaceted plan to promote staff health and wellness developed by the staff wellness committee; base the plan on input solicited from employees and outline ways to encourage healthy eating, physical activity and other elements of a healthy lifestyle among employees.

 

 

 

Nutrition Education and Promotion

The school district will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that:

is offered at each grade level as part of a sequential, comprehensive, standards-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, taste-testing, 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 physical activity; links with meal programs, other foods and nutrition-related community services; and, includes training for teachers and other staff.

Physical Activity

Daily Physical Education

The school district will provide physical education that:

is for all students in grades K-12 for the entire school year; is taught by a certified physical education teacher; includes students with disabilities, students with special health-care needs may be provided in alternative educational settings; and, engages students in moderate to vigorous activity during at least 50 percent of physical education class time.

(The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at least 150 minutes a week for elementary students and 225 minutes a week for middle and high school students);

Daily Recess

Elementary schools should provide recess for students that:

is at least 20 minutes a day; is preferably outdoors; encourages moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through the provision of space and equipment; and, discourages extended periods (i.e., periods of two or more hours) of inactivity.

When activities, such as mandatory school-wide testing, make it necessary for students to remain indoors for long periods of time, schools should give students periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.

Physical Activity and Punishment

Employees should not use physical activity (e.g., running laps, pushups) or withhold opportunities for physical activity (e.g., recess, physical education) as punishment.

Optional Issues

Physical Activity Opportunities after School

After-school child care and enrichment programs will provide and encourage—verbally, and through the provision of space, equipment and activities—daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants.

Nutrition Guidelines for All Foods Available on Campus

School Meals

Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will:

be appealing and attractive to children; be served in clean and pleasant settings; meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by state and federal law: offer a variety of fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains; serve only low-fat (1%) and fat-free milk and nutritionally equivalent non-dairy alternatives (as defined by the USDA);

Schools should:

engage students and parents, through taste-tests of new entrees and surveys, in selecting foods offered through the meal programs in order to identify new, healthful and appealing food choices; and, share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students. (The information could be made available on menus, a web site, on cafeteria menu boards, placards or other point-of purchase materials.)

Breakfast

To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn, schools will:

operate the breakfast program, to the extent possible; arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve breakfasts that encourage participation, including serving breakfast in the classroom, “grab-and-go” breakfasts or breakfast during morning break or recess, to the extent possible; notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program, where available; 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

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 meals. Toward this end, the school district may:

utilize electronic identification and payment systems; provide meals at no charge to all children, regardless of income; and, promote the availability of meals to all students.

Meal Times and Scheduling

The school district:

will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch; should schedule meal periods at appropriate times, e.g., lunch should be scheduled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; should not schedule tutoring, club or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities; will schedule lunch periods to follow recess periods (in elementary schools); will provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks; and, should take reasonable steps to accommodate the tooth-brushing regimens of students with special oral health needs (e.g., orthodontia or high tooth decay risk).

Qualification of Food Service Staff

Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the meal programs. As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the school district will: provide continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals; and, provide staff development programs that include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, nutrition managers and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.

Sharing of Foods

The school district discourages 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.

Foods Sold Outside the Meal (e.g. vending, a la carte, sales)

All foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable meal programs (including those sold through a la carte snack lines, vending machines, student stores or fundraising activities) during the school day, or through programs for students after the school day will meet nutrition standards as required by state or federal law.

Fundraising Activities

There are two types of fundraising – regulated and other. Regulated fundraisers are those that offer the sale of foods or beverages on school property and that are targeted primarily to PK-12 students by or through other PK-12 students, student groups, school organizations, or through on-campus school stores. Regulated fundraising activities must comply with the state nutrition guidelines. All other fundraising activities are encouraged, but not required, to comply with the state nutrition guidelines if the activities involve foods and beverages.

The school district encourages fundraising activities that promote physical activity. The school district will make available a list of ideas for acceptable fundraising activities.

Snacks

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 meals, children’s nutritional needs, children’s ages and other considerations. The school district will disseminate a list of healthful snack items to teachers, after-school program personnel and parents.

If eligible, schools that provide snacks through after-school programs will pursue receiving reimbursements through the National School Lunch Program.

Rewards

The school district will not use foods or beverages, especially those that do not meet the nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually, as rewards for academic performance or good behavior, and will not withhold food or beverages (including food served through meals) as a punishment.

Celebrations

Schools should evaluate their celebrations practices that involve food during the school day. The school district will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers.

School-Sponsored Events

Foods and beverages offered or sold at school-sponsored events outside the school day are encouraged to meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually.

Food Safety

All foods made available on campus adhere to food safety and security guidelines.

All foods made available on campus comply with the state and local food safety and sanitation

regulations. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and guidelines are

implemented to prevent food illness in schools. http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/

servingsafe_chapter6.pdf

For the safety and security of the food and facility, access to the food service operations are limited to child nutrition staff and authorized personnel.

Summer Meals

Schools in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals will sponsor the Summer Food Service Program for at least six weeks between the last day of the academic school year and the first day of the following school year, and, preferably, throughout the entire summer vacation.

Nutrition Guidelines for All Foods Available on Campus

School Meals

Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will:

be appealing and attractive to children; be served in clean and pleasant settings; meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by state and federal law: offer a variety of fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains; serve only low-fat (1%) and fat-free milk and nutritionally equivalent non-dairy alternatives (as defined by the USDA);

Schools should:

engage students and parents, through taste-tests of new entrees and surveys, in selecting foods offered through the meal programs in order to identify new, healthful and appealing food choices; and, share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students. (The information could be made available on menus, a web site, on cafeteria menu boards, placards or other point-of purchase materials.)

Breakfast

To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn, schools will:

operate the breakfast program, to the extent possible; arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve breakfasts that encourage participation, including serving breakfast in the classroom, “grab-and-go” breakfasts or breakfast during morning break or recess, to the extent possible; notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program, where available; 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

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 meals. Toward this end, the school district may:

utilize electronic identification and payment systems; provide meals at no charge to all children, regardless of income; and, promote the availability of meals to all students.

Meal Times and Scheduling

The school district:

will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch; should schedule meal periods at appropriate times, e.g., lunch should be scheduled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; should not schedule tutoring, club or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities; will schedule lunch periods to follow recess periods (in elementary schools); will provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks; and, should take reasonable steps to accommodate the tooth-brushing regimens of students with special oral health needs (e.g., orthodontia or high tooth decay risk).

Qualification of Food Service Staff

Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the meal programs. As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the school district will: provide continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals; and, provide staff development programs that include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, nutrition managers and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.

Sharing of Foods

The school district discourages 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.

Foods Sold Outside the Meal (e.g. vending, a la carte, sales)

All foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable meal programs (including those sold through a la carte snack lines, vending machines, student stores or fundraising activities) during the school day, or through programs for students after the school day will meet nutrition standards as required by state or federal law.

Fundraising Activities

There are two types of fundraising – regulated and other. Regulated fundraisers are those that offer the sale of foods or beverages on school property and that are targeted primarily to PK-12 students by or through other PK-12 students, student groups, school organizations, or through on-campus school stores. Regulated fundraising activities must comply with the state nutrition guidelines. All other fundraising activities are encouraged, but not required, to comply with the state nutrition guidelines if the activities involve foods and beverages.

The school district encourages fundraising activities that promote physical activity. The school district will make available a list of ideas for acceptable fundraising activities.

Snacks

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 meals, children’s nutritional needs, children’s ages and other considerations. The school district will disseminate a list of healthful snack items to teachers, after-school program personnel and parents.

If eligible, schools that provide snacks through after-school programs will pursue receiving reimbursements through the National School Lunch Program.

Rewards

The school district will not use foods or beverages, especially those that do not meet the nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually, as rewards for academic performance or good behavior, and will not withhold food or beverages (including food served through meals) as a punishment.

Celebrations

Schools should evaluate their celebrations practices that involve food during the school day. The school district will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers.

School-Sponsored Events

Foods and beverages offered or sold at school-sponsored events outside the school day are encouraged to meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually.

Food Safety

All foods made available on campus adhere to food safety and security guidelines.

All foods made available on campus comply with the state and local food safety and sanitation

regulations. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and guidelines are

implemented to prevent food illness in schools. http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/

servingsafe_chapter6.pdf

For the safety and security of the food and facility, access to the food service operations are limited to child nutrition staff and authorized personnel.

Summer Meals

Schools in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals will sponsor the Summer Food Service Program for at least six weeks between the last day of the academic school year and the first day of the following school year, and, preferably, throughout the entire summer vacation.

Plan for Measuring Implementation

Monitoring

The superintendent will ensure compliance with established school district-wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies.

In each school:

the principal will ensure compliance with those policies in the school and will report on the school’s compliance to the superintendent; and, food service staff, at the school or school district level, will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within food service areas and will report on this matter to the superintendent or principal.

In the school district:

the school district will report on the most recent USDA School Meals Initiative (SMI) review findings and any resulting changes. If the school district has not received a SMI review from the state agency within the past five years, the school district will request from the state agency that a SMI review be scheduled as soon as possible; the superintendent will develop a summary report every three years on school district-wide compliance with the school district’s established nutrition and physical activity wellness policies, based on input from schools within the school district; and, the report will be provided to the school board and also distributed to all school wellness committees, parent/teacher organizations, principals and health services personnel in the school district.

Policy Review

To help with the initial development of the school district’s wellness policies, each school in the school district will conduct a baseline assessment of the school’s existing nutrition and physical activity environments and practices. The results of those school-by-school assessments will be compiled at the school district level to identify and prioritize needs.

Assessments will be repeated every 5 years to help review policy compliance, assess progress and determine areas in need of improvement. As part of that review, the school district will review the nutrition and physical activity policies and practices and the provision of an environment that supports healthy eating and physical activity. The school district, and individual schools within the school district will, revise the wellness policies and develop work plans to facilitate their implementation.

To implement the Wellness Policy, the following district specific goals have been established:

 

Goal 1 – Nutrition Education and Promotion:  Schools will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that help students develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors. The goal(s) for addressing nutrition education and nutrition promotion include the following:

1. Providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health.

Goal 2 – Physical Activity: Schools will provide students and staff with age and grade appropriate opportunities to engage in physical activity that meet federal and state guidelines, including the Iowa Healthy Kids Act. The goal(s) for addressing physical activity include the following:

1. Promoting the benefits of a physically active lifestyle and help students develop skills to engage in lifelong healthy habits.
2. Engage students in moderate to vigorous activity during at least 50% of physical education class.
3.  Encourage teachers to provide short physical activity breaks (3-5 min.) as appropriate.
4. Afford elementary students with recess according to the following:
   1. At least 20 min a day.
   2. Outdoors as weather and time permits.
   3. Encourages moderate to vigorous physical activity.
   4. Scheduled to avoid extended periods of inactivity.

 

 

Goal 3 – Other School-Based Activities that Promote Student Wellness: Schools will support student, staff, and parents’ efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, as appropriate. The goal(s) for addressing other school-based activities that promote student wellness include the following:

1. Provide parents with a list of foods and beverages that meet nutrition standards for classroom snacks and celebrations.
2. Develop a plan to promote staff health and wellness.
3. Share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students as requested.
4. Permit students to bring and carry water bottles throughout the day.

 

Public Involvement: There is a process for permitting parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, administrators and the public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the policy:

1.  The district has a local wellness policy committee to advise the district on the development, implementation, and improvement of the school wellness policy.

 

NOTE: School districts are required by federal law to have at least one specific wellness goal in each of the goal areas identified above. These goal areas include the following: nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness. Options have been provided, but districts must remember the sample policy and sample regulation cannot be adopted in the current format. School boards and administration must make a choice for all text in italicized brackets.

NOTE: The Iowa Department of Education has tools and resources available to help districts with progress reports and other aspects of policy implementation and review. Please visit the "School Wellness Policy" section of the Iowa Department of Education's website, located at:

https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/nutrition-programs/school-wellness.