STUDENT WELFARE:                                                                                                           FFA(R)

WELLNESS AND HEALTH SERVICES           

GOAL 1:

Wellness

The District shall follow nutrition guidelines that advance student health and reduce childhood obesity and shall promote the general wellness of all students through nutrition education, physical activity and other school based activities.

GOAL 2: 

Development of Guidelines and Goals  (L-Sec 204 of Public Law 108-265)

The District shall develop nutritional guidelines and wellness goals in consultation with the local school health advisory council and with involvement from representatives of the student body, school nutrition services, school administration, the board, parents and the public.

GOAL 3:

Nutrition Guidelines  (L-Section 204 of Public Law 108-265)

The district shall ensure that nutrition guidelines for reimbursable school meals shall be at least as restrictive as federal regulations and guidance and that all foods available on each campus are in accordance with the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy and district established standards.

GOAL 3.1 

Establish age-appropriate guidelines for food and beverages at classroom parties or school celebrations 

ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Nutrient Standards:

FMNV (foods of minimal nutritional value as defined by USDA) and all forms of candy may not be sold or distributed to students during the school day.

Schools and other vendors may not serve food items containing more than 23 grams of fat per serving size more than twice a week.

French fries and other fried potato products must not exceed 3 oz per serving and may not be served more than once per week in elementary school and no more than 2 times per week in middle school.  Only one serving may be purchased at a time.

No product using onsite frying as a method of preparation will be permitted for either school meals, ala carte or competitive foods.

Foods that have been flash fried by the manufacturer may be served but should be baked or heated by another method.

Trans fat information should be requested in all product specifications.  By 2007-08, the district will reduce the amount of products containing trans fats.

Other:

Fruit and/or vegetables should be offered daily on all points of service.  Fruits and vegetables should be fresh whenever possible.  Frozen and canned fruits should be packed in natural juice, water or light syrup.

Schools must offer 2 percent, 1 percent or skim milk at all points where milk is served.

It is the goal of this policy that all beverages served in elementary should be milk, unflavored water and 100 percent fruit and/or vegetable juice by the start of the 2006-07 school year.

Schools serving chips should use reduced fat (no more than 5 grams of fat per ounce) or baked varieties whenever possible.

Competitive Foods And Snacks:

All elementary and middle school campuses may not serve competitive foods (or provide access to them through direct or indirect sales) to students anywhere on school premises until the end of the school day in elementary school and in middle school until the end of the last scheduled class.  This does not pertain to food items made available by the School Nutrition Services.

Elementary schools may allow one nutritious snack during the school day under the teacher’s supervision.  The snack may be in the morning or afternoon but may not be at the same time as the regular meal periods for that class.  The snack may be provided by school nutrition services, the teacher, parents or other groups and should be of no cost to students.

The snack must comply with the fat and sugar limits of the Public School Nutrition Policy and may not contain any FMNVs or consist of candy or dessert type items (cookies, cakes, cupcakes pudding, ice cream or frozen desserts).

Classroom Birthday Parties:

Birthdays are encouraged to be celebrated with non-food items or special school recognitions.  If food is used as part of the event these guidelines should be followed:

Celebrated during the last period of the day

Activity must first be coordinated with child’s teacher

Food must be either commercially prepackaged or prepared in a licensed facility

Food items offered are encouraged to be healthy, low-fat items

After School Snacks:

Students should be offered only one after school snack per day.  All snacks must be consumed on site.  Food will not be accepted from outside sources for distribution to students (parties, holidays, etc).

HIGH SCHOOLS     

Nutrition  Standards:         

Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value -  High Schools may not serve or provide access to FMNV during meal periods in areas where reimbursable meals are served and/or consumed. 

Goal that no more than 30 percent of beverages made available through vending machines on high school campuses should be sugared, carbonated soft drinks, furthermore, it is the goal to limit sugared, carbonated beverages to containers holding no more than 12 ounces.

Fats and Fried Foods:

Schools and other vendors may not serve food items containing more than 23 grams of fat per serving size more than twice per week. 

French Fries and other fried potato products must not exceed 3 ounces per serving, and students may only purchase one serving at a time. 

Baked potato products (Wedges, slices, whole, new potatoes) that are produced from raw potatoes and have not been pre-fried, flash-fried or deep fat fried in may be served without restriction

Frying is eliminated as a method of onsite preparation for foods served as part of school meals, a la carte, snack lines and competitive foods. 

Foods that have been flash-fried by the manufacturer may be served but should be baked or heated by another method.

Other:

Fruit and/or vegetables should be offered daily on all points of service.  Fruits and vegetables should be fresh whenever possible.  Frozen and canned fruits should be baked in natural juice, water or light syrup.

Schools must offer 2 percent, 1 percent or skim milk at all points where milk is served.

Schools serving chips should use reduced fat (no more than 5 grams of fat per ounce) or baked varieties whenever possible.

Competitive Foods:

High schools may not serve or provide access to competitive foods during meal service.  This does not pertain to food items made available by the school food service department. 

ALL GRADE LEVELS 

On the average meals will be planned to have no more than 30% of the total calories from fat and no more than 10% of the total calories from saturated fat.

Nutritional Analysis:

Nutritional analysis and nutrient information will be conducted on the breakfast and lunch menu for elementary, middle and high school and will be posted at each campus location.

Nutrient information will be posted at each campus for items available in the school snack bars and minimarket locations.

Portion Sizes:

The following are the maximum portion sizes that pertain to all foods and beverages served or made available to students on school campuses with the exception of school meals.  School meals will meet the minimum requirements of USDA.

Food or Beverage	Portion Size
Chips (Regular)	1 oz
Chips (baked or no more than 7.5 grams of fat per bag), crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, jerky and pretzels.	1.5 oz
Cookies/cereal bars	2 ounces
Bakery items (e.g. pasties, muffins) This excludes items that count as two-bread components served/sold only at breakfast	3 ounces
Frozen Desserts, ice cream, pudding, and jello	4 ounces
Yogurt	8 ounces
Whole milk, flavored or unflavored(flavored milks may contain no more than 30 grams total sugar per 8 ounce serving	8 ounces
Reduced fat milk(2 percent or less), flavored or unflavored.(flavored milks may contain no more than 30 grams total sugar per 8 ounce serving	12 ounces 16 ounces in middle/high
Beverages (other than milk) may contain no more than 30 grams total sugar per 8 ounce serving.  No limit on non-carbonated, unflavored bottled water.	12 ounces
Frozen fruit slushes (must contain a minimum of 50 percent fruit juice)	6 ounces 12 ounces in middle/high

Food Safety:

All food distributed or sold to students must be prepared in a licensed facility. 

In special circumstances when food is prepared in the classroom, teachers are responsible to insure the food safety of products prepared in the classroom.  Teachers are responsible for enforcement of food sanitation principles to include:  adequate handwashing facilities, temperature control for heating, reheating and cooling.

Special Event Days:

Schools may have only three special event days per year.  These school events are to be determined by the school principal. Breakfast and lunch must still be available to all students.

GOAL 3.2

Provide teachers with education and guidelines on the use of food as a reward in the classroom.

Food should not be used as a reward or punishment.

Students should be allowed to make their own food selections in accordance with federal and state child nutrition program policies and school cafeteria operations and availability.

GOAL 3.3

Establish guidelines for school-sponsored fund-raising activities that involve serving or selling food.

By the start of the 2007-08 school year, fund raising involving the sale of prepared foods must be consistent with district standards for portion size and approved items.

Candy shall not be allowed. Packaged candy gift items are allowed provided they are part of a fund raising project that includes other gift items (nuts, jewelry, etc) or in catalog sale.

GOAL 3.4:

Require that healthy food and beverage options be included at concessions at school-related events outside of the school day.

Other Food Sales/Concessions:

The school district will approve all items presented for sale in concessions.

Water, 100% juice and/or fruit must be available at all school concessions.

Concessions are encouraged to offer healthy low fat snacks

GOAL 4:

Nutrition Education (L-Section 204 of Public Law 108-265)

The district shall implement, in accordance with law, a coordinated health program with a nutrition education component and shall use health course curriculum that emphasis the importance of proper nutrition

GOAL 4.1:

Students will receive nutrition education that fosters the adoption and maintenance of healthy eating behaviors.

Students in grades pre-kindergarten through grade 12 will receive nutrition education that provides the knowledge they need to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Kindergarten through grade 5 will teach the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for health through campus implementation plans for their coordinated school health program which is in accordance with state and district board policies.

Beginning 2007-2008, students in grades 6 -8 will be required to take a one-semester health course during their middle school tenure. Students in grades 9-12 must take a one-semester health course which is in accordance with state graduation requirements and district board policies.

Students cannot be exempt or test-out for their health credit.

Health classes will have similar student/teacher ratios as other classes.

Secondary level health maximum: 1 teacher to 32 students

Secondary level health classes will be taught by state-certified health instructors.

Each campus will have a coordinated wellness team that meets at least once a semester to address health and wellness issues and the implementation of the wellness policy on the campus. Members of the health team should include:

 Elementary:  Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH) team + nurse

Secondary:   School nurse, Physical Education teachers, School Nutrition/Cafeteria representative, parent, health teacher, science teacher, counselor, and administrator.

GOAL 4.2:

Nutrition education will be a District-wide priority and will be integrated into other areas of the curriculum, as appropriate.

Each year, campuses will provide at least one nutrition education in-service for their staff.

GOAL 4.3:

Staff responsible for nutrition education will participate in professional development activities to effectively deliver the program as planned.

The District will provide opportunities for staff to attend staff development activities on nutrition and health education.

GOAL 4.4:

The food service staff, teachers, and other school personnel will coordinate the promotion of nutrition messages in the cafeteria, the classroom and other appropriate settings.

CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) is the state approved program that the elementary schools are implementing to help meet the state requirements for a coordinated health program.

GOAL 4.5:

Educational nutrition information will be shared with families and the general public to positively influence the health of students and community members.

School district will provide information to families that encourage them to teach their children about health and nutrition and to provide nutritious meals for their families.

Campuses will host at least one event, such as a health fair, to educate and promote to their students and their families the benefits of healthy lifestyle choices.

GOAL 5:

Physical Activity: (L-Section 204 of Public Law 108-265)

The District shall implement, in accordance with law, a coordinated health program with physical education physical activity components and shall offer at least the required amount of physical activity for all grades.

GOAL 5.1:

The District will provide an environment that fosters safe and enjoyable fitness activities for all students, including those who are not participating in competitive sports.

Time allotted for physical activity will be consistent with state standards and District Board Policy, to include at a minimum:

Elementary (K-5): 135 minutes of structured physical activity per week.

Middle School (6-8): One semester of physical education class per year.

High School (9-12): 3 – ½ credits (1 ½ credits total) of physical education.

Exemptions for middle and high school will be in accordance with District Board policy and State mandates.

Schools will not remove or pull students from Physical Education classes unless for administrative reasons such as discipline issues or counseling issues.

All physical education courses will be taught by state-certified physical education instructors who will participate in professional staff development opportunities that are aligned with district requirements.

Physical education classes will have student/teacher ratio similar to others.

Elementary maximum: 1 teacher to 44 students

Middle School maximum: 1 teacher to 40 students

High School Maximum: 1 teacher to 40 students

Provide a regularly scheduled daily recess at the elementary level that does not exceed fifteen minutes. The recess cannot be used for punishment, study hall or tutoring.

Schools that choose to have a lunch recess are encouraged to schedule the recess before lunch because it can increase nutrient intake and reduce food waste.

District Physical Education Schedule Guidelines will be implemented to ensure that students enrolled in physical education classes receive regular, age-appropriate physical education.

GOAL 5.2:

Physical education classes will regularly emphasize moderate to vigorous activity.

Physical education courses will follow state guidelines and program recommendations for coordinated health programs.

Physical education courses will be an environment where students learn, practice and are assessed on developmentally appropriate motor skills, social skills, and knowledge.

Physical education students in grades 3-8 and high school students enrolled in Foundations of Personal Fitness will participate in fitness testing to assess their fitness levels.  Fitness test results will be shared with the parents.

Physical education courses will provide instruction that meets the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and national standards.

Adequate equipment is available for all students and safe, appropriate facilities are provided for physical education classes.

GOAL 5.3:

The District will encourage teachers to integrate movement and/or physical activity into the academic curriculum where appropriate.

Core content and elective teachers are encouraged to build student’s capacity for learning through movement and physical activity.

GOAL 5.4:

Before-school and/or after-school physical activity programs will be offered and students will be encouraged to participate.

GOAL 5.5:

After-school programs will encourage physical activity and healthy habit formation.

GOAL 5.6:

Teachers and other school staff will receive training to promote enjoyable, life-long physical activity for themselves and students.

Each campus will have a coordinated wellness team that meets at least once a semester to address health and wellness issues and the implementation of the wellness policy on the campus. Members of the health team should include:

Elementary:  Coordinated Approach To Child Health (CATCH) team + nurse.

Secondary:   School nurse, Physical Education teachers, School Nutrition/Cafeteria representative, parent, health teacher, science teacher, and administrator.

GOAL 5.7:

The District will encourage parents to support their children’s participation, to be active role models, and to include physical activity in family events.

Schools will hold family events that will promote the benefits of physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices.

Information will be provided to families to help them make healthy choices and incorporate physical activity into their daily routines.

GOAL 5.8:

The District will encourage students, parents, staff, and community members to use the District’s recreational facilities as available.

GOAL 6:

School-based Activities: (L-Section 204 of Public Law 108-265)

The District established the following goals to create and environment conducive to healthful eating and physical activity and to express a consistent wellness message through other school based activities.

GOAL 6.1

Sufficient time will be allowed for students to eat meals in lunchroom facilities that are clean, safe and comfortable.

Schools will set schedules that allow a minimum of 10 minutes to eat breakfast and 20 minutes to eat lunch.  This time will not include the time a student waits in line.

All cafeterias, drinking fountains, and concession areas will be clean and well maintained.

GOAL 6.2:

Wellness for students and their families will be promoted at suitable school activities. 

After school programs will encourage physical activity and healthy habit formation

School based communications and advertising will be consistent with a message of health and wellness

Health and wellness goals will be considered in planning all school based activities such as school events, field trips, dances and assemblies

Support for the health of all students will be demonstrated by hosting health fairs and health screenings

GOAL 6.3:

Employee wellness education and involvement will be promoted at suitable school activities.

Goal 7:

Implementation (L-Section 204 of Public Law 108-265)

The Superintendent or his designee shall oversee the implementation of this policy and shall develop administrative procedures for periodically measuring the implementation of the wellness policy.

The responsible party at the campus for implementation of the local wellness policy will be the principal with input from the campus improvement council.

The responsible party at the district will be the superintendent with input from the school health advisory council to include as a minimum School Health Services, School Nutrition Services and the Coordinator of Health and Physical Education.

Each school shall participate in the CDC School Health Index (SHI).  An initial assessment shall be conducted and submitted to the SHAC designee no later than December 2006.  A subsequent SHI report shall be conducted and submitted to the SHAC designee no later than two years following the initial SHI report (December 2008) and every two years thereafter in December.  The SHAC will review the SHI reports and submit a summary of their review and recommendations to the Superintendent or his designee for approval no later than the following March.  Upon approval the summary and recommendations will be distributed at a minimum to the Board of Trustees, the School Health Advisory Council and principals for implementation the following school year.

DATE ISSUED:  08/14/2006