Policy FDEA-Wellness Policy
Issue Date: Ocotber 18, 2017
Policy Statement
The Juab School District is committed to providing a healthy environment for students by supporting wellness, good nutrition, and regular physical activity as part of the total educational experience. This policy outlines the Districts approach to ensuring environments and opportunities for all students to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors throughout the school day and minimizing commercial distractions. Specifically, this policy establishes goals and procedures to ensure that:
- Students in the district have access to healthy foods throughout the school day- both through reimbursable school meals and other foods available throughout the school campus- in accordance with Federal and state nutrition standards.
- Students receive quality nutrition education that helps them develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors.
- Schools have opportunities to be physically active before, during, and after school.
- Schools engage in nutrition and physical activity promotion and other activities that promote student wellness.
- School staff are encouraged and supported to practice healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors in and out of school.
- The community is engaged in supporting the work of the District in creating continuity between school and other settings for students and staff to practice lifelong healthy habits.
Committee Role and Membership
The district will convene a representative district wellness committee that meets 2 times per year to establish goals for and oversee school health and safety policies and programs. Including development, implementation, periodic review and update of this district wellness policy.
Leadership
The Superintendent or designee will convene the District wellness policy and facilitate development of and updates to the wellness policy, and will ensure each school’s compliance with the policy.
Darin Clark Business Administrator
Marni Shepherd Food Service Director
Karen Newell Secondary Manager
Glenda Williams Secondary Manager
Jan Sutherland Elementary Manager
Ronda Ballow Elementary Manager
Tina Downey Elementary Manager
Elementary students
Each school will designate a school wellness policy coordinator, who will ensure compliance with the policy. Refer to Appendix A for a list of school level wellness policy coordinators.
Record Keeping
The District will retain records to document compliance with the requirements of the wellness policy at Juab School District Office in the Child Nutrition Director’s Office. Documentation maintained in this location will include
- The written policy
- Documentation of annual policy progress reports for each school under its jurisdiction
- Documentation of the triennial assessment of the policy for each school
- Documentation demonstrating compliance with public notification requirements, includingmethods by which the wellness policy, annual progress reports, and triennial assessments are made available to the public, and efforts to actively notify families about the availability of wellness policy.
Annual Progress Reports
The District will compile and publish an annual report to share basic information about the wellness policy and report on the progress of the schools within the district in meeting wellness goals. The annual report will be published on the District website.
Triennial Progress Assessment
At least once every three years, the District will evaluate compliance with the wellness policy to assess the implementation of the policy and include:
- The extent to which schools under the jurisdiction of the District are in compliance with the wellness policy
- A description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the District’s wellness policy
- The District will actively notify households/families of the availability of the triennial progress report.
Revisions and Updating the Policy
The District Wellness Committee will update or modify the wellness policy based on the results of the annual progress reports and triennial assessments. The wellness policy will be assessed and updated as indicated at least every three years.
Nutrition
Our school district is committed to serving healthy meals to children, with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat milk; moderate sodium, low in saturated fat, and zero grams trans-fat per serving and to meet the nutrition needs of students within their calorie requirements. The school meal programs goal is to improve the diet and health of school children, model healthy eating to support the development of lifelong healthy eating patterns, and support healthy choices.
Goals for Nutrition Education
Students will receive instructions with regard to the science of nutrition as outlined in the Utah State Core curriculum.
- School cafeterias will model healthy meals by providing foods that meet nutrient standards and regulations as defined by the USDA.
- Healthy lifestyle behaviors will be reinforced in the school environment. Teachers will be
encouraged to offer non- food rewards and incentives to students. Schools will be encouraged to set
limits for celebrations that involve food during the school day. Such celebrations should take place
after lunch whenever possible.
Nutrition Guidelines
- School meals and snacks available throughout the school day will comply with USDA requirements.
- Sites selling snacks must only offer healthy offerings that comply with Smart Snack regulations.
- Vending machines will be restricted in elementary schools.
- Beverages available for sale to students before and during the school day will include- water, milk,
1% or skim, flavored or unflavored, and 100% fruit juice.
Goals for Physical Activity and Other School Based Activities
- Students will receive physical education instruction as outlined in the Utah Core Curriculum.
- All students in grades K-12 will have opportunities, support and encouragement to be physically
active. Elementary students will have two fifteen minute recesses, one in the morning and one within
the lunch period. Students will be encouraged to participate in physically active extra- curricular
activities supported by the district. Juab School District will make the gyms weight rooms and playing
fields accessible for student use on a reasonable basis, whenever feasible during non-school hours.
Public and District Accountability
- School principals and food service supervisor will report to the Superintendent annually as to their
schools or programs adherence to this policy. Schools or departments not complying with these
requirements will be held responsible for findings or fines.
- The wellness policy will be published on the District web site for public information and comment.
- This policy will be reviewed prior to the beginning of each school year to make adjustments as
needed to comply with federal, state and local requirements.
- Review of policy will take place as needed in monthly director’s meetings. Committee members will
be notified and invited to attend these meetings for input and clarification.
School Health Councils
The schools, school district, and school parent advisory groups within the districts will create, strengthen and work to develop implement, monitor, review, and as necessary revise school nutrition and physical activity policies.
Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus
School Meals
Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will be:
- Appealing and attractive to students
- Served in a sanitary and pleasant setting
- Meet nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes and regulations.
- Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables
- Serve only low fat (1%), and fat free milk
- Ensure that all grain products served are whole grain enriched.
Schools should share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students. Such information could be made available on menus, a website, cafeteria menu boards, or other information outlets
Breakfast
To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn:
- Schools will to the extent possible operate the School Breakfast Program.
2 Schools will to the extent possible arrange bus schedule and utilize methods to serve school
breakfasts and to encourage participation.
- Schools that serve breakfast will notify parents and students of the availability of the program.
Summer Food Service Program
Schools in which more than 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced price school meals may 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.
Meal Times and Scheduling
- Schools will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 15
minutes after sitting down for lunch.
- Schools should schedule meal periods at appropriate times, (e.g., lunch should be scheduled between
11 a.m. and 1 p.m.) Exceptions should be cleared through the Superintendent.
- Schools should not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes
unless students may eat during such activities.
- Schools will attempt to schedule lunch periods to follow recess periods in elementary schools.
- 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.
Qualifications of School Food Services Staff
Trained nutrition professionals will administer the school meal program. As part of the school 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 certifications and or training programs for child nutrition directors, school nutrition managers, and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.
Sharing of Foods and Beverages
Schools should 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.
Elementary Schools
The school food service program will approve and provide all food and beverages sales to students in elementary schools. Given young children’s limited nutrition skills, food in elementary schools should be sold as balanced meals. If available, food and beverages sold individually should be limited to low-fat and non-fat milk, fruits, and non-fried vegetables.
Junior High and High Schools
In junior high and high schools, foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable school meal programs (including those sold through a la carte lines, vending machines, student stores, or fundraising activities) until 30 minutes after the school day will meet Federal Regulations.
Water
To promote hydration, free, safe, unflavored drinking water will be available to all students throughout the school day and throughout every school campus. The District will make drinking water available where school meals are served during mealtimes. In addition, students will be allowed to bring and carry water bottles filled with water only with them throughout the day.
- Water cups will be available in the cafeteria if a drinking fountain is not present.
- All water sources and containers will be maintained on a regular basis to ensure good hygiene
standards. Such sources and containers may include drinking fountains, water jugs, and other
method of delivering drinking water.
Rewards
Schools should work with parent advisory councils and staff to reduce the use of foods or beverages that do not meet Federal regulations as rewards for performance or good behavior. All foods offered on campus will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in school nutrition standards including through:
- Celebration and parties.The district will provide a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers,
including non-food celebration ideas. Healthy party ideas from Alliance for a Healthier Generation
and from the USDA.
- Classroom snacks brought by parents. The district will provide to parents a list of foods and
beverages that meet Smart Snacks nutrition standards
- Rewards and Incentives.The district will provide teachers and other relevant school staff a list of
alternative ways to reward children. Foods and beverages will not be used as a reward, or withheld
as punishment for any reason. Such as for performance or behavior.
Fundraising
Foods and beverages that meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in school nutrition standards may be sold through fundraisers on the school campus during the school day.
Each school site in the District may hold up to three (3) school-sponsored fundraisers a year that do not meet the USDA Smart Snacks in school nutrition standards. Such fundraisers must: 1) be specifically authorized by the District, and 2) last no longer than five (5) consecutive days. The superintendent shall designate an individual to maintain records of fundraisers at which foods and beverages that do not meet competitive food standards are sold. R277-719-5.
Fundraising activities that take place outside of school, such as cookie dough or frozen pizza sales, are exempt from the USDA Smart Snack nutrition standards. Distribution of order forms not intended for consumption at school may continue. USDA Smart Snacks in School – Fundraisers.
Smart Snacks in School only applies to foods and beverages sold to students on the school campus during the school day. The nutrition standards do not apply to foods and beverages sold at events held after school, off campus, or on weekends, such as school plays or sporting events. USDA Smart Snacks in School – Fundraisers.
For purposes of this policy, “school day” means the period from the midnight before, to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day. R277-719-1.G.
Food Marketing in Schools
School based marketing will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion. As such, schools will limit food and beverage marketing to the promotion of food and beverages that meet the nutrition standards.
Community Involvement, Outreach, and Communications
The District is committed to being responsive to community input, which begins with awareness of the wellness policy. The District will actively communicate ways in which representatives of the District wellness committee and other can participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the wellness policy through a variety of means appropriate for that district. The District will also inform parents of the improvements that have been made to school meals and compliance with school meal standards, availability of child nutrition standards. The District will use electronic mechanisms, such as newsletters, presentations to parents, or sending information home to parents, to ensure that all families are actively notified of the content of, implementation of, and updates to the wellness policy, as well as how to get involved and support the policy. The District will ensure that communications are culturally appropriate to the community, and accomplished through means similar to other ways that the district and individual; schools are communicating other important school information with parents.
Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education
Physical Education (P.E.) K-12
All schools will make concerted efforts to provide as much physical exercise and movement as the curriculum will allow throughout the school day.
Daily Recess
All elementary school students will have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools should provide adequate space and equipment and encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Schools should discourage 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 longer periods of time, schools should give students periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.
Physical Activity: Instructional and/ or Behavior Restrictions
With the permission of the school principal, teachers may use physical activity (e.g., running laps, pushups) or withhold opportunities for physical activity (e.g. recess, physical education) as instructional or behavioral restrictions. Teachers should use this option sparingly.
Recreation Use Outside of School Hours
When practical, school exercise facilities should be made available to students, staff and community members before and after the school day. Non-school groups through the District Community Use of Facilities policy may schedule the use of school facilities on weekends and during school vacations. As a general rule, there will be no use of school indoor recreational facilities on Sunday. School policies will apply at all times.
Monitoring and Policy Review
Monitoring
School Principals or designees will ensure compliance with established nutrition and physical activity goals listed in this policy for their schools. Food service staff, at the school and district levels will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas. The Wellness Policy Assessment Tool will be completed each January and will be used to show compliance or concerns with this policy.
This information will be submitted to the Superintendent, and the school district will report to the Board on the most recent USDA review findings and any resulting changes.
APPENDIX A
Mary Wohlforth Principal
Mike Bowring Principal
Darren Mecham Principal
Brandi Webster Principal
Blair Albrecht Principal