Health & Safety

The District will provide nutrition education to facilitate the voluntary adoption of healthy eating habits and other nutrition-related behaviors conducive to health and well-being by establishing the following standards for:

a) Classroom teaching: Nutrition topics will be integrated within the comprehensive health education curriculum and other instructional areas, as appropriate.

b) Education, marketing and promotion links:

• As appropriate, the District will promote nutrition education activities that involve parents, students, and the community.
• The District will promote school and community awareness of this policy through various means, such as a publication on the District website.
• The District will encourage and promote wellness through social media, newsletters, and an annual family wellness event.
• -Marketing and advertising on school campuses during the school day will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion. As such, schools will restrict food and beverage marketing to the promotion of those foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards set forth by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act’s Smart Snacks in School Rule.

c) Additional provisions: Parents will be encouraged to send in healthy treats for classroom celebrations within school guidelines.

d) Teacher training:

• Provide CPR/AED, diabetes, seizures, asthma training.
• Provide health and wellness training annually to faculty/staff.
• Health Fair at Community Center.
• Community Center is available free of charge to all staff members.

The District will provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge and skills for specific physical activities, to maintain physical fitness, to regularly participate in physical activity, and to understand the short-term and long-term benefits of a physically active and healthy lifestyle. The Wellness Committee has determined that the following standards are necessary to achieve this goal:

a)                  Students must take and pass physical education classes as per New York State Commissioner’s Regulations

b)                  Adaptive Physical Education and other appropriate physical activities are provided for special populations as per state standards.

c)                  Staff training/certification for physical education:

State certification will be required for P.E., classroom teachers, coaches, etc.

d)                  Physical activity outside physical education classes:

Principals and teachers will encourage opportunities for student physical activity outside of school.

The District wishes to establish a school environment that presents consistent wellness messages and is conducive to healthy eating and physical activity for all. In order to present a coordinated school approach where District decision-making related to nutrition and physical activity encompasses all aspects of the school, the Wellness Committee has determined that the following standards are necessary to achieve this goal:

a) Federal School Meal Programs: The District will participate to the maximum extent practicable in available federal school meal programs (School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program).

b) Access to school nutrition programs: Principal will notify parents four times per year that a student’s personal lunch journal is available for their review.

c) Community access to District facilities for physical activities: Healthy activities are encouraged for use of school district facilities.

In an effort to encourage healthy life-long eating habits by providing foods that are high in nutrients, low in fat and added sugars, and of moderate portion size, the District Wellness Committee will recommend nutrition standards to be set for all foods and beverages available on school campus. For purpose of this section, the school day is defined as the period from the midnight before, to thirty (30) minutes after the end of the official school day.

a)   The District will establish an implementation and evaluation plan for this policy in order to monitor its effectiveness and the possible need for modification over time. To this end, the District designates the School Nurse to have operational responsibility for ensuring that the District meets the goals and mandates of this policy.

b)    The District will annually report on the progress that each of its schools has made toward meeting the goals of this policy. Such report will include:

1.  The website address for the wellness policy and/or information on how the public can access a copy;

2.  A description of each school’s progress in meeting the wellness policy goals;

3.  A summary of each school’s local school wellness events or activities;

4.  Contact information for the leader(s) of the Wellness Committee; and

5.  Information on how individuals can get involved in the Wellness Committee’s work.

c)    The District will, as necessary, revise this wellness policy and develop work plans to facilitate its implementation.