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Student Wellness Policy

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School:  Rowan County Senior High School

 

Subject of the Policy:  Student Welfare and Wellness

 

Policy Statement

 

 

 

The health and safety of pupils shall be a priority consideration in all RCSHS decisions.

RCSHS is committed to providing an environment that promotes and protects student health, well-being, and ability to learn. To this end RCSHS endorses 1-healthy eating, 2- physical activity, and 3- student awareness and initialization of lifelong wellness practices.

All students will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis as provided by school/council policy.

  1. Foods and beverages sold or served at RCSHS will meet the nutrition recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
  2. Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.
  3. To the maximum extent practicable, RCSHS will participate in available federal school meal programs.
  4. RCSHS will provide and promote nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity and will establish linkages between health education, school meal programs, and related community services.

A process shall be implemented to engage students, parents, physical and/or health education teachers, school food service professionals, school health professionals, school board members, school administrators, and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing this policy, as well as District-wide nutrition and physical activity opportunities, plans, and initiatives.

1a-Nutrition Education and Promotion

Nutrition education will involve sharing information with families and the community to positively impact students and the health of the community. The SCHOOL will provide information to families that encourage them to teach their children about health and nutrition and to provide nutritious meals for their families.

Each school is encouraged to provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion as follows:

  • Child nutrition programs comply with federal, state, and local requirements.
  • Child nutrition programs are accessible to all children.
  • The school environment is safe, comfortable, pleasing, and allows adequate time (at least 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch) and space for eating meals.
  • Students are encouraged to start each day with a healthy breakfast.
  • Lunch periods are scheduled as near to the middle of the school day as possible.

 

Nutrition Education and Promotion

  • Nutrition education will be 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.
  • Teachers will use enjoyable, developmentally-appropriate, culturally-relevant, participatory activities, such as, but not limited to, contests, promotions, taste tasting, farm visits, and school gardens and instructional techniques and strategies designed to promote healthy eating habits, not only in health classes, but also classroom instruction in subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences, and elective subjects.
  • The school cafeteria will serve as a “learning laboratory” to allow students to apply critical thinking skills taught in the classroom by promoting the consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and utilizing healthy food preparation methods, and health enhancing nutrition practices.

1b-Child Nutrition Operations

  • The child nutrition program will ensure that all students have affordable access to the varied and nutritious foods they need to stay healthy and learn well.
  • RCSHS will strive to increase participation in the available Child Nutrition Programs (e.g. school breakfast, school lunch, after school snack, and summer foodservice programs).
  • Employ a food service director, who is properly qualified, certified or credentialed according to current professional standards, to administer the school food service program and satisfying reporting requirements.
  • For the safety and security of food and facility, access to the food service operation is limited to Child Nutrition staff and authorized personnel according to the US Department of Agriculture food security guidelines.

2- Physical Activity

  • Physical activity will be integrated across the curricula and throughout the school day.
  • Physical activity courses will be an environment where students learn, practice, and assessed on developmentally appropriate motor skills, social skills, and knowledge.
  • Students in grades (9-12) will be offered the option of a physical activity class each trimester.
  • Physical activity participation will emphasize caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure (physical activity/exercise and food nutrient charts).

 

2- Physical Activity

  • Physical activity includes the instruction of individual activities as well as competitive and non-competitive team sports to encourage life-long physical activity.
  • The RCSHS will provide a physical and social environment that encourages safe and enjoyable activity for all students, including those who are not athletically gifted.
  • Information will be provided to families to help them incorporate physical activity into their student’s lives.

Other School-Based Activities

  • After school programs will encourage physical activity and health habit formation.
  • Support of the health of all students is demonstrated by hosting health clinics, health screenings, and helping to enroll eligible children in Medicaid and other state children’s health insurance programs.

Monitoring

The Superintendent/Designee will monitor compliance with this and related policies. At the school level, the Principal/Designee will monitor compliance with those policies in his/her school, and will report to the school’s compliance as directed by the Superintendent/Designee.

Progress Report

The RCSHS shall periodically measure and update the public on the content and progress of implementation of its school wellness efforts. The report shall include:

  1. Extent to which RCSHS is in compliance with this policy;
  2. A comparison of how RCSHS measures up to model wellness policies provided by recognized state and national authorities; and
  3. A description of the measurable progress made towards reaching goals of the District wellness policy and addressing any gaps identified in the wellness report for the previous year.

KRS 160.345(11)

 

Date of First Reading: Feb. 11, 2014  

 

Date of Second Reading: March 11, 2014

 

 

Date Adopted: March 11, 2014   

 

 

 

 

Signature: 

 

 

 

 

(SBDM Council Chairperson)

 

 

Updated: March 2013