5405- Wellness

The Valley Central School District recognizes that schools play a critical role in promoting student health, preventing childhood obesity and combating problems associated with poor nutrition and physical activity.

The Valley Central School District is committed to providing a school environment and experiences which promote healthy choices and physical activity.

Therefore, it is the policy of the Valley Central School District that:

  • The District will engage parents, students, teachers of physical education, food service professionals, school administrators, school health professionals, the Board, and members of the public in developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing District wide nutrition and physical activity policies and procedures.
    The District shall provide information, including periodic assessments, to the public (including parents, students and others in the community) about the content, effectiveness and implementation of this wellness policy. As part of the assessment the District will review and consider evidence-based strategies and techniques in establishing goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school based activities that promote student wellness.
  • All students will have opportunities, support and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis, consistent with the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education.
  • The Child Nutrition Program will comply with federal, state, and local requirements and will be accessible to all children.
  • Schools will provide nutrition education and physical education as an integral part of the curriculum to foster lasting habits of healthy eating and physical activity. The schools will also encourage cooperation between health education, school  meal programs and related community services.

For the purposes of this policy, “school campus” means all areas of District property accessible to students during the school day; “school day” means the period from the midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day; and “competitive food” means all food and beverages other than meals reimbursed under federal food programs available for sale to students on the school campus during the school day.

Nutrition Promotion and Education

  1. Nutrition promotion and education will be a component of the District Health Education curriculum in grades K-12.
  2. Nutrition promotion and education will include understanding in regards to the importance of healthy food choices as they relate to personal health and healthy lifestyles.
  3. Staff responsible for student nutrition, nutrition promotion and nutrition education will be provided the opportunity of nutritional training through professional development activities.
  4. The District will provide educational information regarding nutrition and healthy eating habits through District communications (e.g. District website, Viking Press, newsletters, etc.).
  5. The District will review “Smarter Lunchroom” tools and strategies, which are evidence-based, simple, low-cost or no-cost changes that are shown to improve student participation in the school meals program while encouraging consumption of more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and decreasing plate waste.

Physical Activity and Physical Education

  1. All students will have support and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.
  2. Schools will facilitate all students’ participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity in accordance with federal and state requirements.
  3. Schools will provide information to parents to help them promote and incorporate physical activity and healthy eating into their children’s lives.
  4. Students will be given opportunities for physical activity through the utilization of school programs including, but not limited to, intramurals, interscholastic athletics and activity clubs.

Food and Beverages Available to Students on the School Campus During the School Day

  1. All foods and beverages available to students during the school day shall meet or exceed the program requirements and nutrition standards found in federal regulations. To accomplish this, the Board directs that the District serve healthy and appealing foods and beverages at District schools, following state and federal nutrition guidelines, as well as safe food preparation methods. The School District, to the extent possible, will buy and feature farm fresh foods. The School District will make efforts, to the extent possible, to procure these farm fresh foods from local vendors.
  2. Free drinking water will be available at locations where meals are served.
  3. Food and beverages available during the school day will be offered in modest portion sizes age-appropriate for elementary, middle and high school students, respectively.
  4. If a la carte foods are available, the District shall ensure that all items meet the nutrition standards set in federal regulations for competitive food regarding whole grains, fruits, vegetables, calories, fat, saturated fats, trans fats, sugar, sodium, and caffeine.
  5. Classroom snacks, celebrations, and events where food and beverages are provided but not sold, especially in elementary schools, should encourage healthy choices. Parents and families will receive guidance from the school on foods and beverages that are appropriate for such events and that meet the proper nutrition standards.
  6. Schools will encourage fundraisers that promote positive health habits such as the sale of non-food and nutritious food items only.
  7. The school district encourages all students to participate in school meal programs (national school lunch and national school breakfast program).

Reimbursable School Meals

Guidelines for reimbursable school meals shall not be less restrictive than applicable federal regulations and guidance issued pursuant to the Child Nutrition Act and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, as those regulations and guidance apply to schools.

Marketing of Food and Beverages

Any food or beverage that is marketed on school grounds during the school day must meet at least the federal nutrition standards for competitive items. Marketing includes all advertising and promotions: verbal, written, or graphic, or promotional items.

Policy Administration

The Wellness Coordinator, is charged with operational responsibility for ensuring that the District meets the Wellness Policy as adopted.

Monitoring and Review

The Wellness Coordinator shall report every three years to the Board and the public on the implementation and effectiveness of this policy. The Wellness Coordinator, in consultation with appropriate personnel and advisory committees, shall monitor and review the District’s wellness activities to determine the extent that the District’s Schools are complying with this policy and how the progress made toward attaining the goals of this policy. In addition the Wellness Coordinator will review this policy is having a positive effect on increasing student wellness and decreasing student obesity in the District. Based on this evidence, this policy, and the objectives to meet its goals, may be revised as needed.

The advisory committee may consist of parents, students, food service professionals, physical education teachers, school health professionals, school administrators, the general public, and/or the school board.

The District shall inform and update the public (including parents, students, and others) about the content and implementation of this policy on its website and in the school lunch area. In addition, the District will provide information about new and ongoing wellness activities to parents, staff, and students via the District website.

The District shall monitor and review the implementation and effectiveness of this policy by collecting evidence based data. This may include, for example:

  • Informal surveys of appropriate personnel to assess the progress of wellness activities.
  • Periodic checks of the nutritional content of food offered in the cafeterias for meals and a la carte items, purchasing data or other consumption figures.
  • Periodic checks of the nutritional content of food available in vending machines and the sales figures for the machines.
  • Periodic checks on the time students spend in Physical Education classes and the nature of those classes.
  • Periodic checks on extracurricular activities of a physical nature, including offerings and participation rates.
  • Periodic checks of student mastery of the nutrition education curriculum.
  • Periodic completion of of the CDC School Health Index.
  • Periodic review of data currently collected by District, including: attendance and health related absences; testing and fitness test results,
  • Periodic review of professional development offered to employees which focuses on student wellness; and/or
  • A Wellness Assessment checklist to review the effectiveness of this policy.

Recordkeeping

The District shall keep records as required by federal regulations, including documentation of the following: this policy; the District’s community wellness activities; how the policy is made available to the public; the assessments report done every three years; how the public is informed of the assessment results; and when and how the policy is reviewed and updated.

Ref:

  • The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, P.L. 111-296
  • Child Nutrition Act, 42 U.S.C. §1779.
  • Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, P.L. 108-265.
  • Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. §§1758(f)(1), 1766(a).
  • 42 USC §1779 (Child Nutrition Act)
  • 7 CFR §210.10; 210.11; 210.11a (National School Lunch Program participation
    requirements – standards for lunches, snacks, and competitive foods)
  • 7 CFR §220.8 (School Breakfast Program participation requirements – nutrition standards)
  • 8 NYCRR Part 135 (Health and Physical Education curricular requirements); §114.1
  • (School Breakfast Program Requirements)
  • Appeal of Phillips, 37 EDR 204 (1997) (dec. no. 13,843)
  • Appeal of Williams, 32 EDR 621 (1993) (dec. no. 12,934)

Adoption date: March 27, 2006
Revised: April 16, 2012
Revised: March 9, 2015
Revised: May 11, 2015
Revised: April 3, 2017
Reviewed: May 22, 2017
Revised: May 13, 2019