STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY IMPLEMENTATION PLAN [MOUNT PLEASANT AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT] [2009-2010]

1. ADVERTISING OF NON-NUTRITIOUS FOOD THE STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY STATES: Fundraising projects shall be supportive of healthy eating, student wellness, proper nutrition, and proper advertisement/promotion.

Steps to be Taken

By Whom

Resources Needed

1.1 Eliminate marketing of unhealthy foods by removing advertisements from campus vending machines, reader boards, posters etc.

School Administration, PTA, Athletic Department, Food Service

TBD

1.2 Find healthy sponsors for sports teams. Collaborate with healthy vendors/sponsors.

School Administration, PTA, Athletic Department

Meetings and agreements between schools and vendors/sponsors.

1.3 Fundraising activities will be submitted for approval and shall be supportive of healthy eating and student wellness.

School Administration, PTA, Athletic Department, Student Leadership

Meetings, agreements between agencies and plans for change.

Due Date

2. FUNDRAISING AND CLASSROOM REWARDS THE STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY STATES: The Superintendent or designee shall encourage school organizations to use healthy food items or nonfood items for fundraising purposes. He/she also shall encourage school staff to avoid the use of non-nutritious foods as a reward for students’ academic performance, accomplishments, or classroom behavior.

Steps to be Taken

By Whom

Resources Needed

2.1 Send letters to PTA, Sports Boosters and presidents of clubs informing them to use healthy fundraisers.

Principal or Wellness Committee, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

Funding for paper and stamps, volunteers or staff to put together letters.

2.2 Meet with PTA and administrators to hear concerns and discuss options for healthy fundraising.

Principals, Wellness Committee

Volunteers or staff to attend meetings, take notes and communicate concerns

2.3 Organize meetings and trainings around healthy fundraising options for teachers, parents, and representatives from school clubs. Create surveys about healthy alternatives and offer taste-testing of possible alternatives.

Principals, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

Trainers, copies, healthy snacks for meetings.

2.4 Provide list of healthy fundraising and snack alternatives to teachers, parents, student clubs, student leadership and sports boosters.

Principal, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

Copies, volunteers or staff create list.

2.5 Eliminate or minimize using food as a reward at school or school activities.

Principals, Teachers, Parents, Wellness Committee

Send home flyers to parents

2.6 Encourage non-food celebrations or nutritious snacks for birthdays and holidays (ie. have student choose an active game to play with the class as their celebration, or celebrate all birthdays on the last Friday of each month).

Principals, Teachers, Wellness Committee

None

2.7 Eliminate discipline consequences that deny recess or lunch.

Administrators, Teachers

None

Due Date

3. IMPROVING THE CAFETERIA ENVIRONMENT THE STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY STATES: The Board desires to provide students with adequate time and space to eat meals. To the extent possible, school and transportation schedules shall be designed to encourage participation in school meal programs. The district shall provide all students and staff with a clean, safe and pleasant eating environment with sufficient time for eating meals.

Steps to be Taken

By Whom

Resources Needed

3.1 Establish a student committee at each school that looks at cafeteria environment improvements and foods on campus.

School Administrators, Food Service Staff, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS, Wellness Committee

Could apply for grant to staff support, student stipends etc.

3.2 Prominently display cafeteria menu and prices visible by students.

School Administrators/Food Service Staff, Student Leadership Class, Parents

Funding for signs/displays.

School administration, Student Leadership, Food Service Staff

Possible funding resources needed depending on outcome of investigation recommendations

3.4 Investigate food lines efficiency and the configuration of the cafeteria. Visibly display available food items. Promote food court model. (High School Only)

Student Committee, School Administration, SLT

Funding to enhance cafeteria.

3.5 Insure that hand washing soap and supplies are available near the cafeteria.

School Administration, Custodians

Funding to purchase supplies and janitorial staff time.

3.3 Support the “Point of Sale” machines and scanners.

3.6 Students shall be provided with adequate time to eat.

School Administration, Food Service Staff

Due Date

4. FOODS SOLD & SERVED ON CAMPUS THE STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY STATES: Qualified child nutrition professionals shall provide students with access to a variety of affordable, fresh, nutritious and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students. Student preferences shall be solicited in the planning of menus and snacks and religious ethnic and cultural diversity of the student body shall be incorporated in meal planning.

Steps to be Taken 4.1 Maintain school lunches that meet nutritional Guidelines.

4.2 Put healthy food vending machines in multiple locations including chilled vending machines. Sell healthy food items in student stores and consider a portable kiosk for sales in other locations on campus.

4.3 Price healthiest foods cheaper and less healthy foods more expensive.

4.4 Investigate a healthy foods incentive promotion programs. Ex. “Fruit Coupons” redeemable at student store.

By Whom

Resources Needed

Food Service Program

Seek increases in School Lunch reimbursement rates.

School Administration, Food Service Director, Students

Grant to implement pilot program, staff to plan and help carry out implementation

Food Service Director and Staff, Students

none

School Administration, Teachers, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS, Food Service Director

none

4.5 Do student surveys and taste testing of healthy entree and snack food items. Distribute samples.

Student Volunteers, Parent Volunteers, Food Service Director and Staff

Funding to cover cost of preparing sample foods and implementing surveys.

4.6 Advertise healthy foods through poster, school bulletin and school TV broadcasting.

School Administration, Food Service Director and Staff, Student Council

none

Due Date

5. PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND ACTIVITY THE STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY STATES: All students in grades K-12 shall be provided opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis including students with disabilities and students with special health care needs. Opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity shall be provided through physical education, recess, school athletic programs, extracurricular programs and other structured and unstructured activities.

Steps to be Taken 5.1 Increase variety of Physical Education opportunities.

5.2 Increase variety and quality of Physical Activity opportunities: A) More Equipment B) Sports tournaments C) Organize intramural sports, during lunch, advisory periods, or after school.

5.3 Provide staff training on Physical Education standards and objectives.

5.5 Ensure that all students are receiving the number of minutes for physical education each week (40 minutes every week for Elementary School and 4 years for High School). Document formal PE time in lesson plans.

By Whom Administrators, PE Teachers, Students

School Administrators and PE Teachers PTA, Students

Resources Needed More publicity for sports, incentives to join, equipment.

Grant for sports equipment drive by PTA at beginning of every school year. Investigate partnering with Parks and Recreation Dept or CBOs and Middle Schools to create sports teams and raise funds

District Office, Principals, Staff

Funding for staff development

Principals, Staff

Credential Physical Education teachers at each school site. Provide planning time for grade level meetings.

Due Date

6. NUTRITION EDUCATION THE STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY STATES: Integrate current, scientifically accurate nutrition content …into classroom instruction in… core subjects. Encourage instructional strategies that incorporate experiential learning opportunities (such as taste testing, cooking demonstrations, tours of farmers markets and school gardens)... Reinforce messages on healthy eating by coordinating …school food service with classroom-based nutrition and health education… Provide instructional staff with adequate and ongoing in-service nutrition education training…

Steps to be Taken

By Whom

Resources Needed

6.1 Provide training on Childhood Obesity/ Implications for Adult Chronic Diseases for teachers, parents, and all school staff.

Wellness Committee, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS School Nurse

http://www.wellnesstaskforce.org/fitschoolstrainings.html

6.2 Provide educational community Wellness Programs for students at school

6.3 Work with community partners to increase cooking classes for students.

6.4 Train school staff, students and parents about healthy foods.

6.5 Create opportunities for students to: A) Make postcards advertising fruit and vegetable consumption and healthy eating. B) Design informational posters to be placed around campus that show facts about nutrition and/or promote healthy eating and physical activity. C) Post nutrition label information for foods served or sold on campus.

PowerPoint Available at:

Principals, Parents, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

None

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Volunteers Funding for cost of cooking classes, space to hold cooking classes.

District Wellness Council, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

Instructor, space to hold in-service, budget for sample foods.

Student Council, RELATED ORGANIZATIONS, Other interested student committees and/or classes, Public Health Nutrition and Wellness Program.

Funding for materials and volunteers to work on postcards/ posters and distribute them. Volunteers

Due Date

6. 6 All school staff, parents, and community members shall serve as a positive role model through communication, choice, and support of district programs.

Staff, Parents and Community

6.7 Create a “Healthy Eating Guide” for foods available on and off campus.

RELATED ORGANIZATIONS, Students

6.8 Encourage school gardens in all schools.

Wellness Committee, School Administration, Teachers, Parents

6.9 Create “Wellness News” section to be added to Principals or PTA newsletters. E-mail to all Principals.

Apply for available grants

District Wellness Council Wellness Committee

7. COMMUNICATING THE WELLNESS POLICY THE STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY STATES: The District Wellness Committee will develop means of communicating the District Wellness Policy, the importance of healthy foods, physical activity, fundraising using foods, trainings, and curriculum to the school community including principals, teachers, students, and parents.

Steps to be Taken 7.1 Provide Power Point presentation for each school site to inform staff and all school groups of the focus on healthy eating and physical activity.

7.2 Host a guest speaker at parent meeting with expertise on nutrition or physical activity.

By Whom

Resources Needed

OFFICE OF EDUCATION, District Wellness Council

Development of PowerPoint in multiple languages

Principal, Parent Groups

Funding for Speakers

7.3 Develop wellness website (or link to one). Create a link from each school site to District website on Wellness. Place District Wellness Policy/ on District Website.

District Wellness Coordinators, Principals. And Designated Staff

Funding to develop website.

7.4 Produce and distribute list of common healthy snack alternatives for school/ classroom use.

Principals, Wellness Committee, PTA

Xeroxing

7.5 Select a parent and or staff Wellness representative at each school site.

PTA, Site Leadership Team

None

Due Date

8. MONITORING AND EVALUATION THE STUDENT WELLNESS POLICY STATES: The School Wellness Council shall recommend specific quality indicators that will be used to measure the implementation of the wellness policy district-wide and at each district school. These measures shall include, but are not be limited to feedback from food service personnel, the school health council, students, parents/guardians, school administrators and other appropriate persons.

Steps to be Taken

By Whom

Resources Needed

8.1 Schools form School Nutrition Advisory Committees (SNAC) to work together with District Wellness Council to monitor policy implementation.

Students, teachers, Food Service Staff and School Administration

Staff time to coordinate meetings.

Food Service Director and Staff

Staff time to organize taste tests and funds to purchase and prepare sample foods.

8.3 Develop and administer a standard annual survey to measure implementation of wellness policy. Increase feedback from students by engaging them in District Wellness Councils, SNAC Committees and in developing and implementing evaluations.

District Wellness Council, School Administration, Food Service Director, Students

Staff support for evaluation development, data entry and analysis. Survey printing and materials.

8.4 Use newsletters to distribute information about wellness policy implementation progress and annual survey results to parents, students and staff.

Students and School Administration

Staff for newsletter production printing and distribution.

8.2 Monitor to insure compliance with foods served and sold on campus.

Staff time to coordinate outreach and strategies.

Due Date