3021 - SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICY
Durham Public Schools is committed to providing an environment that enhances the development of lifelong wellness practices and ensures that all students are fit, healthy and ready to learn. Durham Public Schools recognizes its responsibility to promote healthy eating habits and fitness in students through curriculum and provision of healthy and nutritious meals and snacks to students during the school day. The purpose of the child nutrition program is to give students adequate nutrition during the school day and to teach them, by example, good nutrition practices and how those contribute to their health – and indirectly to their learning. Durham Public Schools also is concerned about the prevalence of childhood obesity and consequent health implications during the remainder of the students’ lives. In the short-term, overweight children may exhibit compromised health, with effects on school attendance and academic performance. At the same time that we nourish our children’s bodies with nutritious food, we need to ensure their physical fitness with an outstanding program of physical education and activity. An essential purpose of the physical education curriculum is to teach the importance of lifelong personal fitness goals and help enable our students to reach those goals.
Each school shall provide a minimum of thirty minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all K-8 students daily. Opportunities to participate in physical activity shall not be taken away as a means of punishment, nor shall severe and inappropriate exercise be used as a form of punishment.
Students will receive nutrition education consistent with the Healthful Living Standard Course of Study, and nutrition education shall be integrated into health education or other subjects in order to teach students the skills necessary to adopt healthy eating behaviors. The School Health Advisory Council shall recommend other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness.
Foods and beverages available on each school campus shall meet all applicable federal and state nutritional guidelines. The guidelines for reimbursable school meals shall not be less restrictive than that established by federal law. Separate nutritional standards may be established by the Superintendent or designee for those foods and beverages for which there are no mandatory state or federal guidelines.
The child nutrition program will provide menus for students and staff offering healthy choices and minimizing the availability of high fat, high calorie and high sugar choices and will offer age-appropriate serving sizes. Food sold, or otherwise offered, at school will be nutritious, appealing, and include fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat foods and whole grain products. Food choices made available to students throughout the school environment will be consistent with Durham Public Schools nutrition education.
The Superintendent or designee will ensure district-wide compliance with this policy. In each school, the principal or designee will ensure compliance with this policy and will report on the school’s compliance to the Superintendent or designee. The Superintendent or designee, in collaboration with the School Health Advisory Council, shall annually prepare all required reports.
The School Health Advisory Council shall be appointed by the Superintendent and shall contain, at the minimum, a school board member (appointed by the chair of the board), a school administrator, a school food authority representative, a parent or guardian, a student, a local health department representative, a member of the public, and a representative from each of the following school health areas: safe environment, physical education, health education, staff wellness, and mental and social health.
Strategies for Implementation of the Wellness Policy
3021.1 Nutrition Education
Building nutrition knowledge and skills help children make healthy eating and physical activity choices. To make a difference, nutrition education for children should be appropriate for the students’ ages, reflect their cultures, and provide opportunities for them to practice nutrition skills and have fun.
A. Nutrition education will be interdisciplinary. In developing nutrition education lessons, relevant personnel will endeavor to consult with a qualified, credentialed nutrition professional (e.g. School Food and Nutrition Specialist (SFNS), a Registered Dietitian (RD), who specializes in school-based nutrition).
B. Child Nutrition Services (CNS) will endeavor to collaborate with the Durham County Health Department (DCHD) to participate regularly in professional development activities to effectively deliver an accurate nutrition education program. These professional development activities for CNS staff should provide basic knowledge of nutrition, combined with skill practice in program-specific activities and instructional techniques and strategies designed to promote healthy eating habits.
C. Students will be encouraged to start each day with a healthy breakfast.
D. The school cafeteria serves as a learning laboratory to provide students access to basic nutrition concepts and healthy choices.
3021.2 Physical Activity
Physical activity is critical to a child’s healthy weight and healthy lifestyle, as well as to his/her ability to focus in the classroom. To ensure that all children are staying active, physical activity needs to be incorporated into the daily school curriculum and prioritized as essential to each child’s social and academic achievement.
A. Physical education courses will provide an environment in which students learn, practice and are assessed on developmentally appropriate motor skills, social skills and knowledge of personal fitness goals and practices.
B. Durham Public Schools will seek to obtain state-certified physical education instructors to teach all physical education classes.
C. Schools must provide a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all K-8 students daily. This requirement can be achieved through a regular physical education class and/or through activities such as recess, dance, classroom energizers, or other curriculum based physical education activity programs. In addition, physical activity will be integrated across curricula and throughout the school day, utilizing the above-mentioned strategies.
D. Elementary schools should move toward having 150 minutes per week with a certified physical education teacher throughout the 180-day school year. However, this move should not be allowed to diminish or detract from the arts program.
E. Middle schools should move toward having 225 minutes per week of Healthful Living Education with certified health and physical education teachers throughout the 180-day school year. However, this move should not be allowed to diminish or detract from the arts program.
F. Structured/unstructured recess and other physical activity (such as, but not limited to, physical activity time, physical education or intramurals) shall not be taken away from students as a form of punishment or for any unapproved reason. In addition, severe and/or inappropriate exercise may not be used as a form of punishment for students.
G. Adequate equipment will be made available for all students to participate in physical education
H. Schools are encouraged to provide community access to, and encourage students and community members to use, the school’s physical activity facilities outside of the normal school day in accordance with state law and board policy on Use of School Facilities.
I. Durham Public Schools will support student participation in recreational athletics after-school hours by allowing registration forms for non-profit athletic associations to be sent home with students to the extent such distributions are consistent with Board Policy on Distribution of Publications by Non-School Groups.
3021.3 Child Health As A Community Responsibility
While schools need to promote health and physical activity through education and focused programs, children need encouragement and reinforcement from family, the community and all other areas of their lives. To ensure life lasting healthy behavior habits, schools need to equip students with skills and tools that extend beyond the classroom.
A. After-school and extracurricular programs will encourage physical activity and lifelong healthy habit formation
B. Through programs (e.g. DINE for LIFE and Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities), information will be provided to families to help them incorporate healthy habits into their children’s lives.
C. Local wellness policy goals are considered in planning all school-based activities (such as school events, field trips, dances, and assemblies, fundraisers and school celebrations).
D. The School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) will integrate the interests of families, teachers, administrators, and students and will plan, implement and improve nutrition and physical activity in the school environment. The SHAC will endeavor to consult with Partnership for a Healthy Durham, Duke University Division of Community Health and Durham County Health Department.
E. Fundraisers will not interfere with the National School Breakfast and Lunch Program.
F. Support for the health of all students will continue to be demonstrated by hosting health clinics, health screenings, and helping to enroll eligible children in Medicaid and other state children’s health insurance programs.
G. Local school-based programs (e.g. DINE for LIFE and Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities) and schools will encourage parents to provide a variety of nutritious foods for children who bring bag lunches from home.
3021.4 Nutrition Guidelines For All Foods On Campus
The quality of the school nutrition environment depends on the quality of all foods and beverages sold or served at school. Foods that provide little nutrition compete with healthy school meals and send mixed messages to students. This undermines nutrition education efforts and discourages healthy eating. School nutrition guidelines shall address all food and beverages sold or served during the school day to students including food and beverages sold in vending machines. Decisions about the sale of competitive foods should focus on nutrition goals for students, and shall comply with applicable federal and state law.
A. Durham Public Schools will include healthy vending choices consistent with Winner’s Circle snack guidelines and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Schools will offer a variety of healthy snack choices to staff and students.
B. Until the first day of the 2007-08 school year, each school may, with the approval of the Superintendent or designee, sell to students beverages in vending machines during the school day so long as:
- Soft drinks are not sold to students at elementary or middle schools.
- Soft drinks are not sold to students at high schools during breakfast or lunch periods or contrary to the requirements of the National School Lunch Program.
- Not more than fifty percent (50%) of the offerings for sale to students in high schools are sugared carbonated soft drinks. Diet carbonated soft drinks are not considered in the same category as sugared carbonated soft drinks.
- Bottled water products are available in every school that has beverage vending.
C. Beginning with the first day of the 2007-08 school year, no school in Durham Public Schools will offer to students any sugared or diet carbonated soft drinks. Any school having a contract with a soft drink company to sell such carbonated soft drinks to students will modify the contract as soon as feasible. New contracts for soft drinks will not be approved. Only milk that is low fat or non-fat, flavored or unflavored, water, and 100% juice with no added sweeteners will be available to all middle schools students. Sports drinks that meet Winner’s Circle guidelines may also be available to high school students in non-child nutrition services vending. High schools may offer sugared or diet carbonated soft drinks at after-hours events such as sporting events as long as the offerings include healthy options such as water.
D. The SHAC will endeavor to work with relevant organizations and committees (e.g. CNS, Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities, DCHD) and begin considering guidelines for school promotional activities to ensure alignment with other school nutrition and physical activity requirements.
E. Classroom parties and celebrations, such as pizza parties shall be coordinated with CNS to ensure compliance with applicable federal and state law if the events occur before the last child in the school is served lunch.
F. Low-sugar beverages and water will be offered as a beverage choice during classroom parties.
G. Concession stands at after-hours events will include healthy options in their offerings as defined by Winner’s Circle standards.
H. Any advertising messages by CNS or other food and beverage vendors will be consistent with and reinforce the objectives of the education and nutrition goals of the school.
I. Food shall not be used as a reward or a punishment for student behaviors, unless it is detailed in a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP). However, food can be incorporated into celebrations for student performance.
J. Staff vending machine items will include among their offerings healthy choices consistent with Winner’s Circle snack guidelines. Schools are encouraged to offer wider variety of healthy snacks to staff.
K. Beginning the first day of the 2007-08 school year, student vending machine items will include only healthy choices consistent with Winner’s Circle snack guidelines.
L. Snack items offered in vending machines will contain no more than 200 calories per serving size.
M. A la carte items provided by CNS will be restricted to those which meet Eat Smart North Carolina guidelines.
3021.5 Child Nutrition Operations
The Child Nutrition Services Program’s main goal is to provide nutritious meals at a reasonable cost. Menus will endeavor to reflect the preferences of the school community to encourage students to eat nutritious meals. If healthy children are the aim of society, then we also need parents’ help in encouraging children to eat properly and to get adequate exercise. The schools, parents, and the community need to all be a part of the team that takes an active interest in the well-being of our children.
A. All foods provided by Child Nutrition Services (CNS) through the National School Breakfast and Lunch program, after-school snack and the Summer Food Service for Children, will comply with applicable federal, state and local laws and guidelines. A variety of age appropriate and affordable healthy food and beverage selections will be offered at elementary, middle and high schools.
B. CNS will have readily available nutrition fact sheets of all products used in the school lunch, breakfast, after-school snack programs, and the Summer Food Service Program for Children in the cafeterias and the Child Nutrition office. In addition, CNS will post in the cafeteria basic nutrition facts for products served on the menu.
C. Advertising of foods or beverages in the areas accessible to students during meal times must be consistent with nutrition environment standards established by CNS.
D. CNS will ensure that while in school all students have affordable access to the varied and nutritious foods they need to stay healthy and learn well.
E. Schools will strive to increase participation in the available federal Child Nutrition programs (e.g. school lunch, school breakfast, and after-school snack and summer foodservice programs).
F. All food service personnel shall receive pre-service training in food service operations.
G. Child Nutrition Services shall promote equal access for all students and strives for budget neutrality throughout changes to the current system.
3021.6 Food Safety/Food Security
The food offered to students in the schools must not only be nutritious, but must also comply with state and local food safety and sanitation regulations. The quality of the food is determined both by the foods’ nutrient value and by the standards by which it was prepared.
A. All foods made available on campus comply with the state and local food safety and sanitation regulations. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and guidelines shall be implemented in order to avoid food illness in schools.
B. For the safety and security of the food and facility, access to the food service operations are limited to Child Nutrition staff and personnel authorized by the Superintendent or designee.
C. At the elementary school level, all food brought from home that is intended to feed more than one child is to be signed in by the parent at the school office unless it is pre-packaged.
3021.7 Eating Environment
A well-designed and pleasant eating environment is important to the promotion of students’ healthy eating habits. Schools need to assess traffic flows, time allotted for school meals, and cafeteria layout to ensure that students are actually encouraged to eat the nutritious foods being provided to them during the school day.
A. Students will be provided adequate time to eat breakfast and lunch.
B. In collaboration with school administrators, CNS will continue to explore and implement ways to minimize the time students spend waiting in line.
C. Durham Public Schools will endeavor to provide attractive dining areas with adequate space to seat all students through normal lunch period rotations.
D. To the extent practicable, drinking water shall be available or sold to students at meals.
Legal References: Public Law-108-265, s. 204; N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-263 et seq.
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-81(e1); 42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq.;
NCSBE Policy Manual HSP-S-000, EEO-S-000
Adopted: June 15, 2006
