ADF: District Wellness Program

The Board recognizes the relationship between student well-being and student achievement as well as the importance of a comprehensive district wellness program. Therefore, the district will provide developmentally appropriate and sequential nutrition and physical education as well as opportunities for physical activity. The wellness program will be implemented in a multidisciplinary fashion and will be evidence based.

Student Wellness Committee

The district will establish a wellness committee that consists of at least one parent, student, nurse or other school health professional, physical education teacher, school food service representative, Board member, school administrator, member of the public, and other community members as appropriate. If available, a qualified, credentialed nutrition professional will be a member of the wellness committee.

Staff Wellness Committee

The district highly values the health and well-being of every staff member and will plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The district will offer staff wellness programs that include education on nutrition, healthy eating behaviors and maintaining a healthy weight for optimal health. The district will establish and maintain a staff wellness committee composed of at least one staff member; wellness committee member; registered dietitian, school nurse or other health professional; employee benefits specialist; and other appropriate personnel. The staff wellness committee will serve as a subcommittee of the district wellness committee. The staff wellness committee will develop, promote and oversee a multifaceted plan to promote staff health and wellness. The plan will be based on input solicited from district staff and will outline ways to encourage healthy eating, physical activity, sun safety and other elements of a healthy lifestyle. The committee will continue to host a health fair for staff and continue to research other community resources that the district can use. The staff wellness committee will provide a copy of its plan to the wellness program committee.

Staff and student wellness committee meeting dates and agendas will be posted on the district's website in advance of each meeting and advertised in a manner designed to reach students, staff and members of the community. All staff and student wellness committee meeting agendas will include a public comment period in which students, staff and members of the community are encouraged to provide input on the district's wellness program. Meetings, records and votes of the wellness committee will adhere to the requirements of the Missouri Sunshine Law.

Wellness Program Coordinator

The Board designates the assistant superintendent as wellness program coordinator. Only employees of the district who are members of the wellness committee may serve as wellness program coordinators. Wellness coordinator, in consultation with the wellness committee, will be in charge of implementation and evaluation of this policy.

The wellness program coordinator is responsible for ensuring that each school in the district is in compliance with this policy.

Nutrition Guidelines

The nutrition guidelines outlined in this section do not apply to food or beverages brought from home by students for consumption solely by the student or food or beverages created or used by students as part of the district's instructional program.

It is the policy of the School of the Osage that all foods and beverages sold to students during the school day on any property under the jurisdiction of the district will meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) school meal and Smart Snacks in School (Smart Snacks) nutrition standards. These nutrition standards apply to all food and beverages sold to students, including those sold in vending machines, school stores and through district-sponsored fundraisers, unless an exemption applies. In addition, the Smart Snacks standards apply to all food and beverages provided by the school, but not sold, to students outside the reimbursable school meals program during the school day. For the purposes of this policy, the school day is the time period from the midnight before to 30 minutes after the official school day. Food provided by any other person will meet district-established standards.

Nutrition Promotion and Education

The district will provide nutrition education aligned with the Missouri Learning Standards and Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs) in health and physical education in all grades. In addition, the district will disseminate nutrition messages and other nutrition-related materials received from the USDA to students, staff and the community through a variety of media and methods. The wellness program coordinator, in consultation with the wellness committee, will develop procedures that address nutrition education and promotion.

Physical Activity and Education

The district will provide physical education and opportunities for physical activity aligned with the Missouri Learning Standards and GLEs in health and physical education in all grades. The wellness program coordinator, in consultation with the wellness committee, will develop procedures that address physical education and physical activity.

Other School-Based Activities

The wellness program coordinator, in consultation with the wellness committee, are charged with developing procedures addressing other school-based activities to promote wellness.

Assessment

The local wellness program will be assessed at least once every three years. The assessment will measure the district's level of compliance with implementing the local wellness program, including compliance levels in each of the district's schools; the extent to which the district's policy compares to model wellness policies; and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the program. Wellness program coordinator will report the results of assessments to the Board, and the results of each assessment will be made available to the public on the district's website and by other appropriate means. The wellness program coordinator will make recommendations for modifications to the wellness policy in accordance with these assessments, and the Board will revise the wellness policy as it deems necessary based on these recommendations. Administrative procedures will be revised accordingly.

Records

The wellness program coordinator will maintain records necessary to document compliance with law, including a copy of the policy; documentation of community involvement, including sign-in sheets or other documentation of the names of those who provided input to the committee; documentation of triennial assessments; and documentation that assessment findings were shared with the public.