533 WELLNESS
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to assure a school environment that promotes and protects
students health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating, physical
activity, and positive social and emotional interactions.
II. GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY
A. The School Board recognizes that nutrition education, physical education, and
positive social and emotional learning supports are essential components of the
educational process and that good health fosters student attendance and education.
B. The school environment should promote and protect students health, well-being,
and ability to learn by encouraging healthy eating, physical activity, and healthy
social and emotional interactions.
C. The school district encourages the involvement of students, parents, teachers,
food service staff, and other interested persons in implementing, monitoring, and
reviewing school district nutrition, physical activity, and social and emotional
learning policies.
D. Children need access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active in
order to grow, learn, and thrive.
E. All students in grades EC-Age 21 will have opportunities, support, and
encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.
F. Qualified food service personnel will provide students with access to a variety of
affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition
needs of students; try to accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity
of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant
settings and adequate time for students to eat.
III. GUIDELINES
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A. Foods and Beverages
1. All foods and beverages made available on campus during the school day
will be consistent with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americans.
2. Food service personnel will take every measure to ensure that student
access to foods and beverages meet or exceed all federal, state, and local
laws and guidelines.
3. Food service personnel shall adhere to all federal, state, and local food
safety and security guidelines.
4. The school district will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma
attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are
eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.
5. The school district will provide students access to hand washing before
they eat meals or snacks.
6. The school district will make every effort to provide students with
sufficient time to eat after sitting down for school meals and will schedule
meal periods at appropriate times during the school day.
7. The school district will discourage tutoring, club, or organizational
meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during
such activities.
B. School Food Service Program/Personnel
1. The school district will provide healthy and safe school meal programs
that strictly comply with all federal, state, and local statutes and
regulations.
2. The school district shall designate an appropriate person to be responsible
for the school districts food service program, whose duties shall include
the creation of nutrition guidelines and procedures for the selection of
foods and beverages made available on campus to ensure food and
beverage choices are consistent with current USDA Dietary Guidelines for
Americans.
3. As part of the school districts responsibility to operate a food service
program, the school district will provide continuing professional
development for all food service personnel in schools.
C. Nutrition Education and Promotion
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1. The school district will encourage and support healthy eating by students
and engage in nutrition promotion that is:
a. offered as part of a comprehensive program designed to provide
students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and
protect their health;
b. part of health education classes as well as classroom instruction in
subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences, and
elective subjects, where appropriate; and
c. enjoyable, developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant, and
includes participatory activities, such as contests, promotions, taste
testing, and field trips.
2. The school district will encourage all students to make age appropriate,
healthy selections of foods and beverages, including those sold
individually outside the reimbursable school meal programs, such as
through a la carte (snack) lines, vending machines, fundraising events,
concession stands, and student stores.
3. Schools will not use food or beverages as rewards for academic
performance or good behavior (unless this practice is allowed by a
students individual education plan or behavior intervention plan) and will
not withhold food or beverages as punishment.
D. Physical Activity
1. Students need opportunities for physical activity and to fully embrace
regular physical activity as a personal behavior. Toward that end, health
education will reinforce the knowledge and self-management skills needed
to maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce sedentary activities such as
watching television.
2. Opportunities for physical activity will be incorporated into other subject
lessons, where appropriate; and
3. Classroom teachers may provide short physical activity breaks between
lessons or classes, as appropriate.
E. Communication with Parents
1. The school district recognizes that parents and guardians have a primary
and fundamental role in promoting and protecting their childrens health
and well-being.
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2. The school district will support parents efforts to provide a healthy diet
and daily physical activity for their children.
3. The school district encourages parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks
and refrain from including beverages and foods without nutritional value.
4. The school district will communicate the goal to create and promote a
healthy and nutritious environment for classroom celebrations.
5. The school district will provide information about physical education and
other school-based physical activity opportunities and will support
parents efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be
physically active outside of school.
IV. IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING
A. After approval by the School Board, the wellness policy will be implemented
throughout the school district.
B. School food service staff, at the school or district level, will ensure compliance
within the schools food service areas and will report to the food service program
administrator, the building principal, or the superintendents designee, as
appropriate.
C. The school districts food service program administrator will provide an annual
report to the superintendent setting forth the nutrition guidelines and procedures
for selection of all foods made available on campus.
D. The superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with the wellness policy,
will provide an annual report of the school districts compliance with the policy to
the School Board, and establish a district wellness advisory council which meets
annually to review the policy and the annual report. The council would include:
1. Board member
2. Superintendent or designee
3. Health staff
4. Food Service Director
5. Building administration
6. Building staff
7. Community Education Director
8. Students
9. Parents
10. Community members
11. Community health partners
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Legal References:
Minn. Stat. 121A.215 (Local School District Wellness Policy)
42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq. (Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act)
42 U.S.C. 1758b (Local School Wellness Policy)
42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq. (Child Nutrition Act of 1966)
7 U.S.C. 5341 (Establishment of Dietary Guidelines)
7 C.F.R. 210.10 (School Lunch Program Regulations)
7 C.F.R. 220.8 (School Breakfast Program Regulations)
Local Resources:
Minnesota Department of Education, www.education.state.mn.us
Minnesota Department of Health, www.health.state.mn.us
County Health Departments
Action for Healthy Kids Minnesota, www.actionforhealthykids.org
United States Department of Agriculture, www.fns.usda.gov
School Board Action:
Adopted May 16, 2006
Revised December 16, 2008
Revised October 18, 2011
Revised April 21, 2015
Revised November 17, 2015
Revised January 17, 2017
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