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JLCF- Wellness

The Board recognizes the importance of proper nutrition and developmentally appropriate physical activity as ways of promoting healthy lifestyles, minimizing childhood obesity, and preventing other diet-related chronic diseases. The Board also recognizes that health and student success are inter-related. It is, therefore, the goal of the Board that the learning environment positively influences a student's understanding, beliefs, and habits as they relate to good nutrition and physical activity.

This policy outlines the District’s approach to ensuring environments and opportunities for all students to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors throughout the school day while minimizing commercial distractions.  This policy applies to all students, staff and schools in the District.

I.  DISTRICT WELLNESS COMMITTEE

The Superintendent, in consultation with Wellness Committee Chair, will facilitate development of updates to the District Wellness Policy, subject to School Board approval, and will oversee compliance with the policy.  In addition, the Superintendent shall charge building principals with designating a District Wellness Committee representative for each school to help ensure compliance with this policy at the building level.

The District Wellness Chair will convene a representative “District Wellness Committee” (or “Wellness Committee”), whose functions will include review and recommendations regarding implementation of and updates to this policy, and establishment of specific goals for nutrition promotion, education, and physical activity.

The Superintendent’s designee shall serve as the Chairperson of the District Wellness Committee, and shall maintain an updated roster of Building Wellness Committee representatives and other persons serving on the Committee on the District’s website. The District Wellness Committee shall meet no less than three times per school year.

To the extent practicable, the District Wellness Committee should reflect the diversity of the Kearsarge community.  The Wellness Committee’s membership should include:

  1. superintendent or designee (Chair)
  2. a school board member;
  3. representation from each District school;
  4. director of Food Services;
  5. parents;
  6. students;
  7. physical education teachers;
  8. health education teachers;
  9. school counselors;
  10. school administrators;
  11. outside health professionals;
  12. individual school building representatives;
  13. and members of the public 

The building principal will solicit and approve staff representatives to the District Wellness Committee. The School Board Chair shall appoint the School Board representative.  The District Wellness Committee Chair shall review and appoint any remaining members.

As a statutory committee, the Wellness Committee shall comply with the requirements of RSA 91-A regarding meetings. 

II. WELLNESS POLICY IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING, ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

  1. Implementation Plan

The District Wellness Committee will conduct a District level assessment based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s School Health Index.  Representatives will use tools available through such programs as the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program, to create an annual progress report and action plan by September 30th of each school year and will provide it to the Superintendent.

  1. Annual Notification of Policy

The District will annually inform families and the public of basic information about this policy, including its content, any updates to the policy, and implementation status. The District will make this information available via the district website.  This information will include the contact information of the District official(s) chairing the Wellness Committee (i.e., the Superintendent or his/her designee) and any Building Wellness Representative, in addition to how the public can get involved with the District Wellness Committee.

  1. Triennial Progress Assessments

Every three years, the District Wellness Committee Chair and committee members will assess:

  1. The extent to which the District is in compliance with the wellness policy as defined by the New Hampshire Department of Education’s Office of Nutrition assessment.
  2. The extent to which the District Wellness Policy compares to accepted federal Heathy Schools Program assessment tools; and
  3. A description of the progress made by the District in attaining the goals of the District’s Wellness Policy.

The District Wellness Committee will make recommendations to update District Policy JLCF based on the results of the triennial assessment identified and recommended by the New Hampshire Department of Education’s Office of Nutrition.  The Board will review and act upon such assessments as required by Federal or State law, or as the Board deems appropriate.

  1. Recordkeeping

The District will retain records related to this Policy, to include at least the following:

  1. The District Wellness Policy, JLCF;
  2. The most recent assessment on the implementation of the local school wellness policy;
  3. Documentation on how the District Wellness Policy and Policy assessments are/were made available to the public;
  4. Documentation confirming annual compliance with the requirement that District Wellness Policy, including updates, and the most recent assessment on the implementation of the Policy have been made available to the public; and
  5. Documentation of efforts to review and update the District Wellness Policy; including who is/was involved in each update and methods the District uses to make stakeholders aware of opportunities to participate on the District Wellness Committe

​  e. Community Involvement, Outreach and Communications

The District will communicate ways in which representatives of the District Wellness Committee and others can participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of District Policy JLCF through a variety of means appropriate for the district.

The District will also inform parents, guardians, and the community of its:annual improvements made to school meals;compliance with federally approved school meal standards;availability of child nutrition programs;process to apply for child nutrition programs;description of Smart Snacks in Schools nutrition standards; andcompliance with Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards

III. NUTRITION

  1. School Meals

All schools within the District participate in USDA child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). District schools are committed to offering school meals that:

  1. are accessible to all students;
  2. are appealing and attractive to children;
  3. are served in clean and pleasant settings;
  4. promote healthy food and beverage choices; and
  5. meet or exceed current nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes and regulations. 

The District offers reimbursable school meals that meet USDA nutrition standards, located at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/nutrition-standards-school-meals

  1. Staff Qualifications and Professional Development

All school nutrition program directors, managers and staff will meet or exceed hiring and annual continuing education/training requirements in the USDA professional standards for school nutrition professionals.  These standards are located at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/professional-standards

  1. Water

To promote hydration, the District will provide free, safe, unflavored drinking water to all students at every school throughout the school day, including mealtimes.

The District shall permit students to bring water bottles to school in compliance with school policy and procedures.

  1. Presence and Marketing of Competitive Foods and Beverages in Schools

“Competitive foods and beverages” (e.g. foods and beverages sold and served or marketed during the school day, but outside of the school meal programs) must meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, which may be accessed at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/smart-snacks-school

These standards will apply in all locations and through all services where the District sells food and beverages, which may include, but are not limited to:

  1. à la carte options in cafeterias
  2. vending machines
  3. Except as may be provided elsewhere in this policy, any foods and beverages marketed or promoted to students on the school campus during the school day will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. 

Food and beverage marketing is defined as advertising and other promotions in schools including, but is not limited to:

  1. corporate brand names,
  2. logos,trademarks for companies marketing products in compliance with USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. 

The District will not prohibit such food and beverage marketing, even though the marketing or promotional agent offers non-compliant food or beverage items in their product line. Marketing restrictions do not apply to clothing or other examples of expression including brand information for non-compliant food or beverage items.

As the District reviews existing contracts, considers new contracts, purchases equipment and products, its decisions shall reflect the applicable marketing guidelines as established by the District wellness policy.

  1. Celebrations and Rewards

All foods offered during the school day on the school campus will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. The District discourages any employees using foods and beverages as a reward.  The District’s Food Services department will make available a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers, including non-food celebration ideas, and a list of foods and beverages meeting Smart Snack in School Nutrition standards.  

  1. Food Sale Fundraising

The District’s schools may sell foods and beverages that meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools nutrition standards through fundraisers on the school campus during the school day.  However, the Board encourages fundraising groups to choose non-food fundraisers, and to consider healthy fundraising ideas.  Notwithstanding this provision, each school may allow up to nine bake sales or other fundraising food sales of non-compliant foods (i.e., that do not meet Smart Snack standards), which are no more than one day in duration each.

  1. Nutrition Promotion

The District will promote healthy food and beverage choices for all students throughout the school campus, as well as encourage participation in school meal programs. This promotion will include:

  1. Implementation of at least two or more evidence-based healthy food promotion techniques in the school meal programs using methods included in the Smarter Lunchroom Movement, which may be found at: https://www.smarterlunchrooms.org/scorecard-tools/smarter-lunchrooms-strategies
  2. Ensuring 100% of foods and beverages promoted to students during the school day meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.

Additional promotion techniques that the District and individual schools may use are available through the Smart Food Planner of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, available at: https://www.healthiergeneration.org/our-work/business-sector-engagement/improving-access-to-address-health-equity/smart-food-planner

  1. Nutrition Education

The District will teach, model, encourage, and support student healthy eating habits that:

  1. Include nutrition education aligned to the District’s health curriculum, which articulates the knowledge and skills necessary for students to lead healthy lives;
  2.  Integrate, to the extent practicable, nutritional wellness information into other classroom subject areas such as math, science, language arts, social sciences and electives;  
  3. Include enjoyable, developmentally-appropriate, culturally-relevant, participatory activities (e.g. cooking demonstrations or lessons, taste-testing, farm visits and school gardens into school activities);
  4. Promote fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat /fat-free dairy products, and healthy food preparation methods;
  5. Emphasize caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure (promotes physical activity/exercise);
  6. Link school meal programs, cafeteria nutrition promotion activities, school gardens, and farm to school programs to other school food and nutrition-related community services;
  7. Teach media literacy with an emphasis on food and beverage marketing; and
  8. Provide nutrition education training for teachers and other staff 

IV.  PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The District shall provide physical education aligned with national and state standards.  Physical activity during the school day (including but not limited to recess, classroom physical activity breaks, or physical education) is encouraged, however the District recognizes the loss of physical activity may occur because of individual student interventions.  In such situations as practicable, the school will seek to provide the student with alternative physical activity. 

  1. Classroom Physical Activity Breaks

In addition to any recess periods provided in the ordinary daily schedule, the District’s schools are encouraged to offer age-appropriate, periodic opportunities for students to be active or to stretch throughout the day.  The District recommends teachers provide short (3-5-minute) physical activity breaks to students during and between classroom instruction time at least three days per week. These physical activity breaks should complement, not substitute for, physical education, recess, and class transitions.

  1. Before and After School Activities

The District will offer and encourage student participation in physical activities, or after school programming such as interscholastic and intramural sports and clubs. 

  1. Walking and Biking to School

The District will encourage and promote safely walking or biking to school by students or faculty.

V. OTHER ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE STUDENT WELLNESS

The District’s schools will endeavor to integrate, promote, and encourage student wellness activities across the entire school setting beyond the cafeteria, physical education classes, and athletic facilities.

VI. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

When practicable, the District will offer annual professional learning opportunities and resources for staff to increase their knowledge and skills related to the promotion of healthy behaviors in the classroom and school (e.g., increasing the use of kinesthetic teaching approaches or incorporating nutrition lessons into math class).

Legal References: 

42 U.S.C. 1751, Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act42 U.S.C. 1771, Child Nutrition Act of 1966
Section 204 of Public Law 108-265, Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004
The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010
7 C.F.R 210, National School Lunch Program
7 C.F.R 220, School Breakfast Program
RSA 189:11-a, Food and Nutrition Programs
N.H. Dept. of Education Administrative Rule - Ed 306.04 (a)(20), Wellness
N.H. Dept. of Education Administrative Rule - Ed 306.11 (g), Food and Nutrition Services
N.H. Dept. of Education Administrative Rule - Ed 306.38 (b)(1)b, Family and Consumer Science Education Program (middle schools)
N.H. Dept of Education Administrative Rule - Ed 306.40, Health Education Program

 

First Read:  November 20, 2014, March 16, 2023                                        

Second Read: Waived

Adopted:  November 20, 2014                            

Last Review: March 16, 2023

Revised: March 16, 2023