STUDENT WELLNESS
Board Policy 5030
The Governing Board recognizes the link between student health and learning and desires to provide a comprehensive program promoting healthy eating and physical activity for district students. The Superintendent or designee shall build a coordinated school health system that supports and reinforces health literacy through health education, health services, nutrition services, psychological and counseling services, health promotion for staff, a safe and healthy school environment, and parent/guardian and community involvement.
School Wellness Council
The Superintendent or designee shall encourage parents/guardians, students, food service employees, physical education teachers, school health professionals, Board members, school administrators, and members of the public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the district's student wellness policy.
Goals for Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Other Wellness Activities
The District shall adopt specific goals that include nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness. In developing such goals, the District shall review and consider evidence-based strategies and techniques.
The district's nutrition education and physical education programs shall be based on research, shall be consistent with the expectations established in the state's curriculum frameworks and content standards, and shall be designed to build the skills and knowledge that all students need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The nutrition education program may be provided as appropriate, and may be integrated into core academic subjects and included in before- and after-school programs.
All students shall be provided opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis. Opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity shall be provided through physical education and recess and may also be provided through school athletic programs, extracurricular programs, before- and after-school programs, summer learning programs, programs encouraging students to walk or bicycle to and from school, in-class physical activity breaks, and other structured and unstructured activities.
The Board may enter into a joint use agreement or memorandum of understanding to make district facilities or grounds available for recreational or sports activities outside the school day and/or to use community facilities to expand students' access to opportunity for physical activity. Professional development may be regularly offered to the nutrition program director, managers, and staff, as well as health education teachers, physical education teachers, coaches, activity supervisors, and other staff as appropriate to enhance their knowledge and skills related to student health and wellness.
In order to ensure that students have access to comprehensive health services, the district may provide access to health services at or near district schools and/or may provide referrals to community resources.
The Board recognizes that a safe, positive school environment is also conducive to students' physical and mental health and thus prohibits bullying and harassment of all students, including bullying on the basis of weight or health condition.
The Superintendent or designee shall encourage staff to serve as positive role models for healthy eating and physical fitness. They shall promote work-site wellness programs and may provide opportunities for regular physical activity among employees.
Nutrition Guidelines for All Foods Available at School
For all foods and beverages available on each campus during the school day, the district shall adopt nutrition guidelines which are consistent with 42 USC 1758, 1766, 1773, and 1779 and federal regulations and which support the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity.
The Superintendent or designee shall provide access to free, potable water in the food service area during meal times in accordance with Education Code 38086 and 42 USC 1758, and shall encourage students' consumption of water by educating them about the health benefits of water and by serving water in an appealing manner.
The Board believes that all foods and beverages sold to students at district schools, including those available outside the district's reimbursable food services program, should support the health curriculum and promote optimal health. Nutrition standards adopted by the district for foods and beverages provided through student stores, vending machines, shall meet or exceed state and federal nutrition standards.
The Superintendent or designee shall encourage school organizations to use healthy food items or non-food items for fundraising purposes. They also shall encourage school staff to avoid the use of non-nutritious foods as a reward for students' academic performance, accomplishments, or classroom behavior.
School staff shall encourage parents/guardians or other volunteers to support the district's nutrition education program by considering nutritional quality when selecting any snacks which they may donate for occasional class parties. Class parties or celebrations shall be held after the lunch period when possible.
To reinforce the district's nutrition education program, the Board prohibits the marketing and advertising of foods and beverages that do not meet nutrition standards for the sale of foods and beverages on campus during the school day.
Program Implementation and Evaluation
The Superintendent designates the individual(s) identified below as the individual(s) responsible for ensuring that each school site complies with the district's wellness policy.
Assistant Superintendent of Business Services
(949) 497-7700 ext. 5212
The Superintendent or designee shall assess the implementation and effectiveness of this policy at least once every three years.
The assessment shall include the extent to which district schools are in compliance with this policy, the extent to which this policy compares to model wellness policies available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy.
In addition, the Superintendent or designee shall prepare and maintain the proper documentation and records needed for the administrative review of the district's wellness policy conducted by the California Department of Education (CDE) every three years.
The assessment results of both the district and state evaluations shall be submitted to the Board for the purposes of evaluating policy and practice, recognizing accomplishments, and making policy adjustments as needed to focus district resources and efforts on actions that are most likely to make a positive impact on student health and achievement.
Notifications
The Superintendent or designee shall inform the public about the content and implementation of the district's wellness policy and shall make the policy, and any updates to the policy, available the public on an annual basis. They shall also inform the public of the district's progress towards meeting the goals of the wellness policy, including the availability of the triennial district assessment.
Each school may post a summary of nutrition and physical activity laws and regulations prepared by the CDE.
Records
The Superintendent or designee shall retain records that document compliance with 7 CFR 210.30, including, but not limited to, the written student wellness policy, documentation of the triennial assessment of the wellness policy for each school site, and documentation demonstrating compliance with the community involvement requirements, including requirements to make the policy and assessment results available to the public.
Adopted February 25, 2014. Last revised March 27, 2018.
