Student Wellness

The Board of Education recognizes the link between student health and learning and desires to provide a comprehensive program promoting healthy behaviors eating and physical activity for district students. The Superintendent or designee shall coordinate and align district efforts to support student wellness through health education, physical education and activity, health services, nutrition services, psychological and counseling services, and a safe and healthy school environment. In addition, the Superintendent or designee shall develop strategies for promoting staff wellness and for involving parents/guardians and the community in reinforcing students' understanding and appreciation of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The Superintendent or designee shall establish and sustain a District Wellness Committee consisting of a group of individuals who represent the school and community, including District Child Nutrition staff, parents, health professionals, community organizations, members of the community at large, and, to the extent possible, principals, teachers, school nurses and students. The primary responsibilities of the Wellness Committee shall be to assist with policy development and implementation and advise the District on health-related issues, activities, policies, and programs. The Committee shall also assist with identifying processes for evaluating the Wellness Policy, including evaluation methods, indicators to measure success, and frequency of reports. At the discretion of the Superintendent or designee, the Committee charges may include planning and implementing activities to promote health within the school or community. (42 USC 1751) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model to improve student health and learning focus on these ten areas: Health education, nutrition services, physical education and physical activity, nursing and health services, social and emotional climate, physical environment, counseling and psychological social services, employee wellness, community engagement, and family engagement. This model has been included in this policy. HEALTH EDUCATION To the extent possible, integrate nutrition education into the common core curriculum each grade level (pre-K to 8). Integrate current, scientifically accurate content that adheres to the USDA Dietary Guidelines and other evidence-based instructional strategies. Encourage experiential learning opportunities and culturally relevant instructional strategies. Through partnership organizations offer nutrition educations classes and information to families and community members. For all foods and beverages available on each campus during the school day, the District shall adopt nutrition guidelines that are consistent with 42 USC 1758, 1766, 1773, 1779, and federal regulations and which support the objectives of promoting student health. In order to maximize the District's ability to provide nutritious meals and snacks, all district schools shall participate in available federal school nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program. Utilize campus facilities, such as cafeterias, kitchens and school gardens, to support the concepts promoted through the nutrition program. Link with school meal programs, other school foods, and nutrition-related community services. DRINKING WATER AND HEALTH The Board encourages promoting the consumption of water as an essential nutrient that plays a role in overall health. FOODS AND BEVERAGES SOLD Any food sales conducted outside the District's Child Nutrition Program shall meet nutritional standards specified in law, Board Policy, and Administrative Regulations and shall not reduce student participation in the District's Child Nutrition Program. FOOD ALLERGIES AND SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS Due to health risks, schools should strongly discourage students from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times. REWARDS Food is strongly encouraged to not be used as a reward for a student's academic performance, accomplishment or classroom behavior. When food is used as a reward it will be done infrequently and ideally after lunch. The District will emphasize nonfood incentives as alternatives to all school administrators and staff members. CELEBRATIONS & SPECIAL OCCASIONS Schools shall limit classroom celebrations that involve food during instructional time to no more than once per month, including birthdays, holidays and other celebrations. When possible, classroom celebrations should take place during the last half hour of the school day and adhere to the food allergy and special dietary needs policy. If providing food for celebrations, when possible, healthy foods should be used. FOOD AND BEVERAGE MARKETING IN SCHOOLS The Board prohibits the marketing and advertising during school hours of any foods or beverages which do not meet nutritional standards under State and Federal law through posters, flyers, other signage, vending machine fronts, logos, scoreboards, school supplies, advertisements in school publications, coupon or incentive programs, free giveaways, or other means. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY All students shall be provided opportunities to be physically active on a daily 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. RCSD Physical Activity and Physical Education programs will: Establish physical activity as a priority that is to be included in each school day. Identify and address potential barriers to providing regular physical education and physical activity at each school site. Maximize use of existing facilities to promote children being safely active on a daily basis in all types of weather. Offer a range of activities that meet the needs, interests and abilities of all students and which are enjoyable, playful, develop basic skills and are not only competitive. Integrate fitness education and individualized assessment/feedback to help students understand, improve and/or maintain their physical well-being. Expand opportunities for students to participate in extracurricular physical activity through clubs, intramural programs and special events. SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL The District encourages parents and students to walk and bike and use public transit to school where safe routes are available. In the interest of enhancing the physical wellbeing of Redwood City School District students, the District will work with school board members, parents/guardians, local pubic works and public safety personnel, and Redwood City 2020 to implement SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL programming in support of walking/biking to school. NURSING / HEALTH SERVICES 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. SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL CLIMATE 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 body size or health condition. A positive school climate shall be maintained to ensure all students feel safe, supported, and take pride in their school. Schools are encouraged to have clear and consistent rules for student conduct with positive reinforcement for students who adhere to guidelines. Schools will make every effort to incorporate programs that promote non-violent conflict resolution skills and prevent bullying. PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT The District is committed to ensuring the safety of each student and staff member. Each school site shall adopt a school safety plan. The District shall adopt and maintain an Incident Command System (ICS), which is a systematic tool used for the command, control, and coordination of emergency response designed to deal with incidents of any size or scope. As part of the District's coordinated approach to supporting student wellness and safety and enhancing student learning, the Superintendent or designee shall explore strategies to promote safe routes to school, safe driving, and pedestrian awareness. The Board recognizes that walking, bicycling, and other forms of active transport to school promote students' physical activity and reduce vehicle traffic and air pollution in the vicinity of schools. COUNSELING / PSYCHOLOGICAL / SOCIAL SERVICES District prevention and intervention services shall support the mental, behavioral, and social-emotional health of students, promote success in the learning process, and the health of the school environment. Services may include: direct and indirect interventions to address psychological, academic, and social barriers to learning, such as individual or group counseling and consultation, and referrals to school and community support services as needed. EMPLOYEE WELLNESS Fostering employees' physical and mental health protects district staff, and by doing so, helps to support students' health and academic success. The District values its staff and their well-being and is committed to providing education and programs to support staff wellness and encourage staff to serve as positive role models. Professional development is encouraged that facilitates staff's knowledge, skills, and understanding of health and wellness. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT 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. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT To encourage consistent health messages between the home and school environment, the Superintendent or designee may disseminate health information and/or the district's student wellness policy to parents/guardians through district or school newsletters, handouts, parent/ guardian meetings, district and school web sites, and other communications. Outreach to parents/guardians shall emphasize the relationship between student health and academic performance. FUNDRAISING School organizations and staff are strongly encouraged to support healthy food options or nonfood items for fundraising purposes. To support and encourage children's health and school nutrition education efforts, school fundraising activities should limit the frequency of non-nutritious food items sold; and for carnivals/festivals, schools are encouraged to balance healthy food items with non-nutritious food offerings. The district will make available a list of preferable fundraising activities. IMPLEMENTATION AND EVALUATION The Superintendent or designee shall assess the implementation and effectiveness of this policy at least 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, and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy. Specific measurable objectives shall be defined to inform the assessment of the Wellness Policy. The Superintendent or designee shall invite feedback on district and school wellness activities from Child Nutrition personnel, school administrators, the Wellness Advisory Council, parents/guardians, students, teachers, before- and after-school program staff, and other stakeholders. In addition, the Superintendent or designee shall prepare and maintain the proper documentation and records as required by the Nutrition Services Division of the California Department of Education. 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 to the public on an annual basis. The public shall be informed of the availability of the triennial district assessment of the Wellness Policy. (Education Code 49432; 42 USC 1758b; 7 CFR 210.30) POSTING REQUIREMENTS Each school shall post the district's policies and regulations on nutrition and physical activity in public view within all school cafeterias or in other central eating areas. (Education Code 49432)