Shaping up: School districts formulate wellness policies
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
Kansas State Department of Education has established a requirement that all school districts have in place by July 1 a "wellness" policy for students and staff.
A sample policy was presented to Centre USD 397 board of education at its March meeting.
The proposed policy sets forth guidelines for physical activity and nutrition education at all school levels.
The new requirement comes in response to the following facts:
— Children need access to healthful foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn, and thrive.
— Good health fosters student attendance and education.
— Obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades, and physical inactivity and excessive calorie intake are the predominant causes of obesity.
— Heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are responsible for two-thirds of deaths in the United States, and major risk factors for those diseases, including unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, and obesity, often are established in childhood.
— Thirty-three percent of high school students do not participate in sufficient vigorous physical activity and 72 percent do not attend daily physical education classes.
— Only two percent of children (ages 2-19) eat a healthy diet consistent with the five main recommendations from the food guide pyramid.
— Nationally, the items most commonly sold from school vending machines, school stores, and snack bars include low-nutrition foods and beverages such as soda, sports drinks, imitation fruit juices, chips, candy, cookies, and snack cakes.
Wellness guidelines implemented by the policy include the following.
Physical activity
All students including those with disabilities and special health care needs will be given "the opportunity to participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity on a regularly scheduled basis each school week."
Classroom health education will reinforce the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle. Elementary school students will have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors.
Physical activity will not be used or withheld as punishment. (This guideline does not apply to extracurricular sports teams.)
Community members will be provided access to the school's physical activity facilities.
Nutrition education
The school administrator will inform teachers about opportunities to attend training on nutrition, and teachers and staff will be encouraged to serve as healthy role models for students.
Parents will be provided with information that encourages them to teach their children about health and nutrition and to provide nutritious meals for their families.
Nutrition
All foods and beverages sold or served at school will meet nutrition recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Students will be provided with adequate time to eat in settings that are clean, safe, and pleasant.
Elementary school students are encouraged to have individual water bottles in the classroom.
According to Superintendent Bob Kiblinger, many of the basic guidelines already are being followed at Centre schools.
They are advanced in offering foods containing whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and fewer high-calorie desserts.
Rated exemplary are low-fat salad dressings and frequent offerings of a variety of fruits and vegetables. Water is sold in vending machines at the high school site.
Kiblinger said some items traditionally offered in the snack machine have been replaced with healthier alternatives, and students buy them.
He said next year the elementary school plans to cut out Easter treats and is considering combining birthday celebrations into one per month.
Final action by the board on the wellness policy is expected in May.
Marion USD 408
Administrators at Marion USD 408 are in the process of formulating an official wellness policy.
Superintendent Lee Leiker said they are working closely with Janice Waner, school nurse, to implement a policy for staff and students.
"Over the last two years, we've already done a lot of things related to wellness," he said.
Waner cited some examples, such as serving baked instead of deep-fried chips, offering low-fat milk, and providing foods containing whole wheat flour.
The official wellness policy is expected to be presented to the board of education in May for a first reading, with final action in June.
