8510 - WELLNESS
As required by law, the Board of Education establishes the following wellness policy for the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation as a part of a comprehensive wellness initiative.
The Board recognizes that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well-being of the Corporation's students. Furthermore, research suggests that there is a positive correlation between a student's health and well-being and his/her ability to learn. Moreover, schools can play an important role in the developmental process by which students establish their health and nutrition habits by providing nutritious meals and snacks through the schools' meal programs, by supporting the development of good eating habits, and by promoting increased physical activity both in and out of school.
The Board, however, believes this effort to support the students' development of healthy behaviors and habits with regard to eating and exercise cannot be accomplished by the schools alone. It will be necessary for not only the staff, but also parents and the public at large to be involved in a community-wide effort to promote, support, and model such healthy behaviors and habits.
The Board sets the following goals in an effort to enable students to establish good health and nutrition habits:
With regard to nutrition education, the Corporation shall:
Nutrition education shall be included in the Health curriculum so that instruction is sequential and standards-based and provides students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to lead healthy lives.
Nutrition education shall be integrated into other subject areas of the curriculum, when appropriate, to complement, but not replace, the standards and benchmarks for health education.
Nutrition education standards and benchmarks shall be age-appropriate and culturally relevant.
The standards and benchmarks for nutrition education shall be behavior focused.
Nutrition education shall include opportunities for appropriate student projects related to nutrition, involving, when possible, community agencies and organizations.
Nutrition education may extend beyond the classroom by engaging and involving the school's food service staff.
Nutrition education posters will be displayed in the cafeteria.
The school cafeteria shall serve as a learning lab by allowing students to apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills taught in the classroom when making choices at mealtime.
Nutrition education shall extend beyond the school by engaging and involving families and the community.
Nutrition education may include a focus on media literacy as it relates to food marketing strategies.
Nutrition education standards and benchmarks promote the benefits of a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, proteins, and low-fat and fat-free dairy products.
Instruction related to the standards and benchmarks for nutrition education shall be provided by highly qualified teachers.
The Corporation shall provide information to parents that is designed to encourage them to reinforce at home the standards and benchmarks being taught in the classroom.
With regard to physical activity:
Physical Education
A sequential, comprehensive physical education program shall be provided for students in K-12, including those with disabilities, special health care needs and in alternative educational settings (to the extent consistent with the students’ IEPs), in accordance with the standards and benchmarks established by the State.
The sequential, comprehensive physical education curriculum shall provide students with opportunities to learn, practice, and be assessed on developmentally appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to engage in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.
The physical education curriculum shall provide sequential instruction related to the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to participate in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.
Physical education classes shall provide students with opportunities to learn, practice, and be assessed on developmentally appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to engage in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.
The sequential, comprehensive physical education curriculum shall stress the importance of remaining physically active for life.
Planned instruction in physical education shall require students to be engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least fifty percent (50%) of scheduled class time.
The K-12 program shall include instruction in physical education as well as opportunities to participate in competitive and non-competitive team sports to encourage lifelong physical activity.
Planned instruction in physical education shall teach cooperation, fair play, and responsible participation.
Planned instruction in physical education shall meet the needs of all students, including those who are not athletically gifted.
Planned instruction in physical education shall be presented in an environment free of embarrassment, humiliation, shaming, taunting, or harassment of any kind.
Planned instruction in physical education shall take into account student differences.
Planned instruction in physical education shall promote participation in physical activity outside the regular school day.
Physical Activity
Using physical activity as a form of discipline or punishment shall be prohibited. (Does not include voluntary extra-curricular activities)
Physical activity and movement shall be integrated, when possible, across the curricula and throughout the school day.
Schools shall encourage families to provide physical activity outside the regular school day, such as outdoor play at home, participation in sports sponsored by community agencies or organizations, and in lifelong physical activities like bowling, swimming, or tennis.
The school shall provide information to families to encourage and assist them in their efforts to incorporate physical activity into their children's daily lives.
Students in grades K-4 shall be provided with a daily recess period at least twenty (20) minutes in duration. For students seeking extra academic assistance, the recess period should not be used in its entirety and should allow time for moderate to vigorous physical activity.
In addition to planned physical education, the school shall provide age-appropriate physical activities (e.g. recess during the school day, intramurals and clubs before and after school, and interscholastic sports) that meet the needs of all students, including males, females, students with disabilities, and students with special health care needs.
Schools shall discourage extended periods of student inactivity, defined as two (2) hours or more without some physical activity.
With regards to other school-based activities the Corporation shall:
The schools shall schedule mealtimes so there is minimum disruption by bus schedules, recess, and other special programs or events.
The school shall provide attractive, clean environments in which the students eat.
Activities, such as tutoring or club meetings, shall not be scheduled during mealtimes, unless students may eat during those meetings.
Schools should limit the number of celebrations involving serving food during the school day. All food items brought to school to be served to students or classrooms must be store-bought. All food items must have a label that includes ingredients, allergens, and carbohydrate counts. Schools should encourage the sharing of healthy snacks or non-food items such as bouncy balls, party favors, or pencils.
Students, parents, and other community members are encouraged to have access to and use the school's outdoor physical activity facilities outside the normal school day in accordance with school corporation Policy 7510 and AG 7510.
An organized wellness program shall be available to all staff so that staff may be role models for wellness.
The schools may provide opportunities for staff, parents, and other community members to model healthy eating habits by dining with students in the school dining areas.
The schools may demonstrate support for the health of all students by hosting health clinics and screenings and encouraging parents to enroll their eligible children in Medicaid or in other children's health insurance programs for which they may qualify.
Schools in our system utilize electronic identification and payment systems, therefore, eliminating any stigma or identification of students eligible to receive free and/or reduced meals.
Students are discouraged from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some students' diets.
Current issues such as sleep, stress management, body image, the emotion and psychology of wellness and weight management will be components of a comprehensive wellness program.
Schools will organize broad-based advisory councils on wellness.
Schools are encouraged to collaborate with mental health professionals and school nurses to ensure the relationship between learning and health is considered when educating the whole child.
With regard to nutrition promotion, 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. Additionally, the Corporation shall:
Encourage students to increase their consumption of healthful foods during the school day.
Create an environment that reinforces the development of healthy eating habits by meeting or exceeding USDA guidelines.
Require that all foods and beverages sold as fundraisers on the school campus during the school day shall meet the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools Nutrition Standards. Two (2) one-day exemptions per school building per year are allowed where fundraisers involving the sale of foods and/or beverages do not have to meet the nutrition standards for Smart Snacks.
Discourage rewarding children in the classroom with candy and other foods that can undermine children’s diets and health and reinforce unhealthy eating habits.
Encourage rewarding students with smart snack options to elicit better snack choices on and outside school campus.
Encourage staff to utilize smart snack options ordered by the school for distribution to students as rewards.
Furthermore, with the objectives of enhancing student health and well-being, and reducing childhood obesity, the following guidelines are established:
In accordance with Policy 8500, entitled Food Service, the food service program shall comply with Federal and State regulations pertaining to the selection, preparation, consumption, and disposal of food and beverages as well as to the fiscal management of the program.
No foods or beverages, other than those associated with the Corporation’s food service program, are to be sold or distributed during food-service hours.
As set forth in Policy 8531, entitled Free and Reduced Price Meals, the guidelines for reimbursable school meals are not less restrictive than the guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The sale to students of foods and beverages that do not meet the USDA Dietary Guidelines for American and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards to be consumed on the school campus during the school day (between midnight and thirty (30) minutes after the close of the regular school day) is prohibited. Competitive foods available for purchase by students a la carte in the dining area, foods or beverages sold from vending machines, school stores, or fundraisers by student clubs and organizations, parent groups, or booster clubs are subject to this prohibition.
All foods that are provided, not sold, to students on the school campus during the school day, shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. Individual school buildings shall be allowed up to three (3) exemption days from this policy for the purpose of classroom parties. Each building will independently decide the three (3) days in which food may be served (provided) that do not comply with the USDA guidelines. However, schools are encouraged to serve water and provide fruit or vegetable options as part of the celebration.
The food service program will strive to be financially self-supporting; however, if it is necessary to subsidize the operation, it will not be through the sale of foods with minimal nutritious value.
The food service program will provide all students affordable access to the varied and nutritious foods they need to be healthy and to learn well.
Nutrition information for competitive foods available during the school day shall be readily available near the point of purchase.
All foods available to students in Corporation programs, other than the food service program, shall be served with consideration for promoting student health and well-being.
The school shall prepare and distribute to staff, parents, and after-school program personnel a list of snack items that comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
The food service program shall be administered by a qualified nutrition professional.
The food service program shall be administered by a director who is properly qualified, certificated, licensed, or credentialed, according to current professional standards.
All food service personnel shall receive pre-service training in food service operations.
Continuing professional development shall be provided for all staff of the food service program yearly to meet a minimum of twelve (12) hours for the Director, Operations Manager, and District Chef. Meet a minimum of ten (10) hours for Kitchen Managers and six (6) hours for remaining staff.
The School Corporation will provide a tobacco-free and Vape-free environment on all School Corporation facilities.
The Board designates the Superintendent as the individual charged with operational responsibility for measuring and evaluating the Corporation's implementation and progress under this policy. The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines necessary to implement this policy.
The Superintendent, with the support of the Wellness Committee, shall be responsible for informing the public, including parents, students and community members, on the content and implementation of this policy. In order to inform the public, the Superintendent shall distribute information at the beginning of the school year to families of school children, include information in the student handbook, post the wellness policy (including assessment findings and implementation process) on the Corporation’s website, and use other media outlets at the discretion of the Board.
The Corporation shall assess the Wellness Policy at least once every three (3) years on the extent to which schools in the Corporation are in compliance with the Corporation policy, the extent to which the Corporation policy compares to model wellness policies, and the progress made in attaining the goals of the Corporation Wellness Policy. To ensure continuing progress, the Corporation will evaluate implementation efforts and their impact on students and staff using the IDOE Evaluation Checklist and other measures as deemed appropriate by the Wellness Committee or Board. The assessment shall be made available to the public on the School Corporation’s website.
Revised 5/14/18
Revised 7/15/19
Revised 5/8/23
T.C. 3/3/25
© Neola 2005