WELLNESS | Policy Manual | Oconto Unified School District

8510 - WELLNESS

As required by law, the Board for the Oconto Unified School District establishes the following wellness policy.

Policy Preamble

The Board recognizes that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well-being of the District's students. Furthermore, research suggests that there is a positive correlation between a student's health and well-being and their 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.

Schools alone, however, cannot develop in students 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 choices to:

promote nutrition education with the objective of improving students’ health;
improve the health and well-being of our children, increase consumption of healthful foods during the school day, and create an environment that reinforces the development of healthy eating habits;
promote nutrition guidelines, a healthy eating environment, child nutrition programs, and food safety and security on each school campus with the objective of promoting student health;
provide opportunities for every student to develop the knowledge and skills for specific physical activities, maintain physical fitness, regularly participate in physical activity, and understand the short and long-term benefits of a physically active lifestyle;
promote the health and wellness of students and staff through other school based activities.

Wellness Policy Leadership

The District Administrator shall implement and ensure compliance with the policy by leading the review, update, and evaluation of the policy and is authorized to designate a staff member or members with responsibility to assure that wellness initiatives are followed in the District's schools.

Required Public Involvement

The District Administrator shall obtain the input of District collaborators to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the policy. The collaborators may include parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, educational staff (including physical education teachers), school health professionals, Board members, members of the public, medical/health care professionals, and other school administrators.

District Wellness Committee

Committee Formation

To assist in the creation of a healthy school environment, the District shall establish a Wellness Committee that will provide an ongoing review and evaluation of the Wellness Policy. The Committee shall meet no less than two (2) times during the school year to implement, assess and review, and make recommendations for changes to the Wellness Policy.

Committee Representatives

The District shall invite a diverse group of collaborators to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the Wellness Policy.

Collaborators may include:

administrator(s);
Board member(s);
physical education teacher(s);
school food service representative(s);
medical/health care professional(s);
nutrition and/or health education teacher(s).

Nutrition Standard for All Foods

The District is committed to serving healthy meals to our students. The school meal programs aim to improve the diet and health of school children, model healthy eating patterns, and support healthy choices while accommodating cultural food preferences and special dietary needs.

School Meal Programs

Standards and Guidelines for School Meal Programs

All meals meet or exceed current nutrition requirements established under the Healthy Hunger-free Kids Act of 2010.(https://www.fns.usda.gov/nslp/national-school-lunch-program-meal-pattern-chart)

Foods and Beverages Sold Outside of School Meals

All food and beverages sold and served outside of the school meal programs (“competitive” foods and beverages) shall, at a minimum, meet the standards established in USDA’s Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in Schools (Smart Snacks) rule.

Standards for Foods and Beverages Sold Outside of School Meals

Standards for Foods Offered/Provided but Not Sold

The District encourages foods offered on the school campus meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards including those provided at celebrations and parties and classroom snacks brought by staff or family members. Non-food celebrations will be promoted and a list of ideas is available.

Fundraising

The District adheres to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction fund-raiser exemption policy and allows two (2) exempt fund-raisers per student organization per school per year. All other fund-raisers sold during the school day will meet the Smart Snacks nutrition standards. No restrictions are placed on the sale of food/beverage items sold outside of the school day.

It is recommended that Option A be included. Districts may develop guidelines related to food marketing that are stricter than the Smart Snacks guidelines.

Marketing

Schools will restrict food and beverage marketing to only those foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards set forth by USDA’s Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in Schools (Smart Snacks) rule. Marketing includes brand names, trademarks, logos, or tags except when placed on a food or beverage product/container; displays, such as vending machine exteriors; corporate/brand names, logos, trademarks on cups, posters, school supplies, education materials, food service equipment, and school equipment (e.g. message boards, scoreboards, uniforms); advertisements in school publications/mailings; sponsorship of school activities, fundraisers, or sports teams; educational incentive programs such as contests or programs; and free samples or coupons displaying advertising of a product.

Nutrition Education

The primary goal of nutrition education is to influence students’ lifelong eating behaviors.
Schools shall provide nutrition education that helps students develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors.
Nutrition curriculum shall be offered as part of a sequential, standards-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote health. Curriculum will place an emphasis on: promotion of adequate nutrient intake, healthy food preparation techniques, food safety, and healthy eating practices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and MyPlate; skill development, such as reading labels to evaluate the nutrient quality of foods, meal planning, analysis of health information; and media literacy and the problems associated with food marketing to children.
Nutrition education shall be offered in the cafeteria as well as the classroom with coordination between the foodservice staff and teachers.

Nutrition Promotion

The District is committed to providing a school environment that encourages students to practice healthy eating and physical activity. Students shall receive consistent nutrition messages that promote health throughout schools, classrooms, cafeterias, and school media.

Physical Activity

The District shall provide students with age and grade-appropriate opportunities to engage in physical activity.
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.
The school shall encourage families and community organizations to help develop and institute programs that support physical activity of all sorts.
Recess monitors/teachers shall encourage students to be active during recess.
Opportunities to participate in physical activity shall be promoted throughout the school via school announcements, newsletters, flyers and social media
The District shall support active transport to and from school by engaging in the following activities:
1. Designation of safe or preferred routes to school.
2. Promotional activities such as participation in International Walk to School Week, National Walk, and Bike to School Week.
3. Secure storage facilities for bicycles (e.g., bike racks, shed, fenced area).
4. Crossing guards are used.
5. Crosswalks exist on streets leading to schools.

Physical Education

Planned instruction in physical education shall be sufficient for students to achieve a proficient level with regard to the standards and benchmarks adopted by the State.
The physical education curriculum shall provide sequential instruction related to the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to participate in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.
In health education classes, the District shall include topics of physical activity, including: the physical, psychological, or social benefits of physical activity; how physical activity can contribute to a healthy weight; how physical activity can contribute to the academic learning process; how an inactive lifestyle contributes to chronic disease; and decreasing sedentary activities.
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, bullying, or harassment of any kind.
Planned instruction in physical education shall include cooperative as well as competitive games.
Planned instruction in physical education shall take into account gender and cultural differences.

Other Activities That Promote School Wellness

Students, parents, and other community members shall have access to, and be encouraged to use, the school's outdoor physical activity facilities outside the normal school day.
The District supports the implementation of other programs that help create a school environment that conveys consistent wellness messages in an effort to promote student well-being.
As appropriate, schools shall support students, staff, and parents’ efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Students shall be allowed to bring and carry throughout the day approved water bottles filled with only water.
Staff is strongly encouraged to model healthful eating habits, and are discouraged from eating in front of children/sharing food with children during regular class time, outside of activities related to the nutrition education curriculum.

Staff Wellness

The District will implement the following activities below to promote healthy eating and physical activity among school staff.

An organized wellness program shall be available to all staff.
Annual administration of individual health-risk appraisals to help staff members establish personal health-improvement goals.

Community Engagement

The District shall inform and invite parents to participate in school-sponsored activities throughout the year.

Furthermore, with the objectives of enhancing student health and well-being, the following guidelines are established:

In accordance with Policy 8500 - 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.
As set forth in Policy 8531 - 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).

All foods available on campus during the school day shall comply with the current USDA nutrition guidelines, including competitive foods that are available to students à la carte in the dining area, as classroom snacks, from vending machines, for classroom parties, or at holiday celebrations.
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, regardless of unpaid meal balances without stigma.
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 competitive foods.
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.

Monitoring and Evaluation - Triennial Assessment

The District will evaluate compliance with the Wellness Policy no less than once every three years. The assessment will include the extent to which each school is in compliance with the policy, progress towards meeting policy goals, and how the policy compares to a model policy, as established by the USDA. The District will use the Wisconsin Local Wellness Policy Triennial Assessment Report Card to fulfill the triennial assessment requirement. The results of the triennial assessment will be made available to the public.

Update/Inform the Public

The District will actively inform and update the public about the content of and any updates to the policy through the District website and Board meetings.

The District Administrator 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 District Administrator shall distribute information at the beginning of the school year to families of school children, and post the wellness policy on the District’s website, including the assessment of the implementation of the policy prepared by the District.

Record Retention

The District Administrator shall require that the District retains documentation pertaining to the development, review, evaluation, and update of the policy, including a copy of the current policy.

Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
Fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
E-mail:
program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Revised 11/27/17
Revised 11/15/21
T.C. 4/17/23
Revised 10/21/24