Section (5000) Students
Policy Name Wellness
Policy Number 5141.31
Date Approved 09/11/06
Date Revised 11/12/18
Date Revised 09/23/19
Date Revised  
Date Revised  
Policy

Preamble:


Plainville Community Schools, herein referred to as PCS, is committed to the optimal development of every student.  PCS believes that for students to have the opportunity to achieve personal, academic, developmental, and social success, we need to create positive, safe, and health-promoting learning environments at every level, in every setting, throughout the school year.  Ultimately, our students must be provided with opportunities and activities that will Inspire, Prepare and Engage them as they learn and develop into positive and contributing members of society.


Research shows that two components , good nutrition and physical activity, before, during and after the school day, are strongly correlated with positive student outcomes.  For example, student participation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) School Breakfast Program, is associated with higher grades and standardized test scores, lower absenteeism, and better performance on cognitive tasks.  Conversely, less-than-adequate consumption of specific foods including fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, is associated with lower grades among students.  In addition, students who are physically active through active transport to and from school, recess, physical activity breaks, high-quality physical education, and extracurricular activities - do better academically.


This policy outlines PCS’s approach to ensuring environments and opportunities for all students to practice healthy eating and engage in physical activity throughout the school day while minimizing commercial distractions.  Specifically, this policy establishes goals and procedures to ensure that:


  • Students in PCS have access to healthy foods throughout the school day - both through reimbursable school meals and other foods available throughout the school campus - in accordance with federal and state standards

  • Students receive quality nutrition education that helps them develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors

  • Students have opportunities to be physically active before, during and after school

  • Schools engage in nutrition and physical activity promotion and other activities that promote student wellness

  • School staff are encouraged and supported to practice healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors in and out of school

  • The community is engaged in supporting the work of the PCS in creating continuity between school and other settings for students and staff to practice lifelong healthy habits

  • PCS establishes and maintains an infrastructure for management, oversight, implementation, communication about, and monitoring of the policy and its established goals and objectives


This policy applies to all students, staff, and schools in the District.



  1. Wellness Policy Overview


Student wellness, including good nutrition and physical activity, shall be promoted in the district’s educational program, school activities, and meal programs.  In accordance with federal and state law, it is the policy of the Board of Education to provide students access to healthy foods and beverages, provide opportunities for developmentally appropriate physical activity, and require all meals served by the District meet or exceed the federal nutritional guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the “Connecticut Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools”, whichever is greater.  This policy shall be interpreted consistently with Section 204 of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296).


In developing goals for nutrition promotion, nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness, the District will, as required, review and consider evidence-based strategies and techniques.



  1. Nutrition Education


Nutrition education will be part of the District’s comprehensive standards-based school health education program and curriculum and will be integrated into other classroom content areas, as appropriate.  Schools will link nutrition education activities with existing coordinated health programs or other comparable comprehensive school health promotion frameworks.  This standards-based approach aligns instruction, assessment, grading and reporting with a student's understanding of the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn.  Within this approach, schools will:


  • Support and promote good nutrition for students consistent with applicable federal and state

  • Foster the positive relationship between good nutrition, physical activity, and the capacity of students to develop and learn



  1. Nutrition Promotion


Students will be offered and schools will promote nutritious food choices consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and My Plate, published jointly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, and guidelines promulgated by the Connecticut Department of Education (“Connecticut Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools”) in addition to federal and state statutes and national health organizations.


The focus is on moderating calories, limiting fats, sodium and sugars and increasing consumption of nutrient-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, lean meats and legumes.  In addition, in order to promote student health and reduce childhood obesity, the Superintendent or designee shall establish such administrative procedures to control food and beverage sales that compete with the District’s non-profit food service in compliance with the Child Nutrition Act.  The District shall prohibit  the sale of foods of minimal nutritional value as defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and will ensure that all foods sold to students separately from school meals meet the Connecticut Nutrition Standards.  All beverages sold or served to students on school premises will be healthy choices that meet the requirements of state statute and USDA beverage requirements.  (Schools must follow whichever requirements are most strict). 


All sources of food sales to students at school must comply with the “Connecticut Nutrition Standards for Food in Schools” including, but not limited to, cafeteria a la carte sales, vending machines, school stores and fundraisers.  The District shall ensure that all beverages sold to students comply with the requirements of state statute and USDA beverage requirements.  The stricter requirements, where different, between the state and federal regulations, must be followed.  The District shall ensure compliance with allowable time frames for the sale of competitive foods as specified by state law.


  1. Reimbursable School Meals


All reimbursable school meals shall meet, at a minimum, the nutrition requirements and regulations for the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program.





  1. Marketing


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.  Food and beverage marketing is defined as advertising and other promotions in schools.  Food and beverage marketing often includes oral, written, or graphic statements made for the purpose of promoting the sale of a food or beverage product made by the producer, manufacturer, seller or any other entity with a commercial interest in the product.  As the District/School Nutrition Services/Athletic Department/PTA/PTO reviews existing contracts and considers new contracts, equipment and product purchasing (and replacement), decisions should reflect the applicable marketing guidelines established by the District wellness policy.



IV.      Physical Activity


The District and the schools will support and promote an active lifestyle for students.  Physical education will be available to students in all grades and shall include a standards-based, developmentally planned and sequential curriculum that fosters the development of movement skills, enhances health-related fitness, increases students’ knowledge, offers direct opportunities to learn how to work cooperatively in a group setting, and encourages healthy habits, behaviors and attitudes for a healthy lifestyle.  Unless otherwise exempted, all students will be required to engage in the District’s physical education program.



V.        Other School Based Activities


Schools will work toward providing sixty minutes of daily physical activity for all students to the extent possible within the school day schedule.  Such activity may take place during formal physical education classes, recess, structured classroom movement breaks and through other opportunities to provide daily activity while students are in school.  The Board supports time allocated for recess and other physical activity breaks, before and after-school activities, and walking and bicycling to schools, where safe to do so.






VI.       Wellness Policy Implementation


  1. Monitoring


The Board designates the Superintendent or his/her designee to ensure compliance with this policy and its administrative regulations.  He/She is responsible for retaining all documentation of compliance with this policy and its regulations, including, but not limited to, each school’s three-year assessment and evaluation report and this wellness policy and plan.  The Superintendent will also be responsible for public notification of the three-year assessment and evaluation report, including any updates to this policy made as a result of the Board’s three-year assessment and evaluation.


The District shall develop a plan designed to achieve the involvement requirements in the development, implementation, monitoring, and assessment of this policy.


The Superintendent or designee shall provide periodic implementation data and/or reports to the Board concerning this policy’s implementation sufficient to allow the Board to monitor and adjust the policy.  The District, as required, will retain records and documents pertaining to the wellness policy which shall include the written school wellness policy, documentation demonstrating compliance with community involvement requirements, documentation to demonstrate compliance with the annual public notification requirement. 


  1. Community Input


The Superintendent or designee will provide opportunities, suggestions, and comments concerning the development, implementation, periodic review and improvement of the school wellness policy from community members, including parents, students, and representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, members of the Board of Education, school administrators, and the public.  This is best achieved through the establishment of a standing wellness committee, with membership as listed above.  Efforts shall be made to improve community involvement and review committee membership on an ongoing basis. 






  1. Evaluation


In an effort to measure the implementation of this policy, the Board of Education designates the Assistant Superintendent as the person who will be responsible for ensuring that each school meets the goals outlined in this policy.  To ensure continuing progress, the District will evaluate implementation efforts and their impact on students and staff at least every three years.


The District will make available to the public the results of the three-year assessment and evaluation including the extent to which the schools are in compliance with policy and a description of the progress being made in attaining the goals of this policy.


The School Wellness Policy shall be made available annually, at a minimum, to students and families by means of school registration, student handbooks, and the Board’s website.  This availability shall include the policy, including any updates to and about the wellness policy, and the Triennial Assessment, including progress toward meeting the goals of this policy.  In addition, the annual notification shall include a description of each school’s progress in meeting the wellness policy goals, a summary of each school’s wellness events or activities, contact information for the leader(s) of the wellness policy team, and information on how individuals and the public can get involved.



VII.       Legal References


Cf. 3542 - Food Service

Cf. 3542.33 - Food Sales Other Than National School Lunch Program

Cf. 3542.34 - Nutrition Program

Cf. 3452.45 - Vending Machines

Cf. 6142.6 - Physical Education

Cf. 6142.61 - Physical Activity

Cf. 6142.62 - Recess/Unstructured Time

Cr. 6142.10 - Health Education


10-16b Prescribed courses of study

10-215 Lunches, breakfasts, and the feeding programs for public school children and employees

10-221 Boards of education to prescribe rules, policies, and procedures

10-215a Non-public school participation in feeding program

10-215b Duties of state board of education re: feeding programs

10-216 Payment of expenses

10-215e Nutrition standards for food that is not part of lunch or breakfast program

10-215f Certification that food meets nutrition standards

10-221o Lunch periods/recess

10-221p Boards to make available for purchase nutritious, low-fat foods

10-221q Sale of beverages


Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies

10-215b-1 Competitive foods

10-215b-23 Income from the sale of food items

National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program; Competitive Food Services (7 CFR Parts 210.11 and 220.12)

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, Public Law 108-265

Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, 7 CFR Parts 210 and 220

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, P.L. 111-296, 42 U.S.C. 1751

Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (as amended by P.L. 109-269, July 2, 2004)

School Breakfast Program, 7 CFR Part 220 (2006)

National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program: Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in School (Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 125, June 28, 2013)

Local School Wellness Policy Requirements, 42 U.S.C. 1758b