File: ADF - School Wellness File: ADF - School WellnessPursuant to federal law, the District Health and Wellness Committee developed the Summit School District School Wellness policy and included parents, students and representatives of the school food authority, the school board, school administration, physical education, health profession, and the public.
The Board of Education promotes healthy schools by supporting student, family and staff wellness, including good nutrition, and regular physical activity as part of the total learning environment. Schools contribute to the basic health status of students, families, and staff by facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Improved health optimizes student performance potential and educational success, as children who eat well-balanced meals and are physically active are more likely to be engaged and learn in the classroom and less likely to be absent.
Summit School District is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect health, well-being, and the ability to learn.
Goals
To further the Board's beliefs stated above, the Board adopts the following goals:
Goal #1: The district will provide a comprehensive learning environment to promote the development and practice of lifelong wellness behaviors.
The entire school environment, not just the classroom, will be aligned with healthy school goals to positively influence a student's understanding, beliefs and habits as they relate to comprehensive wellness, including good nutrition and regular physical activity. Such learning environments will teach students to use appropriate resources and tools to make informed and educated decisions about lifelong healthy eating habits and beneficial physical activity, in accordance with the district's academic standards for comprehensive health education and physical education.
Goal #2: Nutrition Education
Nutrition education will be in accordance with the district's academic standards for comprehensive health education. All foods and beverages sold or provided to students on the school campus during the school day shall meet or exceed the district's nutrition standards. All schools participating in the National School Lunch and/or School Breakfast Programs shall comply with state and federal rules or regulations regarding school meals, competitive food service and the Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
Summit School District acknowledges that the primary goal of nutrition education is to influence students' eating behaviors. Additionally, building nutrition knowledge and skills helps children and youth make healthy eating and physical activity choices. Summit School District will provide nutrition education that fosters lifelong healthy eating by:
• Encouraging all staff to integrate nutrition education into content areas and electives.
• Encouraging that nutrition education topics are integrated within the sequential, comprehensive health education program taught pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.
• Basing the nutrition education program on best practices and being consistent with Summit School District's health education standards and essential learning outcomes.
• Providing resources to staff responsible for nutrition education that include skills-based teaching strategies and use active learning methods.
• Ensuring that nutrition education is culturally relevant and respectful of diversity.
• Adequately preparing staff responsible for nutrition education and regularly offering in professional development activities that are based on best practices to effectively deliver nutrition education to students.
• Striving to provide consistent nutrition opportunities to students, staff and parents at all grade levels and schools.
• Encouraging schools' staff to model healthy eating behaviors. The District will offer wellness programs that include education and instruction about healthy eating and physical activity.
• The Food and Nutrition Services Department will support nutrition education efforts. Each school cafeteria will serve as a laboratory to allow students to apply critical thinking skills taught in the classroom.
• Engaging families as partners in their children's nutrition education by supporting parental efforts to motivate and help their children with maintaining and improving their health, preventing disease and avoiding health-related risk behaviors.
Goal #3: The District will promote healthy nutrition choices to create and encourage a healthy environment
In accordance with applicable federal law, schools participating in the National School Lunch and/or Breakfast Programs shall comply with the Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards in the marketing of any foods or beverages sold to students during the school day.
Students' lifelong eating habits are greatly influenced by the types of foods and beverages available in their daily environment. Summit School District acknowledges that the feeding of children is primarily a family responsibility. To supplement their efforts, the Food and Nutrition Services Department will operate a program to ensure that all students have affordable access to the varied and nutritious foods they need to stay healthy and learn well. Summit School District will support the Food and Nutrition Services Department in these efforts by:
• Assisting the Food Service Department to be financially self-supporting. However, this should not take precedence over the nutritional needs of the students. If extra revenue needs to be generated, it should not be from the sale of foods or beverages that have minimal nutritional value and / or compete nutritionally with the food service program meals.
• Encouraging all students to participate in the school meal program. Specifically, the Food and Nutrition Services Department will make every effort to ensure that families are aware of need-based programs for free or reduced-price meals, and that eligible families are encouraged to apply. The program will maintain the confidentiality of students and families applying for or receiving free or reduced-price meals.
• Ensuring that all meals served will meet or exceed the nutritional guidelines of the USDA's National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.
• Using food preparation techniques to provide meals lower in saturated fat, sodium and sugar. Menus will include healthy food choices that include lean meats, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or non-fat milk.
• Conforming to good menu planning principles and featuring a variety of healthy choices that taste good, are attractive and of excellent quality and served at the proper temperature.
• Planning menus with input from students, families, school staff and community members.
• Monitoring the nutrient breakdown of menus to ensure that USDA guidelines are being met.
• Providing families, on request, information about the ingredients and nutritional value of the foods served.
• Providing substitute foods to students with special needs upon written parental permission and a medical statement by a physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner that identifies the student's special need, states why the special needs restricts the student's diet, and states the food or foods to be omitted and the food or choices of foods that must be substituted.
• Ensuring that all food service equipment and facilities meet or exceed applicable local and state standards concerning health, safe food preparation, handling and storage, sanitation, and workplace safety.
• Implementing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCAP) plans and guidelines to prevent food illness in schools.
• Ensuring that all food service staff have appropriate pre-service training and regularly participate in professional development activities.
• Encouraging schools to provide adequate space in a pleasant and safe environment and time for students and staff to eat meals, relax and socialize. The recommended time for students to eat lunch is twenty minutes not including walking to the cafeteria and waiting in line.
• Encouraging schools not to schedule activities during lunch unless students may eat during such activities.
• Encouraging schools to provide hand-washing facilities before students eat breakfast, lunch and/or snacks.
• Ensuring that school cafeterias are attractive, have enough space for seating, and that tables and chairs are the right size for students.
Goal #4: Other School Based Activities
Summit School District aims to teach, encourage, and support healthy eating by students. Additionally, the District recognizes that dietary habits contribute to each student's health and academic performance. Summit School District will ensure that all foods and beverages available on school grounds and at school-sponsored activities shall meet or exceed the District's nutrition standards. The goal of supporting and promoting healthy dietary habits will be accomplished by:
• Encouraging staff to use non-food activities within the classroom environment. When food is made available in the classroom, healthy foods are encouraged. Guidelines and resources will be provided to schools regarding healthier options and nutrition standards.
• Encouraging the acknowledgement and recognition of student achievement; however, the use of unhealthy food rewards is discouraged. Guidelines and resources will be provided to schools regarding healthier options and nutrition standards.
• Encouraging students to bring and families to provide healthy, nutritious snack items; when snacks are provided by schools or staff the food and beverage items should be healthy and nutritious.
• Encouraging that healthy, nutritious choices are included in all activities that involve food and beverages.
• Providing families with information and examples of healthy, nutritious snack and food items for consumption during school hours or at school activities.
• Encouraging parents to provide low-fat milk or 100% juice for classroom celebrations and parties.
• Discouraging the sale of beverages with caffeine or refined sugar.
• Meeting or exceeding the recommendations in Colorado SB 04-103 regarding vending options.
• The Food and Nutrition Services department ensure that a la carte items include a variety of choices of healthy, nutritious food and beverage items.
• Recognizing that fundraising is necessary to provide additional opportunities for students and staff; fundraising efforts encourage group spirit; and that items sold need to be appealing and cost effective.
• Encouraging that non-food items or nutritious food and beverage items be sold for all fundraising efforts.
• Limiting the sale of food and beverage fundraising items with minimal nutritional value to after the school day. A list of encouraged, nutritious food and beverage items will be provided and available at all schools.
• Encouraging that a balance of at least 50% of the food and beverage choices at all school or district sponsored activities and extracurricular events be healthy and nutritious. A list of encouraged items will be provided and available at all schools.
Goal #5: The District will provide daily opportunities for students to engage in physical activity
Physical activity will be included in a school's daily education program from grades pre-kindergarten through 12. Physical activity includes regular instructional physical education, in accordance with the District's academic standards for physical education, and opportunities throughout the school day, such as exercise programs, fitness breaks, recess, field trips that include physical activity and classroom activities that include physical activity.
Implementation and Review
To help ensure each school's compliance with and implementation of this policy's goals, the Board designates the superintendent or designee as the District's school wellness policy coordinator.
The District will establish and maintain a District Health & Wellness Committee. The committee's purposes will be to monitor the implementation of this policy, evaluate the District's progress on this policy's goals, serve as a resource to schools (i.e. provide lists of healthy incentives, snacks, etc.) and periodically review and update this policy in accordance with federal law. The committee will meet on an at least twice a year basis.
At least once every three years, the committee shall assess this policy and its implementation, which shall include an assessment of each participating school's compliance and progress with this policy's goals. The committee may recommend policy revisions for the Board's consideration after conducting its triennial assessment and/or as the committee deems appropriate or necessary.
Summit School District will support and encourage individual schools to create, strengthen, or work with school health teams to develop, implement, and review the policy goals and objectives. School health teams can serve as resources for implementing activities to improve the health and wellness of students, staff, and families.
Reporting and recordkeeping
The results of the committee's triennial assessments shall be made available to the public, along with a copy of this policy on the District website.
The District shall retain records to document compliance with this policy, including but not limited to documentation concerning the committee's triennial assessments.
Adopted: June 28, 2006
Revised: October 11, 2011
Revised: January 26, 2016
Revised: June 9, 2022
LEGAL REFS.: Section 204 of P.L 111-296 (Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act)
7 C.F.R. Parts 201, 210 and 220 (local school wellness policy requirements)
C.R.S. 22-32-134.5 (healthy beverages requirement)
C.R.S. 22-32-136 (policies to improve children's nutrition and wellness)
C.R.S. 22-32-136.3 (trans fat ban)
C.R.S. 22-32-136.5(3)(a) and (b) (physical activity requirement)
1 CCR 301-79 (State Board of Education-healthy beverage rules)
CROSS REFS.: EF, Food Services
EFC AND EFC-R, Free ad Reduced-Price Food Services
EFEA, Nutritious Food Choices
IHAM and IHAM-R, Health Education
IHAMA, Teaching About Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco
IHAMB and IHAMB-R, Family Life/Sex Education
JLJ, Physical Activity