LOCAL SCHOOL WELLNESS
It is the goal of the Culdesac School District to strive to make a significant contribution to the general well-being, mental and physical capacity, and learning ability of each student and afford
them the opportunity to fully participate in the education process. The Culdesac School District promotes healthy schools by supporting wellness, good nutrition, and regular physical activity as
a part of the total learning environment. The District supports a healthy environment where children learn and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices. By facilitating learning
through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity, our school contributes to the basic health status of children. Improved health optimizes student performance potential
and ensures that no child is left behind.
Healthy eating is demonstrably linked to reduced morbidity and risk of mortality from many chronic diseases.
The Board directs the Superintendent to inform and update the public, including parents, students, and others in the community, about the content and implementation of the wellness policy. Such information may be provided on the District website, through the dissemination of student handbooks, or in any other manner the school district may deem appropriate.
Definition
For the purposes of this policy, the school day is defined as midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the instructional school day.
Goals for Wellness Promotion
The District shall review and consider evidence-based approaches in establishing goals for school-based activities to promote student wellness. This may include a review of the “Smarter
Lunchroom” tools and strategies.
To ensure the health and well being of all students, it is the policy of the District to:
1. Ensure that foods sold at school during the school day meet or exceed the nutritional standards required by the USDA’s National School Lunch Program, the National School
Breakfast Program, and the Smart Snacks in Schools regulations. Exceptions can be made for infrequent food sales fundraisers that occur no more than the number of times
determined appropriate by the Idaho State Department of Education during the school year and are not held during school meal times. Fundraisers will be tracked at each
school site by a designee of the Superintendent in charge of compliance at that site;
2. Ensure that non-compliant and non-exempt fundraising food sales will not occur on school grounds during the school day. The District operates under United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) program regulations of the National School Lunch Program, National School Breakfast Program, and the Smart Snacks in Schools
regulations. These regulations apply to food sold during the school day in school stores, vending machines, and other venues. (Note: There are many healthy fundraising options
available to schools including selling books, fresh produce, school spirit merchandise, or other non-food items during the school day. Fundraising activities involving the sale of
food consumed outside of school, such as frozen pizza sales, are exempt from the nutrition standards.);
3. Ensure that celebrations that involve food during the school day be limited to no more than one party per class per month and, that each party include no more than one food or
beverage that does not meet nutrition standards for Smart Snacks in Schools. The District will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers.
sold. The Smart Snacks in Schools regulations only affect foods that are sold on school grounds during the school day. Time honored traditions like treats for birthdays, or foods
at an afterschool sporting event, are not subject to those standards.];
The District shall also take measures to promote nutrition and physical activity, engage in nutrition education, and conduct wellness activities. For this purpose, the District may:
1. Ensure that all District schools become certified as a Healthier US Schools Challenge schools and/or enroll as a Team Nutrition schools;
2. Host at least one health fair each year;
3. Draft and regularly distribute a wellness newsletter for students and parents;
4. Review Smarter Lunchroom Movement best practices and evaluate each school’s
5. Promote healthy eating patterns through classroom nutrition education coordinated with the comprehensive health education program including education, health, and
food services;
6. Provide 60 minutes of physical education per week to elementary students and 60 minutes per week to middle school students;
7. Offer a recognition or reward program for students who exhibit healthy behaviors.
8. Start a walking or physical activity club at each school;
9. Offer at least 1 after school physical activity programs;
10. Ensure student have access to hand-washing facilities prior to meals;
11. Annually evaluate the marketing and promotion of the school meal program;
12. Share school meal nutrition information with students and families;
13. Offer students taste-testing or menu planning opportunities;
14. Participate in Farm to School activities and/or have a school garden;
15. Advertise and promote nutritious foods and beverages on school grounds;
16. Offer nutritious foods and beverages at lower prices than other foods and beverages;
17. Offer fruits or non-fried vegetables everywhere foods are sold;
18. Use student feedback to improve the quality of the school meal programs;
19. Offer a staff wellness program;
20. Provide District staff with adequate pre-service and ongoing in-service training that focuses on program administration, nutrition, physical activity, safety, the importance
of modeling healthy behaviors, and strategies for behavioral change; and
21. Participate in community partnerships to support wellness programs, projects, events,
or activities.
Nutrition Standards
To promote student health and reduce childhood obesity, the District requires all schools within the District to comply with the nutrition standards established by the USDA with respect to all
food that is available on school grounds during the school day.
Community Participation
The District shall invite parents, students, representative food service staff of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the Board, school
administrators, and the general public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review of this policy.
The school district shall annually make available to the public the content of the policy and an assessment of the implementation of this policy including:
1. The extent to which schools under the jurisdiction of the District are in compliance with the wellness policy;
2. The extent to which the District’s wellness policy compares to model local school
wellness policies; and
3. A description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy.
Methods of providing this information to the public may include developing or disseminating printed or electronic materials to families of school children and other members of the school
community at the beginning of the school year, or posting the local wellness policies and an assessment of their implementation on the District or school website. The assessment of the
implementation of the policy shall be conducted at least once every three years.