Wellness Policy

Onalaska Independent School District’s Wellness Policies on  Physical Activity and Nutrition
 

 

Preamble

 

Whereas, children need access to healthful foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn, and thrive;

 

Whereas, good health fosters student attendance and education;

 

Whereas, obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades, and physical inactivity and excessive calorie intake are the predominant causes of obesity;

 

Whereas, heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are responsible for two-thirds of deaths in the United States, and major risk factors for those diseases, including unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, and obesity, often are established in childhood;

 

Whereas, 33% of high school students do not participate in sufficient vigorous physical activity and 72% of high school students do not attend daily physical education classes;

 

Whereas, only 2% of children (2 to 19 years) eat a healthy diet consistent with the five main recommendations from the Food Guide Pyramid;

 

Whereas, nationally, the items most commonly sold from school vending machines, school stores, and snack bars include low-nutrition foods and beverages, such as soda, sports drinks, imitation fruit juices, chips, candy, cookies, and snack cakes;

 

Whereas, school districts around the country are facing significant fiscal and scheduling constraints; and

 

Whereas, community participation is essential to the development and implementation of successful school wellness policies;

 

Thus, the Onalaska Independent School District is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity.  Therefore, it is the policy of the Onalaska Independent School District that:

 

• The school district will engage students, parents, teachers, food service professionals, health professionals, and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring, and reviewing district-wide nutrition and physical activity policies.
   
• All students in grades K-12 will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.
   
• Foods and beverages sold or served at school will meet the nutrition recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
   
• Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; will accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.

 

• To the maximum extent practicable, all schools in our district will participate in available federal school meal programs (including the School Breakfast Program, and the National School Lunch Program)
• Schools will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity, and will establish linkages between health education and school meal programs, and with related community services.

 

 

TO ACHIEVE THESE POLICY GOALS:

 

I.  School Health Councils

 

The school district will create, strengthen, or work within the existing school health council to develop, implement, monitor, review, and, as necessary, revise school nutrition and physical activity policies.  The council also will serve as a resource to school sites for implementing those policies. 

 

II. Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus
 

School Meals

 

Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will:
 

• be appealing and attractive to children;
   
• be served in clean and pleasant settings;
   
• meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes and regulations;
   
• offer a variety of fruits and vegetables;
   
• serve only low-fat (1%) and fat-free milk and nutritionally-equivalent non-dairy alternatives (to be defined by USDA); and
   
• ensure that half of the served grains are whole grain.

 

 

Breakfast.  To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn:
 

• OISD Schools offer free breakfast to every student. 
   
• OISD Schools will, to the extent possible, arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation.

 

• OISD Schools that serve breakfast to students will notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program.
   
• OISD Schools will encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children through newsletter articles, take-home materials, or other means.
   

 

Free and Reduced-priced Meals. OISD Schools will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.  Toward this end, OISD Schools may utilize electronic identification and payment systems; provide meals at no charge to all children, regardless of income; promote the availability of school meals to all students; and/or use nontraditional methods for serving school meals, such as “grab-and-go” or classroom breakfast.
 

 

Summer Food Service Program. OISD Schools in which more than 50% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals will sponsor the Summer Food Service Program for at least six weeks between the last day of the academic school year and the first day of the following school year, and preferably throughout the entire summer vacation.

 

 

Meal Times and Scheduling. OISD  Schools:
 

• will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch;

 

• will schedule meal periods at appropriate times, e.g., lunch should be scheduled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.;
   
• will  not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities;
   
• will schedule lunch periods to follow recess periods (in elementary schools);
   
• will provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks; and
   
• will take reasonable steps to accommodate the tooth-brushing regimens of students with special oral health needs (e.g., orthodontia or high tooth decay risk).

 

 

Qualifications of School Food Service Staff.  Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the school meal programs.  As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, we will provide continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals in schools.  Staff development programs should include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, school nutrition managers, and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.

 

 

Sharing of Foods and Beverages.   OISD Schools will discourage students from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.

 

 

Foods and Beverages Sold Individually (i.e., foods sold outside of reimbursable school meals, such as through vending machines, cafeteria a la carte [snack] lines, fundraisers, school stores, etc.)

 

Elementary Schools.  The school food service program will approve and provide all food and beverage sales to students in elementary schools.  Given young children’s limited nutrition skills, food in elementary schools will be sold as balanced meals.  If available, foods and beverages sold individually will be limited to low-fat and non-fat milk, fruits, and non-fried vegetables.
 

Middle/Junior High and High Schools.  In middle/junior high and high schools, all foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable school meal programs (including those sold through a la carte [snack] lines, vending machines, student stores, or fundraising activities) during the school day, or through programs for students after the school day, will meet the following nutrition and portion size standards:

Beverages
 

• Allowed:  water or seltzer water without added caloric sweeteners; fruit and vegetable juices and fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50% fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; unflavored or flavored low-fat or fat-free fluid milk and nutritionally-equivalent nondairy beverages (to be defined by USDA);
   
• Not allowed:  soft drinks containing caloric sweeteners; sports drinks; iced teas; fruit-based drinks that contain less than 50% real fruit juice or that contain additional caloric sweeteners; beverages containing caffeine, excluding low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk (which contain trivial amounts of caffeine).
   

Foods
 

• A food item sold individually:
   
  • will have no more than 35% of its calories from fat (excluding nuts, seeds, peanut butter, and other nut butters) and 10% of its calories from saturated and trans fat combined;

 

• will have no more than 35% of its weight from added sugars;

 

• will contain no more than 230 mg of sodium per serving for chips, cereals, crackers, French fries, baked goods, and other snack items; will contain no more than 480 mg of sodium per serving for pastas, meats, and soups; and will contain no more than 600 mg of sodium for pizza, sandwiches, and main dishes.
   

• A choice of at least two fruits and/or non-fried vegetables will be offered for sale at any location on the school site where foods are sold.  Such items could include, but are not limited to, fresh fruits and vegetables; 100% fruit or vegetable juice; fruit-based drinks that are at least 50% fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; cooked, dried, or canned fruits (canned in fruit juice or light syrup); and cooked, dried, or canned vegetables (that meet the above fat and sodium guidelines). 
   

Portion Sizes:

• Limit portion sizes of foods and beverages sold individually to those listed below:
   
  • One and one-quarter ounces for chips, crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or jerky;
     
  • One ounce for cookies;
     
  • Two ounces for cereal bars, granola bars, pastries, muffins, doughnuts, bagels, and other bakery items;
     
  • Four fluid ounces for frozen desserts, including, but not limited to, low-fat or fat-free ice cream;
     
  • Eight ounces for non-frozen yogurt;
     
  • Twelve fluid ounces for beverages, excluding water; and
     
  • The portion size of a la carte entrees and side dishes, including potatoes, will not be greater than the size of comparable portions

offered as part of school meals.  Fruits and non-fried vegetables are exempt from portion-size limits.-

 

Fundraising Activities  TDA now allows schools to sell any foods and beverages during the school day as part of a fundraiser for up to six days per school year on each school campus.  The foods and beverages sold for fundraisers on allowable days are not required to meet the applicable nutritional standards outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations, provided that no specially exempted fundraiser foods or beverages may be sold in competition with school meals in the food service area during the meal service.

 

 

Snacks.  Snacks served during the school day or in after-school care or enrichment programs will make a positive contribution to children’s diets and health, with an emphasis on serving fruits and vegetables as the primary snacks and water as the primary beverage.  Schools will assess if and when to offer snacks based on timing of school meals, children’s nutritional needs, children’s ages, and other considerations.  The district will disseminate a list of healthful snack items to teachers, after-school program personnel, and parents.
 

 

Rewards.  OISD Schools will be allowed to use food/beverages as academic rewards and/or good behavior as long as it does not interfere or conflict with the OISD guidelines and/or standards.

 

 

Celebrations.  Each party should include no more than one food or beverage that does not meet nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually (above).  The district will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers.  Birthday parties should be conducted after the last lunch at each campus.
 

 

 

III. Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion and Food Marketing

 

Nutrition Education and Promotion.  Onalaska Independent School District aims to teach, encourage, and support healthy eating by students. OISD Schools will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that:
 

• is offered at each grade level as part of a sequential, comprehensive, standards-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;

 

• is part of not only health education classes, but also classroom instruction in subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences, and elective subjects;
   
• includes enjoyable, developmentally-appropriate, culturally-relevant, participatory activities, such as contests, promotions, taste testing, farm visits, and school gardens;
   
• promotes fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and health-enhancing nutrition practices;

 

• emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure (physical activity/exercise);

 

• links with school meal programs, other school foods, and nutrition-related community services;
   
• teaches media literacy with an emphasis on food marketing; and
   
• includes training for teachers and other staff.

 

 

Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom Setting.  For students to receive the nationally-recommended amount of daily physical activity (i.e., at least 60 minutes per day) and for students to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior, students need opportunities for physical activity beyond physical education class.  Toward that end:

 

• classroom health education will complement physical education by reinforcing the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically-active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities, such as watching television;

 

• opportunities for physical activity will be incorporated into other subject lessons; and

 

• classroom teachers will provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate.

 

 

Communications with Parents. 

 

 

The district will provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities before, during, and after the school day; and support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school.  Such supports will include sharing information about physical activity and physical education through a website, newsletter, or other take-home materials, special events, or physical education homework.

 

 

Food Marketing in Schools.  School-based marketing will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion.  As such, schools will limit food and beverage marketing to the promotion of foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually (above). School-based marketing of brands promoting predominantly low-nutrition foods and beverages is prohibited.  The promotion of healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products is encouraged.

 

Examples of marketing techniques include the following: logos and brand names on/in vending machines, books or curricula, textbook covers, school supplies, scoreboards, school structures, and sports equipment; educational incentive programs that provide food as a reward; programs that provide schools with supplies when families buy low-nutrition food products; in-school television, such as Channel One; free samples or coupons; and food sales through fundraising activities.  Marketing activities that promote healthful behaviors (and are therefore allowable) include:  vending machine covers promoting water; pricing structures that promote healthy options in a la carte lines or vending machines; sales of fruit for fundraisers; and coupons for discount gym memberships.

 

 

Staff Wellness.  Onalaska Independent School District highly values the health and well-being of every staff member and will plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  The OISD Wellness Program will develop, promote, and oversee a multifaceted plan to promote staff health and wellness.  The plan will be based on input solicited from school staff and should outline ways to encourage healthy eating, physical activity, and other elements of a healthy lifestyle among school staff.  The staff wellness coordinator will distribute its plan to the school health council annually.

 

 

IV.  Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education
 

Daily Physical Education (P.E.) K-12.  All students in grades K-12, including students with disabilities, special health-care needs, and in alternative educational settings, will receive daily physical education (or its equivalent of 150 minutes/week for elementary school students and 225 minutes/week for middle and high school students) for the entire school year.  All physical education will be taught by a certified physical education teacher.  Student involvement in other activities involving physical activity

(e.g., interscholastic or intramural sports) will not be substituted for meeting the physical education requirement.  Students will spend at least 50 percent of physical education class time participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

 

 

Daily Recess.  All elementary school students will have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through the provision of space and equipment. 

OISD Schools will discourage extended periods (i.e., periods of two or more hours) of inactivity.  When activities, such as mandatory school-wide testing, make it necessary for students to remain indoors for long periods of time, OISD Schools will give students periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.

 

 

Physical Activity Opportunities Before and After School.  All elementary, middle, and high schools will offer extracurricular physical activity programs, such as physical activity clubs or intramural programs.  All high schools, and middle schools as appropriate, will offer interscholastic sports programs.  Schools will offer a range of activities that meet the needs, interests, and abilities of all students, including boys, girls, students with disabilities, and students with special health-care needs.

 

After-school enrichment programs will provide and encourage – verbally and through the provision of space, equipment, and activities – daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants.

 

Physical Activity and Punishment.  Teachers and other school and community personnel will not use physical activity (e.g., running laps, pushups) or withhold opportunities for physical activity (e.g., recess, physical education) as punishment. 

Special Note: For purposes of Athletics and JROTC physical activity can be used; however, not for painful or harmful intent.

 

Safe Routes to School.  The school district will assess and, if necessary and to the extent possible, make needed improvements to make it safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school.  When appropriate, the district will work together with local public works, public safety, and/or police departments in those efforts.  The school district will explore the availability of federal “safe routes to school” funds, administered by the state department of transportation, to finance such improvements.  The school district will encourage students to use public transportation when available and appropriate for travel to school, and will work with the local transit agency to provide transit passes for students.

 

Use of School Facilities Outside of School Hours.  School spaces and facilities will be available to students, staff, and community members before, during, and after the school day, on weekends, and during school vacations. These spaces and facilities also will be available to community agencies and organizations offering physical activity and nutrition programs. OISD School policies concerning safety will apply at all times.

 

 

 

 

V.  Monitoring and Policy Review

 

Monitoring.  The superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with established district-wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies.  In each school, the principal or designee will ensure compliance with those policies in his/her school and will report on the school’s compliance to the school district superintendent or designee.

 

OISD School food service staff, at the school or district level, will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas and will report on this matter to the superintendent (or if done at the school level, to the school principal).  In addition, the school district will report on the most recent USDA School Meals Initiative (SMI) review findings and any resulting changes.  If the district has not received a SMI review from the state agency within the past five years, the district will request from the state agency that a SMI review be scheduled as soon as possible.

 

The superintendent or designee will develop a summary report every three years on district-wide compliance with the district’s established nutrition and physical activity wellness policies, based on input from schools within the district.  That report will be provided to the school board and also distributed to all school health councils, parent/teacher organizations, school principals, and school health services personnel in the district.

 

Policy Review.  To help with the initial development of the district’s wellness policies, each school in the district will conduct a baseline assessment of the school’s existing nutrition and physical activity environments and policies. The results of those school-by-school assessments will be compiled at the district level to identify and prioritize needs.

 

Assessments will be repeated every three years to help review policy compliance, assess progress, and determine areas in need of improvement.  As part of that review, the school district will review our nutrition and physical activity policies; provision of an environment that supports healthy eating and physical activity; and nutrition and physical education policies and program elements.  The district, and individual schools within the district, will, as necessary, revise the wellness policies and develop work plans to facilitate their implementation.