The Montecito Governing Board recognizes the link between nutrition education, the food served in schools, physical activity, and environmental education, and that wellness is affected by all of these. The Board also recognizes the important connection between a healthy diet and a student's ability to learn effectively and achieve high standards in school.
Establishment of goals for nutrition education. physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness
Nutrition Education
To help ensure the health and well being of each student attending Montecito Union School, and to provide guidance to school personnel in the areas of nutrition, health, and physical activity, the Board of Trustees encourages all staff to recognize the lunch period as an integral part of the educational program of the district, and work to implement the goals of this policy. The Board will ensure that:
1. The school provides an economically sustainable lunch program and makes available a healthy and nutritious meal to every student
2. The school lunch program promotes the consistent inclusion of locally grown organic fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and health enhancing nutrition practices
3. The school promotes the establishment of an instructional garden, as well as visits to local farms, to provide students with experiences in planting, harvesting, preparation, tasting foods so that students begin to understand how food reaches the table and the implications that has for their health and their future
4. The school provides nutrition education 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
5. The nutrition education program emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure (physical activity and exercise)
6. Instructional staff are provided with adequate and ongoing nutrition education training that focuses on teaching strategies that assess health knowledge and skills, and promote healthy behaviors
7. The school promotes the inclusion of outside experts in ongoing nutrition education
Physical Education
The Governing Board recognizes the positive benefits of physical activity for student health and academic achievement. Recognizing that physical education is a crucial and integral part of a child's education, the district will provide opportunities to ensure that students engage in a healthful level of vigorous physical activity to promote and develop the student's physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being. Besides promoting high levels of personal achievement and a positive self-image, physical education activities should teach students how to cooperate in the achievement of common goals. The Board will ensure that:
1. The physical education program shall develop and implement a curriculum that connects and demonstrates the interrelationship between physical activity, good nutrition, personal health and sportsmanship
2. Instruction in physical education will be based on the Physical Education Model Content Standards for California Public Schools
3. The physical education program will include instruction in a variety of motor skills designed to enhance the physical and social development of every child
4. The district will administer a physical fitness test annually to all students in grade five during the spring of each school year
5. In addition to the required physical fitness test, assessment of student learning and accurate reporting of progress should be an ongoing process in physical education
6. The district shall enhance the quality of physical education curricula and increase the training of physical education teachers through staff development opportunities
7. The district shall promote opportunities for physical activity as part of the after-school enrichment programs
8. The district shall promote physical activity among staff and provide staff with convenient opportunities to engage in regular physical activity
9. A parent education program will promote the importance of physical activity and sun safety for student health and academic achievement.
10. Students will be educated regarding the harmful effects of the sun and the school will attempt to minimize student exposure to the sun whenever possible.
School-Based Learning Experiences
The Governing Board recognizes that experiential learning activities that assist students to make connections between diet, health, and the environment are critical to the formation of student understanding of personal wellness within a larger context of environmental health. Schools play a crucial role in educating students on environmental issues and preparing them to be the stewards of their natural resources. The quality of life in future generations will depend upon our students' willingness and ability to solve today's environmental problems and prevent new ones from developing.
The Governing Board desires to offer environmental education that fosters attitudes of personal responsibility toward the environment and provides students with the concepts, knowledge and skills needed to contribute meaningfully to decisions involving the environment and its resources. The Board will ensure that:
1. The staff will integrate garden, nutrition education, cooking and eating experiences, and energy and renewable energy experiences into the curriculum at all grade levels
2. Students will understand and demonstrate behaviors that prevent disease and speed recovery from illness, based on concepts and self-management skills related to diet, physical activity, safe food handling, and personal hygiene
3. Students are taught and expected to recycle, conserve materials, water, and energy, use biodegradable materials when possible, and dispose of wastes in an environmentally sound way
Establish nutrition guidelines for all foods available on campus during the school day
Part of the educational mission of the Montecito Union School District is to improve the health of the entire community by teaching students and families ways to establish and maintain lifelong healthy eating habits. The mission shall be accomplished through nutrition education, physical education, garden-based learning experiences, environmental restoration, core academic content in the classroom and the food served in schools. The Board of Trustees will ensure that:
1. In accordance with law, the district shall provide a healthy and nutritious meal for all students.
2. Students eligible to receive a free or reduced price meal will not be treated differently from other students.
3. Students are provided with adequate space and time to eat meals
4. The Hot Lunch Program will improve upon nutritional standards specified in law and administrative regulation. To accomplish this objective, meals will:
a. Offer a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables;
b. Reflect seasonality and local agriculture
c. Include only low-fat and fat-free milk and nutritionally-equivalent nondairy alternatives
d. Include non-genetically grown whole grain products
e. Integrate organic foods, as defined by the USDA National Organic Program, based on economic feasibility, availability, and acceptability
5. Meals are prepared in ways that will appeal to students, retain nutritive quality and foster lifelong healthful eating habits
6. Meals are served in age-appropriate quantities and at reasonable prices
7. The school will provide sufficient nutrition information to allow parents and students to make informed dietary choices.
8. The exposure of children to potentially harmful residues of toxic agricultural chemicals including but not limited to pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, waxes, and fungicides will be reduced and/or eliminated by increasing the purchase of foods that are grown sustainably, without the use of toxic chemicals
9. Foods exposed to potentially harmful food additives and processes, including but not limited to bovine growth hormone, irradiation, high fructose corn syrup, excessive salt, artificial flavors and colors, hydrogenated oils (transfats), preservatives, and genetic modification, shall be reduced and/or eliminated
10. The school will develop a "Healthy Snacks" and "Healthy Parties" policy
11. The school shall not have vending machines accessible by students.
Assure that guidelines for the school meals are not less restrictive than those set at the federal level by the Secretary of Agriculture
The Superintendent will review this policy and ensure that the policies are not less restrictive than those set by Secretary of Agriculture or state law.
Establish a plan for measuring the impact and implementation of the school wellness policy
In conjunction with adoption of a district Wellness Policy, the Superintendent or Principal shall establish a standing Wellness Committee to remain actively engaged in monitoring the implementation of the Wellness Policy and in presenting recommendations to the Board of Trustees. The following guidelines pertain to the duties and responsibilities of the standing Wellness Committee.
The standing Wellness Committee shall present to the Board an Annual Report on the status of meeting the Wellness Policy goals. The report shall:
1. Contain a current and future budget for the food services program
2. Contain recommendations for improving the delivery of food services
3. Report on the nutritional content of meals served and the student participation rates in the school lunch program. The report shall include the percentage of foods purchased from local sources and the cost of those foods
4. Recommend to the Board strategies to decrease or eliminate potentially harmful food additives and processes, and to increase the amount of fresh, local produce .offered through the School Lunch Program
5. Solicit student preferences through taste tests, surveys, and interviews, and through student participation on the district Wellness Committee
6. Report the scores students achieve on the Physical Fitness Test
7. Report on the ways in which students and staff are engaged in vigorous physical activity
8. Contain an outline of the nutrition education program offered to students at each grade level
9. Report on the staff development opportunities provided to staff and education programs provided to parents.
Involve parents, teachers, students, classified staff, administrators, Board representatives, and community members on the Wellness Committee.
With regard to the Wellness Committee created by the Superintendent or Principal, it is critically important that all sectors of the learning community that will be charged with implementing the policy are represented. The committee shall involve parents, teachers, students classified staff, administrators, Board representatives, and community members. Shared leadership creates the conditions for real and lasting change.
Developing a school district Wellness Policy is a practical way to create a shared vision and language about needed change. When the Board adopts a district Wellness Policy, the entire community knows the district is committed to improving the school environment for children, particularly the school food system.
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
33350-33354 CDE responsibilities re: physical education
49430-49434 Pupil Nutrition, Health, and Achievement Act of 2001
49490-49494 School breakfast and lunch programs
49500-49505 School meals
49510-49520 Nutrition
49530-49536 Child Nutrition Act
49540-49546 Child care food program
49547-49548.3 Comprehensive nutrition services
49550-49561 Meals for needy students
49565-49565.8 California Fresh Start pilot program
49570 National School Lunch Act
51210 Course of study, grades 1-6
51220 Course of study, grades 7-12
51222 Physical education
51223 Physical education, elementary schools
51795-51796.5 School instructional gardens
51880-51921 Comprehensive health education
CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 5
15500-15501 Food sales by student organizations
15510 Mandatory meals for needy students
15530-15535 Nutrition education
15550-15565 School lunch and breakfast programs
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 42
1751-1769 National School Lunch Program, especially:
1758b Local wellness policy
1771-1791 Child Nutrition Act, especially:
1773 School Breakfast Program
1779 Rules and regulations, Child Nutrition Act
CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 7
210.1-210.31 National School Lunch Program
220.1-220.23 National School Breakfast Program
COURT DECISIONS
Frazer v. Dixon Unified School District, (1993) 18 Cal.App.4th 781
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
Integrating Physical Activity into the School Day, Governance Brief, April 2016
Increasing Access to Drinking Water in Schools, Policy Brief, April 2013
Monitoring for Success: A Guide for Assessing and Strengthening Student Wellness Policies, rev. 2012
Nutrition Standards for Schools: Implications for Student Wellness, Policy Brief, rev. April 2012
Student Wellness: A Healthy Food and Physical Activity Policy Resource Guide, rev. 2012
Physical Activity and Physical Education in California Schools, Research Brief, April 2010
Building Healthy Communities: A School Leader's Guide to Collaboration and Community Engagement, 2009
CSBA PUBLICATIONS (continued)
Safe Routes to School: Program and Policy Strategies for School Districts, Policy Brief, 2009
Physical Education and California Schools, Policy Brief, rev. October 2007
School-Based Marketing of Foods and Beverages: Policy Implications for School Boards, Policy Brief, March 2006
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS
Physical Education Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, 2009
Health Framework for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, 2003
CALIFORNIA PROJECT LEAN PUBLICATIONS
Policy in Action: A Guide to Implementing Your Local School Wellness Policy, October 2006
CENTER FOR COLLABORATIVE SOLUTIONS
Changing Lives, Saving Lives: A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Exemplary Practices in Healthy Eating, Physical Activity and Food Security in Afterschool Programs, January 2015
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION PUBLICATIONS
School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide, rev. 2012
FEDERAL REGISTER
Rules and Regulations, July 29, 2016, Vol. 81, Number 146, pages 50151-50170
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE BOARDS OF EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS
Fit, Healthy and Ready to Learn, rev. 2012
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PUBLICATIONS
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2016
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
Action for Healthy Kids: http://www.actionforhealthykids.org
Alliance for a Healthier Generation: http://www.healthiergeneration.org
California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu
California Department of Public Health: http://www.cdph.ca.gov
California Healthy Kids Resource Center: http://www.californiahealthykids.org
California Project LEAN (Leaders Encouraging Activity and Nutrition): http://www.californiaprojectlean.org
California School Nutrition Association: http://www.calsna.org
Center for Collaborative Solutions: http://www.ccscenter.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov
Dairy Council of California: http://www.dairycouncilofca.org
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity: http://www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/nana.html
National Association of State Boards of Education: http://www.nasbe.org
School Nutrition Association: http://www.schoolnutrition.org
Society for Nutrition Education: http://www.sne.org
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Nutrition Service, wellness policy: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Healthy/wellnesspolicy.html
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Healthy Meals Resource System: http://healthymeals.fns.usda.gov
Policy MONTECITO UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: October 17, 2017 Santa Barbara, California