The Governing Board recognizes the link between student health and learning and desires to provide a comprehensive program promoting healthy eating and physical activity for district students. The Superintendent or designee shall build a coordinated school health system that supports and reinforces health literacy through health education, physical education and activity, health services, nutrition services, psychological and counseling services, health promotion for staff, a safe and healthy school environment, and parent/guardian and community involvement.
(cf. 3513.3 - Tobacco-Free Schools)
(cf. 3514 - Environmental Safety)
(cf. 3555 - Nutrition Program Compliance)
(cf. 5131.6 - Alcohol and Other Drugs)
(cf. 5131.61 - Drug Testing)
(cf. 5131.62 - Tobacco)
(cf. 5131.63 - Steroids)
(cf. 5141 - Health Care and Emergencies)
(cf. 5141.22 - Infectious Diseases)
(cf. 5141.3 - Health Examinations)
(cf. 5141.31 - Immunizations)
(cf. 5141.32 - Health Screening for School Entry)
(cf. 5141.6 - School Health Services)
(cf. 6142.1 - Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Prevention Education)
(cf. 6164.2 - Guidance/Counseling Services)
To encourage consistent health messages between the home and school environment, the Superintendent or designee may disseminate health information and/or the district's student wellness policy to parents/guardians through district or school newsletters, handouts, parent/guardian meetings, district and school web sites, and other communications. Outreach to parents/guardians shall emphasize the relationship between student health and academic performance.
(cf. 1100 - Communication with the Public)
(cf. 1112 - Media Relations)
(cf. 1113 - District and School Web Sites)
(cf. 1114 - District-Sponsored Social Media)
(cf. 6020 - Parent Involvement)
Nutrition and Physical Activity Goals
The Board shall adopt goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness. (42 USC 1758b)
(cf. 0000 - Vision)
(cf. 0200 - Goals for the School District)
The district Board is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect children's health, well being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and increased levels of physical activity.
Access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active assist children to grow, learn and thrive. 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.
Nutritional Guidelines for Foods Available at School
The Board shall adopt nutritional guidelines for all foods available on each campus during the school day, with the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity. (42 USC 1751 Note)
The Superintendent or designee shall encourage school organizations to use healthy food items or non-food items for fundraising purposes. He/she also shall encourage school staff to avoid the use of non-nutritious foods as a reward for students' academic performance, accomplishments, or classroom behavior.
(cf. 1230 - School-Connected Organizations)
Schools will provide health education, physical education, and nutrition education for all students 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.
The district's nutrition education and physical education programs shall be based on research, consistent with the expectations established in the state's curriculum frameworks and content standards, and designed to build the skills and knowledge that all students need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
(cf. 6011 - Academic Standards)
(cf. 6143 - Courses of Study)
Nutrition education shall be provided as part of the health education program in grades K-12 and, as appropriate, shall be integrated into other academic subjects in the regular educational program. Nutrition education also may be offered through before- and after-school programs.
(cf. 5148.2 - Before/After School Programs)
(cf. 6142.8 - Comprehensive Health Education)
All students in grades K-12 shall be provided opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis. Opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity shall be provided through physical education, recess, school athletic programs, extracurricular programs, before- and/or after-school programs, and other structured and unstructured activities.
(cf. 6142.7 - Physical Education)
(cf. 6145 - Extracurricular and Cocurricular Activities)
(cf. 6145.2 - Athletic Competition)
The Board prohibits the marketing and advertising of non-nutritious foods and beverages through signage, vending machine fronts, logos, scoreboards, school supplies, advertisements in school publications, coupon or incentive programs, or other means.
(cf. 1325 - Advertising and Promotion)
Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students, faculty, and staff with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet their health and nutrition needs; will accommodate religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time to eat.
For all foods available on each campus during the school day, the district shall adopt nutritional guidelines which are consistent with 42 USC 1773 and 1779 and support the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity. (42 USC 1758b)
In order to maximize the district's ability to provide nutritious meals and snacks, all district schools shall participate in available federal school nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and after-school snack programs, to the extent possible. When approved by the California Department of Education, the district may sponsor a summer meal program.
(cf. 3552 - Summer Meal Program)
(cf. 3553 - Free and Reduced Price Meals)
Program Implementation and Evaluation
The Superintendent shall designate one or more district or school employees, as appropriate, to ensure that each school site complies with this policy. (42 USC 1758b)
(cf. 0500 - Accountability)
(cf. 3555 - Nutrition Program Compliance)
The Director of Nutrition Services shall be responsible to organize a "Coordinated Fitness, Nutrition and Health Advisory Council" and coordinate services. The council will engage students, parents, teachers, nutrition professionals, health professionals, district administrators, community based organizations, individual school health councils, and other interested community members to develop recommendations to the Board for adoption of certain rules and regulations to support the goals of this policy. This advisory council shall
periodically measure and make available to the public an assessment of the extent to which district schools are in compliance with this policy, the extent to which this policy compares to model wellness policies available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy. (42 USC 1758b)
To determine whether the policy is being effectively implemented district wide and at each district school, the following indicators shall be used:
1. Results of the state's physical fitness test
2. An analysis of the nutritional content of meals served based on a sample of menus
3. Student participation rates in school meal programs, compared to percentage of students eligible for free and reduced-price meals
4. Feedback from food service personnel, school administrators, the school health council, parents/guardians, students, teachers, before- and after-school program staff, and/or other appropriate persons
5. Any other indicators recommended by the Superintendent and approved by the Board
Posting Requirements
Each school shall post the district's policies and regulations on nutrition and physical activity in public view within all school cafeterias or in other central eating areas. (Education Code 49432)
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
33350-33354 CDE responsibilities re: physical education
49430-49436 Pupil Nutrition, Health, and Achievement Act of 2001
49490-49494 School breakfast and lunch programs
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, including:
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
220.1-220.21 National School Breakfast Program
COURT DECISIONS
Frazer v. Dixon Unified School District, (1993) 18 Cal.App.4th 781
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
Building Healthy Communities: A School Leader's Guide to Collaboration and Community Engagement, 2009
Safe Routes to School: Program and Policy Strategies for School Districts, Policy Brief, 2009
Monitoring for Success: Student Wellness Policy Implementation Monitoring Report and Guide, 2007
Nutrition Standards for Schools: Implications for Student Wellness, Policy Brief, rev. October 2007
Physical Education and California Schools, Policy Brief, rev. October 2007
Student Wellness: A Healthy Food and Physical Activity Policy Resource Guide, rev. April 2006
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
Healthy Children Ready to Learn: A White Paper on Health, Nutrition, and Physical Education, January 2005
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, March 2010
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION PUBLICATIONS
School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide, 2005
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF STATE BOARDS OF EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS
Fit, Healthy and Ready to Learn, 2000
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PUBLICATIONS
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005
Changing the Scene, Improving the School Nutrition Environment: A Guide to Local Action, 2000
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
Action for Healthy Kids: http://www.actionforhealthykids.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
National School Boards Association: http://www.nsba.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
Policy NEWPORT-MESA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: November 8, 2011 Costa Mesa, California