8510 - WELLNESS

River Rouge School District

Bylaws & Policies

8510 - WELLNESS

As required by law, the Board of Education establishes the following wellness policy for the River Rouge School District.

The Board recognizes that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well-being of the District's students. Furthermore, research concludes that there is a positive correlation between a student's health and well-being and his/her ability to learn. Moreover, schools can play an important role in the developmental process by which students establish their health and nutrition habits by providing nutritious meals and snacks through the schools' meal programs, by supporting the development of good eating habits, and by promoting increased physical activity both in and out of school.

The Board, however, believes this effort to support the students' development of healthy behaviors and habits with regard to eating and exercise cannot be accomplished by the schools alone. It will be necessary for not only the staff, but also parents and the public at large to be involved in a community-wide effort to promote, support, and model such healthy behaviors and habits.

The Board sets the following goals in an effort to enable students to establish good health and nutrition habits:

A.	Nutrition education shall be integrated into other subject areas of the curriculum, when appropriate, to complement, but not replace, the standards and benchmarks for health education.

B.	With regard to physical activity, the District shall:

	1.	Physical Education

		a.	The physical education curriculum shall provide sequential instruction related to the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to participate in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.


		b.	Planned instruction in physical education shall be sufficient for students to achieve a proficient level with regard to the standards and benchmarks established by the State.

		c.	Planned instruction in physical education shall meet the needs of all students, including those who are not athletically gifted.

		d.	Planned instruction in physical education shall include cooperative as well as competitive games.

		e.	Planned instruction in physical education shall take into account gender and cultural differences.

	2.	Physical Activity

		a.	Physical activity and movement shall be integrated, when possible, across the curricula and throughout the school day.

		b.	Schools shall encourage families to provide physical activity outside the regular school day, such as outdoor play at home, participation in sports sponsored by community agencies or organizations, and in lifelong physical activities like bowling, swimming, or tennis.

C.	With regard to other school-based activities the District shall:

	1.	The schools shall schedule mealtimes so there is minimum disruption by bus schedules, recess, and other special programs or events.

	2.	The school shall provide attractive, clean environments in which the students eat.


	3.	Students, parents, and other community members shall have access to, and be encouraged to use, the school's outdoor physical activity facilities outside the normal school day.

D.	With regard to nutrition promotion, any foods and beverages marketed or promoted to students on the school campus, during the school day, will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.

	Additionally, the District shall:

	1.	encourage students to increase their consumption of healthful foods during the school day;

	2.	designate wellness champions at each school that will promote resources through the District's website for wellness for students, families, and the community;

	3.	provide opportunities for students to develop the knowledge and skills for consuming healthful foods.

E.	Rewarding children in the classroom should not involve candy and other foods that can undermine children’s diets and health and reinforce unhealthy eating habits. A wide variety of alternative rewards can be used to provide positive reinforcement for children’s behavior and academic performance.

Furthermore, with the objectives of enhancing student health and well being, and reducing childhood obesity, the following guidelines are established:

In accordance with Policy 8500, entitled Food Service, the food service program shall comply with Federal and State regulations pertaining to the selection, preparation, consumption, and disposal of food and beverages as well as to the fiscal management of the program.


	B.	As set forth in Policy 8531, entitled Free and Reduced Price Meals, the guidelines for reimbursable school meals are not less restrictive than the guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

	C.	The food service program will provide all students affordable access to the varied and nutritious foods they need to be healthy and to learn well.

	D.	The food service program will strive to be financially self-supporting; however, if it is necessary to subsidize the operation, it will not be through the sale of foods with minimal nutritious value.

	E.	All foods available to students in the dining area during school food service hours shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including competitive foods available to student a la carte or from vending machines.

	F.	The school food service program may involve students, parents, staff, and/or school officials in the selection of competitive food items to be sold in the schools.

	G.	All foods available to students in District programs, other than the food service program, shall be served with consideration for promoting student health and well-being.

	H.	All foods offered on the school campus during the school day shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, including competitive foods that are available to students a la carte in the dining area, as classroom snacks, or from vending machines.

	I.	All food and beverages that are provided, other than through sale, on the school campus during the school day (which may include classroom snacks, for classroom parties, and at holiday celebrations) shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

	J.	The food service program shall be administered by a director who is properly qualified, certificated, licensed, or credentialed, according to current professional standards.

	K.	All food service personnel shall receive pre-service training in food service operations.

The Board designates the Superintendent or designee as the individual(s) charged with operational responsibility for verifying that the District meets the goals established in this policy.

The Superintendent shall appoint a District wellness committee that includes parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, educational staff (including health and physical education teachers), mental health and social services staff, school health professionals, members of the public and school administrators to oversee development, implementation, evaluation and periodic update of the wellness policy. The Wellness Committee shall be an ad hoc committee with members recruited and chosen annually.

The Wellness Committee shall be responsible for:

	A.	assessment of the current school environment;

	B.	review of the District’s wellness policy;

	C.	presentation of the wellness policy to the school board for approval;

	D.	measurement of the implementation of the policy;

	E.	recommendation for the revision of the policy, as necessary.

Before the end of each school year the Wellness Committee shall recommend to the Superintendent any revisions to the policy it deems necessary and/or appropriate. In its review, the Wellness Committee shall consider evidence-based strategies in determining its recommendations.

The Superintendent shall report annually to the Board on the progress of the Wellness Committee and on its evaluation of policy implementation and areas for improvement, including status of compliance by individual schools and progress made in attaining goals of policy.

The Superintendent is also responsible for informing the public, including parents, students and community members, on the content and implementation of this policy. In order to inform the public, the Superintendent shall include information in the student handbook, on the School District's web site and post the policy on the District’s website, including the Wellness Committee's assessment of the implementation of the policy.

The District shall assess the Wellness Policy at least once every three (3) years on the extent to which schools in the District are in compliance with the District policy, the extent to which the District policy compares to model wellness policies, and the progress made in attaining the goals of the District Wellness Policy. The assessment shall be made available to the public on the School District's web site.

42 U.S.C. 1751, Sec. 204
42 U.S.C. 1771

Revised 9/17/14
Revised 5/3/17