To implement the Wellness Policy, the following district specific goals have been established:
Goal 1 – Nutrition Education and Promotion: Schools will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that help students develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors. The goal(s) for addressing nutrition education and nutrition promotion include the following:
- Provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health
- Promote fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and healthy foods
- Link with school meal programs, cafeteria nutrition promotion activities, school gardens, Farm to School programs, other school foods, and nutrition-related community services
Goal 2 – Physical Activity: Schools will provide students and staff with age and grade appropriate opportunities to engage in physical activity that meet federal and state guidelines, including the Iowa Healthy Kids Act. The goal(s) for addressing physical activity include the following:
- Promote the benefits of a physically active lifestyle and help students develop skills to engage in lifelong healthy habits
- Ensure physical activity is not used for or withheld as a punishment
- Afford elementary students with recess according to the following:
- At least 20 minutes a day;
- Outdoors as weather and time permits;
- Encourages moderate to vigorous physical activity; and
Goal 3 – Other School-Based Activities that Promote Student Wellness: Schools will support student, staff, and parents’ efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle, as appropriate. The goal(s) for addressing other school-based activities that promote student wellness include the following:
- Develop a plan to promote staff health and wellness
- Permit students to bring and carry water bottles filled with water throughout the day; Make drinking water available where school meals are served during mealtimes
- Strive to provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch
Public Involvement: There is a process for permitting parents/legal guardians, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, administrators and the public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the policy.
- The district has a local wellness policy committee to advise the district on the development, implementation, and improvement of the school wellness policy