WELLNESS 

Purpose

The link between nutrition, physical activity, and learning is well documented. Healthy eating and activity patterns are essential for students to achieve their full academic potential, full physical and mental growth, and lifelong health and well-being. Healthy eating and physical activity, essential for a healthy weight, are also linked to reduced risk for many chronic diseases. Schools have a responsibility to help students learn, establish, and maintain lifelong healthy eating and activity patterns. Well-planned and effectively implemented school nutrition and fitness programs have been shown to enhance students’ overall health, as well as their behavior and academic achievement in school. Staff wellness also is an integral part of a healthy school environment since school staff can be daily role models for healthy behaviors. Superintendent will designate the individual(s) responsible for implementation of policy.

Overall Goal

Students in Pryor School District 46-I001 shall possess the knowledge and skills necessary to make nutritious food choices and enjoyable physical activity choices appropriate for their developmental age. Staff in the District is encouraged to model healthful eating and physical activity as a valuable part of daily life.

To meet this goal, the District adopts this school wellness policy with the following commitments to nutrition, nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that support student and staff wellness.

School Meals

Per USDA Regulations (7 CFR Parts 210 & 220), Pryor Public Schools will follow the meal patterns and nutrition standards for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, aligning them with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. USDA rules require most schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat fluid milk in school meals; reduce the levels of sodium, saturated fat and trans fat in meals; and meet the nutrition needs of school children within their calorie requirements. These improvements to the school meal programs, largely based on recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, are expected to enhance the diet and health of school children, and help mitigate the childhood obesity trend. Additionally:

• Drinking water will be available for students in the food service areas. Only low or non-fat varieties of milk will be allowed. Juice will be 100 percent juice with no added caloric sweeteners. Section 3 – Page 93
• Students will be allowed adequate time to consume meals, at least 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch from the time they are seated. Recess before lunch will be encouraged to the greatest extent possible.
• The Child Nutrition Program will pursue partnerships with local/regional farms to facilitate a Farm-to-School program.
• Annual training or access to training is provided to child nutrition staff on basic nutrition, nutrition education and nutrition standards for preparing healthy meals.

Other Food Items Sold on School Campuses

Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 265, USDA Regulation Section 210, Appendix B, and Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 the following are required.

• Foods of minimal nutritional value (FMNV) are prohibited from being sold or served during student meal services in the food service area where USDA reimbursable meals are served or eaten.
• Beverage contracts will not restrict the sale of fluid milk products at any time during the school day or at any place on the school premises.
• Students in elementary schools will not have access to FMNV except on special occasions (effective 2007-2008).
• Students in middle/junior high schools will not have access to FMNV except after school, at events which take place in the evening, and on special occasions (effective 2007-2008).
• Healthy food options will be provided at the high school and priced lower than FMNV in order to encourage student and staff to make healthier food choices (effective 2007-2008).

Nutrition & Health Education

Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 1627 and USDA Regulations, Sections 210.12 and 227 the following are required.

• Nutrition education is offered in the school cafeteria as well as the classroom.
• The Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee at each site will study and make recommendations regarding health education, nutrition, and health services. They will utilize the CDC Coordinated School Health Index Modules as a resource in their meetings.
• Nutrition education will teach students the knowledge and skills necessary to adopt healthy eating and regular physical activity as part of their lifestyle.
•  Nutrition resources that include learning opportunities which enhance health will be made available for staff.
• District has implemented and follows the Oklahoma Academic Standards for all curriculum areas, which would include nutrition, physical education and health.

School-Based Activities

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 1627, Child Nutrition Programs Agreement, or USDA Regulations, Sections 210.12 and 227 the following are required.
• Each school site will establish a Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee that meets and makes recommendations to the building principal. The building principal shall give consideration to recommendations made by the Advisory Committee.
• School meals may not be used as a reward or punishment.
• Food, beverages, and candy will not be used to reward or punish academic performance or student behavior.
• Students are provided healthy food and beverage options for food beyond the school food services (vending machines, school stores, and food/beverages for snacks and celebrations).
• Students and parents will be involved in the National School Lunch Program. Parents and student involvement will include menu-planning suggestions, cafeteria enhancement, program promotion, and other related student-community support activities.
• For fundraising activities outside the school day, Clubs, Groups and Organizations should support children’s health. Our district encourages that fundraising activities should only include healthy foods and/or physical activity and/or non-food items.
• The district allows school gardens and dedicates resources (i.e. water, containers, raised beds, etc.). The district will support the sustaining of school gardens through activities that could include grants, fundraisers, community donations, class groups, school clubs and the use of existing resources.

Outside Snacks

In efforts to promote healthier lifestyles, only healthy snacks will be served in the classroom, with the only exception of certain designated celebrations cleared through the Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee and approved by the Principal.

If and when high sugary snacks are brought to school, the school reserves the right to send the snacks back home with the student.

Physical Education and Physical Activity

General Requirements

The District will ensure that all elementary school students (K-5) participate in a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity each week whether through physical education, exercise programs, after-school athletics, fitness breaks, recess, classroom activities, or wellness and nutrition education.

Recess and Physical Activity Breaks

Recess: The District will require schools to provide elementary school students (K-5) at least 60 minutes of recess each week (in addition to the PE requirements). Additionally, the District will develop indoor recess guidelines to ensure students can have adequate physical activity on days when recess must be held indoors.

Physical Activity Breaks: The District will encourage schools to provide all students (K-12) short breaks (three to five minutes) throughout the day to let them stretch, move around, and break up their time spent sitting. These physical activity breaks may take place during and/or between classroom time.

Physical Education (PE)

The District will require all schools to establish a comprehensive, standards-based PE curriculum for each grade (K-12). Schools will ensure that PE classes and equipment afford all students (K-12) an equal opportunity to participate in PE.

• Elementary school students (K-5) will participate in at least 60 minutes of PE per week throughout the entire school year.
• Middle and high school students (6-12) will be offered at least 225 minutes of PE per week throughout the entire school year.

In addition, the following requirements apply to all students (K-12):

• During PE, students will be given the opportunity to participate in many types of physical activity, including both cooperative and competitive games.
• Students will engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity for more than 50 percent of the PE class time.

Teacher Qualifications, Training and Involvement

• Schools will allow teachers the opportunity to participate in or lead physical activities before, during, and after school.
• PE classes will be taught by licensed teachers who are certified or endorsed to teach PE. 

Punishment and Rewards

• Physical activity will not be used or withheld as punishment. (This does not apply to participation on sports teams that have specific academic requirements.)

Grounds, Facilities and Equipment

The District will ensure the availability of proper equipment and facilities that meet safety standards and will conduct necessary inspections and repairs.

Community Use of Recreational Facilities

The District will encourage school staff, students, and their families to participate in physical activity outside of the school day. The District will explore and, when appropriate, permit use during non-school hours by staff, students and their families.

Active Transportation

The District will do the following:

• Encourage children and their families to walk and bike to and from school.
• Work with local officials to designate safe or preferred routes to school.
• Promote National and International Walk and Bike to School Week/Day.
• Provide bike racks for students, faculty, and staff.
• Encourage parents to supervise groups of children who walk or bike together to and from school.

After-School Physical Activity

With district-sponsored after-school activities, the district will seek to:

• Dedicate at least 20%, or at least 30 minutes (whichever is more), of program time to physical activity, which includes a mixture of moderate to vigorous physical activity.
• Utilize outdoor space for physical activity as much as possible each day (weather permitting and with appropriate protection from the elements).
• Provide equal opportunities for children and youth with disabilities to be physically active.
• Encourage staff to join children and youth in physical activity whenever possible.

OTHER ACTIVITIES WHICH PROMOTE SCHOOL WELLNESS

Staff Wellness

The District recognizes that employee health is essential to student health and to creating healthy school environments. Accordingly, the District will implement an employee wellness program that promotes healthy eating, physical activity, and overall health. The District may partner with community agencies and organizations (e.g., local health departments, hospitals, health insurance companies, and local chapters of national organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Red Cross, and YMCA) to assist in providing education, services, and resources for staff.

The District will do the following to support staff wellness:

Nutrition

Provide employees with access to a refrigerator, microwave, and sink with a water faucet.

Physical Activity

• Promote walking meetings.
• Provide access to on-campus athletic facilities, such as gyms, running tracks, basketball courts, and tennis courts.
• Promote employee participation in physical activity by creating exercise clubs or groups and/or sponsoring employee sports teams.

General Wellness

• Partner with community organizations or agencies to offer voluntary health screenings annually to staff, including free or low-cost health assessments.
• Promote tobacco prevention and provide referral information on cessation services through the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline.
• Partner with community organizations or agencies to offer immunization clinics (e.g., flu, Tdap, etc.) to staff.
• Provide or partner with community organizations or agencies to offer free or low-cost first aid and CPR training.

Health Education

Where applicable, schools’ health education curriculums will follow the Oklahoma Academic Standards.

This wellness policy and each school site wellness policy shall be reviewed annually to consider the policies’ appropriateness in meeting local, state, and federal requirements and school-community needs for the children served by Pryor Public Schools.