District Wellness Policy

As required by law, the Board of Education establishes the following wellness policy for the Northeastern Local School District as a part of a comprehensive wellness initiative.

The Board recognizes that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well-being of the District's students. Furthermore, research suggests 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.  

Schools alone, however, cannot develop in students healthy behaviors and habits with regard to eating and exercise. 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.  Applications for free/reduced-priced meals will be available online or sent home to families at the beginning of the school year.

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

A. With regard to nutrition education, the District shall:

Nutrition education shall be included in the Health curriculum so that instruction is sequential and standards-based and provides students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to lead healthy lives.

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

1. Physical Education
   The sequential, comprehensive physical education curriculum shall provide students with opportunities to learn, practice, and be assessed on developmentally appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to engage in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity.
2. Physical Activity

C. With regard to other school-based activities:

Free drinking water shall be available to students during designated meal times and may be available throughout the school day.

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, and adequate time for the student to 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.
4. An organized wellness program shall be available to all staff.
5. Schools in our system utilize electronic identification and payment systems, therefore, eliminating any stigma or identification of students eligible to receive free and/or reduced meals.
6. Students are discouraged from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some students' diets.

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

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

A. 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, including but not limited to the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, as well as to the fiscal management of the program. The USDA Professional Standards for State & Local Nutrition Programs are followed to ensure annual professional development in the area of food and nutrition is provided for the food service director, managers, and staff.

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). Breakfasts and lunches served through the district's food service program shall comply with the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program standards for meal patterns, nutrient levels, and calorie requirements for the age/grade levels served as specified in 7CFR 210.10 or 220.8 as applicable. Locally grown fruits and vegetables will be utilized when practical.

The sale of foods of minimal nutritional value in the food service area during the lunch period is prohibited.

C. The sale of foods and beverages to students that do not meet the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards to be consumed on the school campus during the school day is prohibited.

D. All food items and beverages available for sale to students for consumption on the school campus (any area of property under the jurisdiction of the school that is accessible to students during the school day) between midnight and thirty (30) minutes after the close of the regular school day shall comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, including, but not limited to, competitive foods that are available to students a la carte or as entrees in the dining area (except entree items that were offered on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) menu on the day of and the day after they are offered on the NSLP or SBP menu), as well as food items and beverages from vending machines, from school stores, or as fund-raisers, including those operated by student clubs and organizations, parent groups, or boosters clubs.

E. 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.

F. All food and beverages that are provided, other than through sale, on the school campus during the school day (which may include for classroom parties and at holiday celebrations) shall comply with the food and beverage standards approved by the Superintendent or principal.

G. 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.

H. 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 regardless of unpaid meal balances and without stigma. Schools will reach out to the family of a child with an unpaid balance to assess whether the child is eligible for free or reduced-priced meals or to collect payment.

The Board designates the Building Principals as the individual(s) charged with operational responsibility for measuring and evaluating the District's implementation and progress under this policy. The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines necessary to implement this policy.

The Superintendent shall appoint a District-wide 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 this policy. The Wellness Committee shall be an ad hoc committee with members recruited and appointed annually. School-level advisory teams may assist in the planning and implementation of these Wellness initiatives.

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 Board for approval;
 
D. measurement of the implementation of the policy; and
 
E. recommendation for the revision of the policy is 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 Wellness Committee’s progress and on its evaluation of the policy’s implementation and areas for improvement, including the status of compliance by individual schools and progress made in attaining the policy’s goals.

The Superintendent is also responsible for informing the public, including parents, students, and community members, on the content and implementation of this policy post the policy on the District’s website, including the Wellness Committee’s assessment of the policy’s implementation

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 website.

Last Revised: November 16, 2021