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Ballico/Cressey
Introduction
Children need access to healthful foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn, and thrive. Good health fosters student attendance and education. The Ballico/Cressey School District (BCSD) is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect children’s well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity.
The wellness policy goals of BCSD are as follows:
- To engage students, parents, teachers, food service professionals, staff, and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing district wide nutrition and physical activity policies.
- All students in grades K-8 will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.
- Foods and beverages sold or served at school will meet the nutritional recommendation of the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
- Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, an appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; will accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.
- To the maximum extent practicable, all schools in our district will participate in available federal school meal programs.
- Schools will provide nutrition education and physical education 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.
Nutrition Education and Promotion
BCSD aims to teach, encourage, and support healthful behaviors and to avoid harmful behaviors.
Students need to learn to take responsibility for their own health and to adopt health enhancing attitudes and behaviors.
- Nutrition education is offered at each grade level as part of a standard-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health.
- Nutrition education is integrated into classroom instruction in such core subjects as science, mathematics, language arts, and social science.
- Instructional strategies are incorporated in experiential learning opportunities (such as taste testing, cooking demonstrations, farm visits, and school gardens).
- Staff is provided with training and resources.
Physical Education and Physical Activity
BCSD aims to expose students to the skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities, ensures that students participate regularly in physical activities, teaches the benefits of involvement in physical activities, and emphasizes the values of physical activity and its contributions to a healthful lifestyle.
Physical Education is a planned program of curricula and instruction that helps students develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary for an active lifestyle.
- All K-12 students (including students with disabilities and/or special health-care needs and those in alternative educational settings) will receive physical education instruction as designated (EC sections 51210, 51222, and 51223). For students in grades 1-6, a minimum of 200 minutes for every 10 school days. For students 7-12, a minimum of 400 minutes for every 10 school days.
- Temporary exemptions from physical education should be limited to students whose medical conditions do not allow for inclusion in the general, modified, or adapted physical education program. (EC Section 51241)
- A teacher credentialed to teach physical education delivers physical education instruction. (EC Section 44203)
- Class size is consistent with the requirements of good instruction and safety. (CCR, Title 5, Section 10060)
- School districts will administer a physical fitness test annually to all students in grades five and seven during the months of February, March, April, or May. (EC Section 60800)
- Students will receive their individual fitness test results upon completing the test. (EC Section 60800)
- Teachers and other school and community personnel will not use physical activity (i.e., running laps, push ups) as punishment (EC Section 49001). Physical activity (i.e., recess) may be restricted for disciplinary purposes only for a reasonable time period. (EC Section 44807.5)
Physical Activity refers to participation in physical activity including structured activities, unstructured activities, or opportunities to participate in physical activity in the daily routine.
- All students will have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through the provision of space and equipment.
- Extended periods (i.e., periods of two or more hours) of inactivity will be strongly discouraged. When activities, such as mandatory school-wide testing, make it necessary for students to remain indoors for long periods of time, students will be given periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.
- School will offer extracurricular physical activity programs, such as physical activity clubs, intramural programs, and interscholastic sports programs.
- School will offer a range of activities that meet the needs, interests, and abilities of all students, including boys, girls, students with disabilities, and students with special health-care needs.
- After-school childcare and enrichment programs will provide and encourage daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants including the provision of space and equipment.
Students should be safe during physical activity.
- The school/district should establish rules and procedures concerning safety for students and staff and assign responsibility for these rules and procedures appropriately.
- The school/district, working with community health officials, should establish local standards for weather and air quality regarding students’ participation in outdoor physical activity.
- The school/district should ensure that students and staff have access to appropriate hydration.
- The school/district should develop an emergency response system to expedite aid to students and/or staff who are injured or become ill at school. The emergency response system should be communicated to the school community, and the necessary training and practice should take place on a regular basis.
- Facilities and equipment used for the physical activity should be properly monitored and maintained to ensure participants’ safety.
- School staff should receive training in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
- School staff should receive notification and be trained, as allowed by law, in the use of any necessary medications that students are authorized to carry and/or use.
Nutrition Guidelines for Food and Beverages (Outside of School Meal Program)
- Individual food items or beverages sold outside the federal reimbursable meal program, on campus, during the school day shall meet local, state, and federal requirements.
- The term “sold” refers to any food or beverages provided to students on school grounds in exchange for money, coupons, or vouchers. The term does not refer to food brought from home for individual consumption.
- Schools shall follow the nutrition standards for kindergarten through eighth grades, including before and after school programs.
- All snacks served will follow the required guidelines.
- Food or beverages that do not meet the nutrition standards may be sold by pupils if the sale takes place off and away from campus or if on school grounds, sales occur 30 minutes before or after the school day.
- Rewards: Teachers and staff are encouraged to use non-food items (i.e., stickers, pencils, erasers, books, pencil sharpeners, etc.) as rewards. Food items should be limited to small single size portions.
- Celebrations: Parents and children will be encouraged to bring healthy foods over non-nutritional food items. Fresh produce should be washed prior to serving. Celebrations will be limited to four per year.
Nutrition Guidelines for Child Nutrition Reimbursable Meal Program
BCSD recognizes that students need adequate, nourishing food in order to grow, learn, and maintain good health.
Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will:
- Be appealing and attractive to children;
- Be served in clean and pleasant settings; all meals should be consumed in the cafeteria or other designated areas;
- Meet or exceed nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal regulations;
- Follow the nutrition recommendations of the current U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans;
- Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables;
- Offer 8oz low fat white and fat free chocolate milk not to exceed 30 percent of total calories from fat or exceed 10 percent total calories from saturated fat;
Free and Reduced-Priced Meals: Every effort will be taken to prevent overt identification of low-income students.
Qualification of Food Service Staff: Staff development should include training and certification for food service personnel at their various levels of responsibility, including safe food handling and nutrition education. School district will meet safety and sanitation requirements as outlined in the current USDA Guidelines.
Food Sharing: Sharing of food and beverages is not allowed.
Monitoring and Policy Review
Monitoring: The principal/superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with the district wellness policy. School food service staff will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within the school food service areas and will report on this matter to the principal/superintendent. In addition, the school district will report on the most recent USDA Schools Meals Initiative review finding and any resulting changes. Each school site will post the district’s policies and regulations on nutrition and physical activity in public view in cafeterias. (EC 49432)
Policy Review: The wellness policy will be annually reviewed in January by the wellness committee and will be revised to address changes in state and federal law as well as areas in need of improvement.
Adopted June 12, 2006
Revised January 20, 2010
