Wellness Promotion Policy
Celebrating 10 Years Of Wellness
Wellness Promotion Policy
A local school wellness policy ("Wellness Policy") is a written document that guides a local educational agency (LEA) or school district's efforts to establish a school environment that promotes students' health, well-being, and ability to learn. The wellness policy requirement was established by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108 - 265), and further strengthened by the Healthy, Hunger - Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111- 296). The School District of Palm Beach County has emphasized ongoing implementation and assessment of its "Wellness Policy" also called the "Wellness Promotion Policy (2.035)".
On February 26, 2014, USDA Food and Nutrition Service proposed regulations to create a framework and guidelines for written policies established by school districts that included the attention to the following topics:
- Public Involvement
- Content of the Wellness Policy
- Annual Progress Reports
- Triennial Assessments
- Updates to the Wellness Policy
- Public Updates
- Monitoring and Oversight
The School District of Palm Beach County continues to inform and update the public about the content and implementation of this policy through the District's Wellness Promotion Task Force. The Task Force expands its' participation of internal and community collaborators by fostering a broad-based approach to the values of optimal health, well-being and ability to support the District's ultimate goal of improving student performance. Below are a few tools that were used during the 2015 - 2016 school year to develop, implement, disseminate, and assess the effectiveness of the Wellness Promotion Policy in the District and community.
Coordinated School Health Model
The new Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296) requires the District to periodically measure and compare their established policy against other model local school wellness policies. The Florida Healthy District Coordinated School Health website has put together a Florida School District Profiles web page showing the School District of Palm Beach County as a Gold District (2016-2018) and compares other best Practices. The School District of Palm beach County is an active member of the Healthy District Collaborative (HDC). The HDC is a group of districts that have made a high level commitment to meeting the health needs of students and staff in order to remove barriers to learning and maximize district resources.
In the 2015-2016 school year, the District coordinated again the application process for the Florida Healthy School District Assessment Tool that is provided by the Florida Coordinated School Health Partnership (CSHP), the Florida Action for Healthy Kids, and the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS) for the 2016-2018 recognition timeframe.?? The District's infrastructure team for each Coordinated School Health component was updated and stakeholder meetings were organized, including members from the School Health Advisory Council, to review, discuss and complete the assessment tool application.?? The District submitted its final application and all the verification documentation needed to the Office of Coordinated School Health of the Florida Department of Health and the Office of Healthy Schools from the Florida Department of Education on April 15, 2016. This two year (2016-2018) achievement/recognition will be announced in the summer of 2016.
School Health Advisory Council (SHAC)
Overview
A School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) for each school district was established in the ??Florida School Health Services Act of 1973. The legislative intent was to involve parents, and??communities in the health and education of children by providing a means for their input in??planning and evaluation of local school health programs. A SHAC is composed of interested??parents, school, health, business, and community leaders who serve as problem-solvers, and??advisors to school districts on health-related issues.
The SHAC in Palm Beach County uses a model for reviewing school health programs??recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Known as The Coordinated School??Health Model, this approach focuses on eight component areas including (1) health education,??(2) physical education, (3) nutrition, (4) school health services, (5) guidance, psychological, and??social services, (6) healthy school environment, (7) staff wellness, and (8) family, and??community involvement. The components, when looked at in a coordinated manner, have been??found to be highly effective in addressing the health risk behaviors that contribute significantly ??to the leading??causes of death, disability, ??and social problems among youth.
The SHAC serves as an active voice for improving the health of school children through??advocacy and support for quality, coordinated health services and education programs and??policies. Over the decades, the SHAC in Palm Beach County has played an important role in??many issues crucial to student health and welfare. In the 1990s, SHAC focused emphasis on??health education and school nurse services. It was a strong proponent of a nurse in every??public school that was achieved in 1997 when the Health Care District PBC made the??commitment to provide funding and joined the local school district and health department as a??partner in the school health program.
For many years, the SHAC???s goals have been oriented to support efforts focused on nutrition,??physical education and health education and included school board workshops on those topics.??The focus shifted to addressing the needs of students with behavioral and mental health??concerns when the board workshop, ???What Matters Most???.Health (in this case, mental health)?????was presented on October 10, 2012. An important outcome of this workshop was the revision??of school district policy/procedures and comprehensive district-wide training regarding students??and use of the Baker Act.
July 2016 3 members of SHAC presented a summary of council activities during a school ??board workshop. It focused on issues raised by the both CDC Youth Risk Behavior (YRBS)??and SHAC surveys which included concerns regarding student mental health, especially those identifying as LGBT, poor nutritional intake and the cultural acceptability of our school dietary offerings. A request was made for routine, semi-annual communications with the school board.
The SHAC has a strong history of conducting independent surveys of students, parents, and??staff on issues derived from components of the Coordinated School Health Model that are??designed to provide information on student health issues necessary to support improved??provision of services. Recent surveys have focused on behavioral health concerns of??elementary students. The survey results were an important source of data supporting both the??October 2012 school board workshop and the July 2016 presentation.
Parents and civic-minded persons with a passion for children???s health and supporting academic??success are urged to consider participation on the SHAC. The Council meets monthly during??the school year with educational presentations and discussions on a wide range of important??school health topics. Please call the number below for more information and join us.