JL - STUDENT WELLNESS

The Board recognizes that student wellness and good nutrition are related to individuals' physical and psychological well-being and their readiness to learn. The Board is committed to providing a school environment that supports wellness, healthy food choices, nutrition education, and regular physical activity. The Board supports the fact that students who practice healthy lifestyles, such as good nutrition and regular exercise may reduce their risk of obesity, mental health issues, and chronic diseases.

 

NUTRITION

The school department will ensure that meals provided by its Food Services Program meet or exceed the nutrition standards established by federal regulations. Sales of foods and beverages that compete with the school lunch program (and/or school breakfast program) must be in compliance with the Board's policy EFE, Competitive Food Sales/Sales in competition with the school Food Services Program.

Nutrition education will be integrated into the instructional program through the health education program and/or curriculum as aligned with the content standards of Maine's System of Learning Results. Nutrition education will focus on the skills students need to adopt and maintain healthy eating behaviors. Students will receive consistent nutrition messages throughout the schools, including classrooms, cafeteria, and school-home communications.

Cape Elizabeth Schools will:

• Provide a minimum of20 minutes for all K-12 students to eat their meals
• Schedule snack time at least one hour before/after the lunch meal
• Provide access to free drinking water
• Provide appropriate nutritional information for school meals via the school nutrition website and on the monthly lunch calendar
• Food/sweets are discouraged as a reward, incentive or consequences. Optimally, staff are encouraged to use alternatives to food as rewards in classrooms
• School staff will identify students who are at risk of food insecurity and link them to available resources, including school-based "backpack programs"

 

Goals for Nutrition:

• The schools will provide nutrition education that focuses on the skills students need to adopt and maintain healthy eating behaviors
• The school's health education program will provide sequential, comprehensive lessons including nutrition aligned with the content standards of the Maine Learning Results
• Nutrition education will be integrated into other subjects as appropriate to complement, not replace, the health education program
• The school department will provide foods that meet or exceed the federal nutrition standards, adequate time for students to obtain food and eat, lunch scheduled as close to the middle of the school day as possible, adequate space to eat, and a clean and safe meal environment
• Student and parent/guardian organizations will be encouraged to engage in fundraising projects that are supportive of healthy eating and student wellness

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING

The Cape Elizabeth School Department (CESD) recognizes the importance of nurturing and supporting students' social and emotional needs, while also challenging students academically.

Social/emotional well-being for students will be met by providing services in the form of school counselors, nurses, and social workers. Annual training will be provided to teachers and staff to recognize the social/emotional needs of students as it pertains to their respective roles. The ultimate objective will be to provide education for students to develop self-care and advocacy skills that promote and protect their social and emotional well-being.

Goals for Social/Emotional Well-being

• Structured opportunities for social/emotional integration into classroom curriculum
• Provide information to all students and parents/guardians about mental health resources and how to access counseling or social work support in their school/community
• Educate staff and parents/guardians about identifying and responding to mental health concerns/issues
• Students will have access to counselors/social workers across all grade levels
• Administrators will lead teachers in coordinating the scheduling of major assessments and projects reducing academic overload
• Develop parent/guardian groups to partner with the schools and increase awareness of mental health issues and resources

 

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

The school department will regularly provide all student developmentally appropriate opportunities for physical activity through physical education classes, recess periods for K-8 students, and extracurricular activities (clubs, intramural and interscholastic athletics). School programs are intended to build and maintain physical fitness and to promote healthy lifestyles.

Goals for Physical Activity:

• Physical activity is important for the overall health of a student, therefore withholding physical activity as a form of discipline or denying access to physical activity for purposes of make-up work and testing during the school day is prohibited
• The schools will provide a physical and social environment that encourages safe and enjoyable physical activity and fosters the development of a positive attitude toward health and fitness
• The schools will provide facilities adequate to implement the physical education curriculum for the number of students served
• Teachers are strongly encouraged to incorporate physical activity in their classrooms or advisory periods or outdoors by integrating it into the curriculum and/or using daily or weekly motor breaks
• The physical education program will provide students (K-12) with the knowledge and skills needed to take part in healthy physical activity on a regular basis
• The physical education curriculum will be aligned with the content standards of the Maine system of Leaming Results
• Physical education classes will provide opportunities to learn for students of all abilities

 

IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING

The Superintendent designee (Wellness Steering Committee) shall be responsible for the implementation of the wellness policy, for monitoring efforts to meet the intent of this policy, and for reporting to the Board on a regular basis. Monitoring may include surveys or solicitation of input from students, parents/guardians, staff and school administrators.

 

Reports may include, but are not limited to:

1. The status of the school environment in regard to student wellness issues
2. Evaluation of the school food services program and compliance with nutrition guidelines
3. Summary of wellness programs and activities in the schools
4. Feedback from students, parents/guardians, staff, school administrator and wellness committee
5. Recommendations for policy, program or curriculum revisions

 

Legal Reference:

• 42 USC §1751 

Cross Reference:

• JLCEA- Managing Students with Food Allergies
• EFE- Sales of Foods in Competition with the Food Service Program
• JICK- Bullying and Cyberbullying in Schools

Adopted:

• December 12, 2006

Revised:

• September 12, 2017