NORTH SANPETE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Creating Conditions for Learning So All Students Can Succeed
NORTH SANPETE SCHOOL DISTRICT
Creating Conditions for Learning So All Students Can Succeed
VII-30: Child Nutrition Wellness Policy
North Sanpete School District
Statement of…………………….
Board Policy With Guidelines
Policy Number: VII-30
Effective Date: 05/16/2006
Revised Date: 07/18/2023
Subject: Child Nutrition Wellness Policy
BOARD POLICY
North Sanpete School District recognizes the need to promote healthy schools by supporting wellness, good nutrition, and regular physical activity as a part of
a total learning environment. This policy outlines the Districts approach to ensuring environments and opportunities for all students to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors throughout the school day.
GOALS AND PROCEDURES
This policy establishes goals and procedures to ensure that:
- All students in the district have access to healthy foods throughout the school day through school meals and other foods available on the school campus that are in accordance with Current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This guidance can be found at https://www.myplate.gov/.
- Students receive quality nutrition education that helps develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors.
- Schools provide opportunities to be physically active before, during, and after school.
- Schools engage in nutrition and physical activity promotion and other activities that promote student wellness.
- School staff are encouraged and supported to practice healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors in and out of school.
- The community is engaged in supporting the work of the District in creating continuity between school and other settings for students and staff to practice lifelong healthy habits.
Wellness Committee
The district will convene a district wellness committee that will include but is not limited to, school lunch staff, school principals, physical education teachers,
parents of students, and community members. The committee will meet annually to establish goals and to oversee the implementation of the district
wellness policy. They will periodically review and update the policy as needed.
Record Keeping
The District will retain records to document compliance with the requirements of the wellness policy at North Sanpete School District Office in the Child
Nutrition Director’s office. Documentation maintained in this location will include:
- The written policy.
- Documentation of annual policy progress reports for each school.
- Documentation of the triennial assessment of the policy.
- Documentation demonstrating compliance with public notification requirements, including methods by which the wellness policy, annual progress reports, and triennial assessments are made available to the public, and efforts to notify families about the availability of the wellness policy.
Annual Progress Report
The District will compile and publish an annual report to share basic information about the wellness policy and report on the progress of the schools within the
district in meeting wellness goals. The annual report will be published on the District website.
Triennial Progress Assessment
Every three years, the District Wellness Committee will meet to evaluate compliance with the wellness policy to assess the implementation of the policy
and include:
- The extent to which schools under the jurisdiction of the District are in compliance with the wellness policy
- A description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the District’s wellness policy
- The District will actively notify household/families of the availability of the triennial progress report.
Revisions and updating the policy
The District Wellness Committee will update or modify the wellness policy based on the results of the annual progress reports and triennial assessments. The
wellness policy will be assessed and updated as indicated at least every three years.
Nutrition
North Sanpete School District is committed to serving healthy meals to our students, with plenty of fruits and vegetables (fresh, canned and frozen), whole
grains, fat free and low-fat milk, moderate sodium content, low saturated fat, and zero grams of trans-fat per serving to meet the nutrition needs of our
students within their calorie requirements. The Child Nutrition Programs goal is to improve the diet and health of all of our students, and to model healthy
eating to support the development of lifelong healthy eating patterns, and support healthy food choices.
Nutrition Education Goals
The students of North Sanpete School District will receive instructions with regard to the science of nutrition as outlined in the Utah State Core Curriculum.
Additional educational opportunities will be provided when possible. These educational opportunities may include, but are not limited to, the distribution of
educational and informational materials and the arrangement of presentations and workshops that focus on nutritional value and healthy lifestyles, health
assessments, fitness activities, and other appropriate nutrition and physical activity related topics. The expectations of this policy includes:
- Students in grades pre-K-12 will receive nutrition education that is interactive and teaches the skills they need to adopt healthy eating behaviors.
- Nutrition education shall be offered in the school cafeterias as well as in the classroom, with coordination between the Child Nutrition Staff and the teachers.
- Students will receive consistent nutrition messages throughout the school. These messages shall be posted in the classrooms, cafeteria, hallways, and on school and district websites.
- Staff members who provide nutrition education will have appropriate training.
- Students will be encouraged to start each day with a healthy breakfast.
- The District shall provide information to families that encourage them to teach their children about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.
- Schools are encouraged to share nutrition and physical education activities and promotions that involve parents, students, and the community.
- Teachers are encouraged to offer non-food rewards and incentives to students. Schools will be encouraged to set limits for celebrations that involve food during the school day. Such celebrations should take place after lunch whenever possible.
- Elementary schools will try to schedule recess before lunch so students are ready to sit down and enjoy a healthy lunch with plenty of time to consume it.
Nutrition Guidelines
- Lunches sold to students will be in compliance with the current USDA dietary guidance established for the National School Lunch Program.
- Snacks sold to students throughout the school day will comply with USDA Smart Snack requirements. Sites selling snacks must only offer healthy offerings that comply with Smart Snack Regulations.
- A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables will be offered daily with school meals.
- To ensure that all students have the opportunity to consume a healthy breakfast, schools will (to the extent possible) operate the School Breakfast Program and comply with the USDA standards for breakfast.
- The transportation department will (to the extent possible) arrange bus schedules to allow and encourage students to participate in the School Breakfast Program.
- Vending machines will NOT be on during meal service and will only offer Smart Snack compliant snacks during the school day.
- Beverages available for sale to students during the school day will include, water, 1% or Fat Free milk (flavored or unflavored), and 100% juice in sizes compliant with Smart Snack regulations.
- School meals will be appealing and attractive to students, and be served in a sanitary and pleasant setting.
- Child Nutrition Staff will make nutritional content of meals available to parents upon request.
- Special Diet meals will be accommodated if the required documentation is on file at the student’s school and at the district office. Parents may request the forms at the Child Nutrition Supervisors office at the district office. This form must be signed by a medical professional.
- Schools will plan their schedules to allow students enough time to consume their meals.
- Elementary schools are encouraged to plan recess before lunch to allow students time to relax and consume a healthy meal.
Fundraisers During the School Day
North Sanpete Child Nutrition Services will comply with the following guidance received from the Utah State Board of Education.
“The Utah State Board of Education addressed competitive foods and services in schools by enacting that local education agencies may hold specifically exempted fundraisers no more than three times per year per site, with each fundraiser lasting no longer than five consecutive school days. This direction aligns with the Healthy Hunger - Free Kids Act of 2010, which directed the USDA to establish nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold to students in school during the school day, including foods sold through school fundraisers. The standards provide support to encourage healthy option in school while providing a special exemption for infrequent fundraisers that do not meet the nutrition standards.
| Fundraisers with items that meet the standards | Fundraisers with items that DO NOT MEET the standards |
|---|---|
| Examples included selling: Foods and beverages that meet the Smart Snack Standards and non-food items | Examples include selling: Candy, sugar sweetened beverages |
| 1. These fundraisers do not need to apply for a fundraiser exemption. 2. These fundraisers need to document products sold during the fundraiser and 3. keep record of products complying with the standards. 4. Use the product ingredient list and nutrition facts label to find out if the item meets the standards (is a Smart Snack) with the product calculator from Alliance for a Healthier Generation. https://foodplanner.healthiergeneration.org/ 5. Keep the results from the product calculator as documentation and submit to the school’s contact. | 1. These fundraisers may sell items that do not meet the Smart Snack Standards. 2. These fundraisers need to apply for a fundraiser exemption. 3. Submit the exemption form to the designated contact at the district and school level. 4. The application must be approved to sell the items that do not meet the standards. 5. Each school may host three exempted fundraisers per year for no longer than five consecutive school days. 6. Fundraisers selling items that do not meet the standards may not be sold in the meal service area during breakfast or lunch meal service unless special permission is given from the School Foodservice Director. |
*7CFR 210.11(a) (5) defines the school day as the midnight before until 30 minutes after the end of the official school day.
For more information about Smart Snacks in School and additional resources visit:
FSN – USDA Tools for School: Focusing on Smart Snacks
https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/tools-schools-focusing-smart-snacks
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
https://www.healthiergeneration.org/take-action/schools/wellness-topics/smart-snacks
Utah State Board of Education R277-719
Use Utah Office of Administrative Rules to search for:
Standards for Selling Foods Outside of the Reimbursable Meal in Schools (719)
Below is a link to Exempted Fundraiser Forms
https://usbe.instructure.com/courses/54/pages/state-forms-and-resources
Child Nutrition Staff Qualifications
Trained child nutrition professionals will administer the school meal program. As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the District will require continuing professional development for all child nutrition staff. Staff development programs should include appropriate certifications and or training programs for child nutrition directors, child nutrition managers, and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility. These trainings must be in compliance with the USDA Professional Standards.
Nutrition Promotion
School based marketing will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion. As such, schools will limit food and beverage marketing to the
promotion of food and beverages that meet the USDA school nutrition and Smart Snack standards.
Rewards
Schools should work with parent advisory councils and staff to reduce the use of foods or beverages that do not meet the Federal regulations as rewards for
performance or good behavior.
- Celebrations and parties: The District will encourage parents and teachers to find healthy party ideas including non-food celebration ideas. Such ideas can be found on the Alliance for a Healthier Generation website at https://www.healthiergeneration.org/take_action/schools/snacks_and_beverages/non-food_rewards.
- Classroom snacks brought by parents: A list of Smart Snack approved foods and beverages will be provided to parents for ideas for healthy snacks to bring to the classroom.
- Rewards and Incentives: The district will provide teacher and other relevant school staff a list of alternative ways to reward children. Foods and beverages should not be used as a reward or withheld as punishment for any reason such as performance or behavior.
Physical Activity and School Based Activity Goals
Physical activity shall be included in a school’s regular education program from grades pre-K-12. Schools will provide physical activity and physical education
opportunities, aligned with the Utah Core Curriculum that provides students with the knowledge and skills to lead a physically active lifestyle.
- Staff supervised physical activity opportunities may be offered regularly before school, during school (recess) or after school.
- Schools are encouraged to provide extracurricular activities such as intramurals programs that feature a broad range of competitive and cooperative activities.
- Every school shall provide playgrounds or other facilities and equipment available for physical activity.
- Recess shall complement, not substitute for physical education classes.
- It is recommended that students not be denied participation in recess or other physical activity as a form of discipline or punishment, nor cancel it for instructional makeup time.
- Schools are encouraged to work with after school programs, recreation agencies and other community organizations to coordinate and enhance opportunities available to students and staff for physical activity during their out-of-school time.
Physical Education
A sequential, developmentally appropriate curriculum shall be designed, implemented, and evaluated to help students develop the knowledge, motor
skills, self-management skills, attitudes, and confidence needed to adopt and maintain physical activity throughout their lives.
- Physical education classes and physical activity opportunities will be available for all students. The guidelines for appropriate levels and types of activity outlined by NASPE are recommended.
- Physical education classes will introduce developmentally appropriate components of a health-related fitness assessment for students starting with their first year of school to prepare them for future assessments.
- Health-related fitness assessment or activity logging should begin in Middle School and continue throughout High School PE classes. Efforts should be made to assist students to interpret their personal attainments and compare them to national physical activity recommendations.
Community Involvement, Outreach and Communications
The District is committed to being responsive to community input, which begins with awareness of the wellness policy. The District will actively communicate ways in which representatives of the District wellness committee and others can participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the wellness policy through a variety of means appropriate for the district. The District will also inform parents of the improvements that have been made to school meals and it’s compliance with the USDA school meal standards. The district will use a variety of means such as, electronic mechanisms, the District website, and newsletters, to ensure that all families are actively notified of the content of, implementation of, and updates to the wellness policy, as well as how to get involved and support the policy. The District will ensure that communications are culturally appropriate to the community, and accomplished
through means similar to other ways that the district and individual schools are communicating other important information with parents.
Monitoring
School Principals or designees will ensure compliance with established nutrition and physical activity goals listed in this policy for their schools. Child Nutrition
staff at the school and district levels will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas. The Wellness Policy Assessment Tool will be completed each January and will be used to show compliance or concerns with this policy. This information will be submitted to the Superintendent, and the school district will report to the Board on the most recent USDA review findings and any resulting changes.
Leadership
See Appendix A
Appendix A
Karen Seely
Child Nutrition Supervisor
Wellness Committee Coordinator
Katie Hopkins
Middle School P.E. Teacher
Wellness Policy Compliance Coordinator
O’Dee Hansen
Superintendent
Wellness Committee Member
Jeff Ericksen
North Sanpete Middle School
Wellness Committee Member
Melanie Smith
North Sanpete High School Food Service Manager
Wellness Committee Member
MaryLou Rawlings
Middle School Food Service Cook
Wellness Committee Member
Stephanie Nuttall
Elementary P.E. Specialist
Wellness Committee Member
stephanie.nuttall@nsanpete.org
Nancy Allred
Elementary Teacher
Wellness Committee Member