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The government recognizes that schools play a critical role in promoting student health, preventing childhood
obesity, and combating problems associated with poor nutrition and physical inactivity. Public Law 108-265, the
2004 Child Nutrition and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Reauthorization Act, Section 204 requires each
school district participating in the School Nutrition Association Program to establish a local wellness policy by
July 1st, 2006.
This legislation places responsibility of developing a wellness policy at the local level, so that the individual needs
of each District can be addressed. According to the requirements for the wellness policy, school districts must set
goals for nutrition education, physical activity, guidelines for food available at school during the day, and other
school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. Additionally, Districts are required to involve a
variety of individuals including parents, students, nutritional services, School Board, administrators and the
community in policy development.
Realistic and attainable goals have been set for nutrition education, physical activity, nutritional guidelines (School
Nutrition Association) and other school-based activities based on the District's past, current and future practices.
The intention of the Wellness Policy is to provide a basis for ongoing growth in these areas.
A. Nutrition Education and Promotion
We recognize that schools play a critical role in promoting student health, preventing overweight and
underweight eating disorders, and combating problems associated with poor nutrition. A comprehensive
nutrition program encompasses a variety of opportunities for students to learn about age appropriate nutrition
and health eating behaviors.
Goals:
1. Identify and incorporate nutrition education into the school curriculum.
2. Identify eating habits and nutrition related behaviors and conditions that can lead to serious health
problems. Nutrition related behaviors and conditions including, eating disorders such as bulimia
nervosa, anorexia nervosa, binging and purging, binge eating and childhood obesity.
3. Provide education/instruction on eating disorders to explore possible causes for the disorders,
treatment, and treatment difficulties. The focus of such instruction will be to stress healthy, realistic,
and nutritionally sound caloric intake requirements and physical activity levels for the age/grade of
the student receiving instruction.
4. Provide resources for accessing diverse nutrition wellness offerings for school staff.
5. Request staff and departments to incorporate wellness initiatives and learning opportunities into
curriculum in all subjects and at all grade levels.
6. Encourage Wauwatosa School District staff to model healthy eating behaviors.
B. Physical Activity
The primary goal for a school's physical activity component is to provide opportunities for every student to
develop the knowledge and skills for specific physical activities, maintain physical fitness, regularly
participate in physical activity, and understand the short and long term benefits of a physically active and
healthy lifestyle. A comprehensive physical activity program encompasses a variety of opportunities for
students to be physically active, including; physical education, recess, walk-to-school programs, after-school
physical activity programs, health education that includes physical activity as a component, and physical
activity breaks within the regular classrooms.
Goals:
1. Expand physical activity opportunities for students outside of their physical education classes.
2. Explore physical activity options during recesses and study halls.
3. Provide opportunities for families to participate in physical activity in conjunction with their child(ren).
4. Staff will not utilize physical activity nor withhold opportunities for physical activities as a punishment.
5. Explore diverse physical activity wellness program offerings for school staff at each school and within
the District.
6. Staff will recognize that physical activity and exercise capabilities will vary with each individual and
can be affected by eating disorders and other health conditions. Realistic physical activity levels will
be implemented on an individual basis.
7. Encourage Wauwatosa School District staff to model healthy physical activity behaviors.
C. Nutrition guidelines for all foods available on school campus during the school day
Students' lifelong eating habits are greatly influenced by the types of foods and beverages available to them.
Schools must establish standards to address all foods and beverages sold or served to students, including
those available outside of school meal programs. The guidelines should focus on increasing nutrient density,
decreasing fat and added sugars, and moderating portion size. The School District will develop nutrition
guidelines for all foods available at each school during the school day with the objectives of promoting student
health and reducing childhood obesity.
Goals:
1. School lunch meals will meet or exceed Federal nutrition guidelines.
2. Promote healthy food and beverage choices in vending machines, alternative pricing strategies, and
food and beverage product to encourage healthy choices.
3. Encourage schools and families to consider healthy choices when providing treats of snacks for the
classroom.
4. Promote non-food/healthy food alternatives for fundraising.
5. All food service employees will continue to be certified in sanitation by the State of Wisconsin.
6. All school cafeterias will continue to meet the food safety standards set forth under the Wisconsin
food code.
7. The Wauwatosa School District will incorporate a food safety program that complies with HACCP
(Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) principles and conforms to guidance issued by the
Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be reviewed and revised periodically to help ensure the safety
of school meals served to children.
8. Promote nutritionally sound food selection choices in appropriate quantities for all students in all
grade levels.
D. Other School Based Activities
Policies established under this category created a school environment that provides consistent wellness
messages and is conductive to healthy eating and being physically active.
Goals:
1. All children who utilize the school nutrition program are able to obtain food in a nonstigmatizing
manner.
2. Explore opportunities to provide recess before scheduled lunches in elementary schools.
3. Explore the environment, atmosphere, and safety issues in eating areas.
E. Emotional and Psychological Well-Being
A healthy school environment recognizes the need to provide emotional and psychological well-being
opportunities for staff and students.
Goals:
1. Safety, for all students and staff will remain a top priority during each school day.
2. Establish new programs and sustain existing programs that address harassment and bullying within
our school environments.
3. Establish a program, with the assistance of guidance counselors, social workers, school
psychologists and staff members that will encourage students to seek assistance, without
repercussions, if they fell they are experiencing a social-emotional problem or crisis.
F. Maintaining, Measuring and Evaluating a Wellness Policy
A sustained effort by each school is instrumental in ensuring that the wellness policies are faithfully
implemented. Evaluation and feedback from students, parents, staff, administration, and community
partnerships are essential in maintaining a wellness policy.
Goals:
1. Establish a school wellness liaison for each school. This person will be responsible for
communicating school-related wellness issues to the Wellness Policy Committee, including
wellness initiatives/information in school newsletters, and working with the principal in implementing
wellness changes within the school.
2. Request principals to provide evidence of the implementation of wellness initiatives within their
buildings biannually (fall and spring) by using the evaluation tool provided by the Wellness Policy
Committee.
3. Establish and designate a District Wellness Policy Committee. The committee will be represented
by staff, administration, parents, students, and community members. The Wellness Policy
Committee will: meet at least quarterly to review the implementation of the policy, provide resources
for school liaisons, explore financial partnerships or ventures with businesses and organizations,
provide evaluation tools to principals and liaisons to determined the effectiveness of wellness
initiatives in each building, and review the effectiveness of the policy annually.
4. The progress of the Wellness Policy will be shared with students, parents, staff community
and board members on at least on annual basis.
Approved/Adopted: July 13, 2009 |
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