Congress added a new requirement when it reauthorized the Child Nutrition and WIC Act in 2004 mandating that all school districts with federally-funded school nutrition programs create and implement wellness policies that target nutrition and physical activity. The deadline for fulfilling this requirement is the start of the 2006–2007 school year (Section 204). Wellness policies may be phased in to best accommodate any time, funding and space constraints.
Section 204 of the Act details specific requirements that schools must meet. These include goals for school-based activities that promote student wellness through nutrition education and physical activity; nutrition guidelines for food available on campus; a plan for measuring implementation of the district’s policy; and the involvement of parents, students, the public, the school board, school administrators and representatives of the school food industry.
New Jersey Focus
In addition to the federal requirements, New Jersey has set two state requirements. The first, which mirrors the Local Wellness Policy regulation, requires schools to adopt a local nutrition policy by September 2006 that conforms to USDA nutrition standards and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Then, by September 2007, districts must have a nutrition policy that is consistent with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Model School Nutrition Policy. This Model Policy includes nutrition standards for foods sold à la carte and in vending machines, snack bars, school stores and fundraisers. To ensure compliance, districts will be required to submit their policy along with their annual contract for the school meal programs. In addition, compliance will be monitored during the state Department of Agriculture’s Administrative Review Process. More information on the state requirements is available at the School Board Notes website, www.njsba.org/sb_notes/20050915/nut.html and at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture website, www.state.nj.us/agriculture.
Although nutrition is the main focus of the Department of Agriculture’s policy, opportunities for daily physical activity are also important. In adopting policies, schools should incorporate both nutrition and physical activity standards set forth in the Model Policy.
Model Policies
The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity (NANA, www.nanacoalition.org) put together a task force of health, nutrition, physical activity and education professionals to create a set of model school wellness policies that school districts can adopt. The Model School Wellness Policies serve as a guideline for districts to follow in fulfilling all requirements of the 2004 Child Nutrition and WIC Act. School districts can follow these policies as presented or adapt them to fit with local needs and priorities. NANA suggests districts perform a baseline assessment of the existing physical activity environments in order to identify and prioritize needs. There are several assessment and planning tools available, including the School Health Index from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Changing the Scene from the Team Nutrition Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Opportunity to Learn Standards for Elementary, Middle, and High School Physical Education from the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.
The Model School Wellness Policies set forth by NANA are broken into five focus areas:
I. School Health Councils
II. Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus
III. Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion and Food Marketing
IV. Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education
V. Monitoring and Policy Review
Resources on each of these focus areas can be found at the Model School Wellness Policies website, www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org/WellnessResources.html#councils.
I. School Health Councils
School districts create or strengthen existing school health councils. These councils develop, implement, monitor, and revise all school nutrition and physical activity policies. School health councils should serve as a resource and represent both the school and the greater community.
II. Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus
Serving nutritious meals is an important part of school wellness and there are many opportunities for schools to implement policies to this end. Meals offered through the National School Breakfast and Lunch programs ought to be appealing to children, meet local, state, and federal nutrition standards, include a variety of fruits and vegetables, offer low-fat, non-fat and dairy-free options, and include whole grains. The meal programs should be under the direction of qualified nutrition professionals. All nutrition information should be made available to both students and parents. Meals should be offered at appropriate times and students should be allowed 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch.
Food and beverages sold individually — through snack machines, as à la carte lunch items, during fundraisers, at school stores, or during school-sponsored events — should also be subject to nutrition and portion size standards. Both individually sold items and snacks offered during the school day and in after-school programs ought to encourage the consumption of fruits, vegetables and water and limit portion size of high-fat and/or high-calorie foods. Food should neither be used as a reward nor withheld as punishment.
III. Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion and Food Marketing
In addition to offering healthy food choices, school districts should provide education on the importance of nutrition and the promotion of health. Education should be offered in every grade and be incorporated in classes beyond health and physical education. Lesson plans may include enjoyable, participatory activities such as contests, promotions, taste tests, farm visits, school gardens, and other such projects. Both physical activity/exercise and healthy eating habits should be incorporated. To continue healthy eating habits outside of school, communication with parents on issues of nutrition and opportunities for physical activity should be provided. Marketing of low-nutrition food products and beverages should be prohibited and promoting healthy food choices, especially fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products, should be encouraged.
A commitment by staff to maintain their own healthy lifestyles is an important adjunct and should be apparent to the students, parents and community. Activities and policies that support the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle by staff should be developed and promoted. A staff wellness committee, dedicated to the development of a plan to encourage healthy eating, physical activity and other aspects of a healthy lifestyle, could be part of the school health council.
IV. Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education
The school day provides many opportunities for physical activity and education. Policies suggested include the following:
All students in grades K–12, including those with disabilities, special needs, or in alternative educational environments, will receive daily physical education taught by a certified physical education teacher for the entire school year. No substitutes for this education can be made. Additionally, all elementary students will have at least 20 minutes of supervised recess time daily. Long periods of inactivity should be avoided — when they do become necessary, students should be allowed to stand and be moderately active. Withholding or forcing physical activity as punishment will not be tolerated.
In addition to physical activity during the school day, opportunities exist before and after school. The Safe Routes to School program encourages school districts to work with local public works, public safety and/or police departments to improve the safety and accessibility of routes so students may walk or bike to school. School districts may apply for federal funds, administered by the state department of transportation, for improvements. More information on Safe Routes to School can be found on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/pedbimot/bike/Safe-Routes-2004/index.html.
Other opportunities for physical education outside the normal school day include the offering of extracurricular activities, such as clubs and interscholastic sports programs. A range of activities that meet a variety of interests, needs and abilities should be offered in hopes of appealing to all students. After-school child care and enrichment programs also ought to provide space, equipment and activities that encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity. School facilities should be made available for staff, students, community members and community organizations that offer physical activity and/or nutrition programs. Open hours may include before, after, and during the school day; on weekends, and school holidays and breaks. School policies regarding safety will apply uniformly when facilities are used.
V. Monitoring and Policy Review
Compliance at the district level will be overseen by the superintendent or designee, and at the school level by the principal or designee who reports to the district. School food service staff will be responsible for complying with nutrition policies and report to the superintendent. Every three years a summary report on district-wide compliance should be produced and distributed to all school health councils, parent/teacher organizations, principals and school health services staff. This report will assess policy compliance and may be used to determine areas in need of further improvement.
Resources
www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org/
New Jersey Contact Info
www.state.nj.us/agriculture/modelnutritionpolicy.htm
Use this website to find more information on program training, implementation toolkit, and policy requirements.
References
NJ Department of Health (2003, February 18). Public Health Practice Standards of Performance for Local Boards of Health in New Jersey. NJSA 26:1A-15 and 26:3A2-1 et sq. Retrieved February 16, 2006 from: http://www.state.nj.us/health/lh/chapter_52.pdf
NJ Department of Health and Senior Services. (2005). Healthy New Jersey 2010: Update 2005.
NJ Department of Health and Senior Services: Office of Minority and Multicultural Health. (2006). Home Page. Retrieved March 7, 2006 from: http://www.state.nj.us/health/commiss/omh/.
NJ Department of Health and Senior Services: Office of Minority and Multicultural Health. (2006). Background, Activities, and History. Retrieved March 7, 2006 from: http://www.state.nj.us/health/commiss/omh/background.shtml.
