School Wellness

Student wellness, including good nutrition and physical activity, shall be promoted in the District’s education program, school activities, and meal programs. This policy shall be interpreted consistently with Section 204 of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 and the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). The Superintendent or designee will ensure each school building complies with this policy, the policy is available to the community on an annual basis, and that the community is informed about the progress of this policy’s implementation.

Goals for Nutrition Education and Nutrition Promotion

The goals for addressing nutrition education and nutrition promotion include the following:

  • Schools will support and promote sound nutrition for students.

  • Schools will foster the positive relationship between goo nutrition, physical activity, and the capacity of students to develop and learn.

  • Nutrition education will be part of the District’s comprehensive health education curriculum. See School Board policy 6:60, Curriculum Content.

Goals for Physical Activity

The goals for addressing physical activity include the following:

  • Schools will support and promote an active lifestyle for students.

  • Physical education will be taught in all grades and shall include a developmentally planned and sequential curriculum that fosters the development of movement skills, enhances health-related fitness, increases students’ knowledge, offers direct opportunities to learn how to work cooperatively in a group setting, and encourages healthy habits and attitudes for a healthy lifestyle.

  • During the school dat, all students will be required to engage in a daily physical education course, unless otherwise exempted.

  • The curriculum will be consistent with and incorporate relevant Illinois Learning Standards for Physical Development and Health as established by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Nutrition Guidelines for Foods Available in School During the Day

Students will be offered and schools will promote nutritious food and beverage choices consistent with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and published joinly by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture. In addition, in order to promote student health and reduce childhood obesity, the Superintendent or designee shall restrict the sale of competitive foods, as defined by the USDA, in the food service areas during meal periods and comply with all ISBE rules.

Exempted Fundraising Day Requests

All food and beverages sold to students on the school campuses of participating schools during the school day must comply with the “general nutrition standards for competitive foods” specified in federal law, unless the Superintendent or designee in a participating school has granted an exempted fundraising day (EFD). To request an EFD and learn more about the District’s related procedure(s), contact the Superintendent or designee. The District’s procedures are subject to change. The number of EFDs is set by ISBE rule.

Guidelines for Reimbursable School Meals

Reimbursable school meals served shall meet, at a minimum, the nutrition requirements and regulations for the National School Lunch Program and/or School Breakfast Program.

Monitoring

The Superintendent or designee shall annually provide implementation data and/or reports to the Board concerning this policy’s implementation sufficient to allow the Board to monitor and adjust the policy.

This report must include without limitation each of the following:

  • An assessment of the District’s implementation of the policy

  • The extent to which the schools in the District are in compliance with the policy

  • The extent to which the policy compares to model local school wellness policies

  • A description of the progress made in attaining goals of the policy

Community Input

The Superintendent or designee will invite suggestions and comments concerning the development, implementation, and improvement of the school wellness policy from parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and community.

Food Sharing Plan

Food loss and waste continue to be an issue facing the nation’s food supply. In order to prevent food waste, the District will make every effort to produce precise number of meals needed on any given day by using production records and resources such as the USDA’s Food Buying Guide. However, in the event excess food remains, the District will continue to provide food to students in need beyond the meals provided through the USDA School Nutrition Programs. Therefore, the District shall follow the established food sharing plan, in accordance with Public Act 102-0359, and federal and local regulations and sanitation codes.

Recordkeeping

The Superintendent or designee shall retain records to document compliance with this policy.