Academics Curriculum Wellness & Physical Education Wellness: Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines
The Sudbury Public School District is committed to providing a school environment that promotes and protects children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity. Schools, along with parents and the community, play an important role in addressing obesity and diet-related health concerns for children. The District also seeks to prepare students for life-long wellness practices.
These guidelines provide for implementation of the District policy goals concerning nutrition and physical activity. The guidelines address school-sponsored activities that occur during the school day.
Nutrition education and physical education are components of the District’s comprehensive wellness program. Both the nutrition education curriculum and the physical education curriculum are detailed in the Sudbury Wellness Learning Expectations. The Learning Expectations are available in the District Central Office and are summarized in the grade-level curriculum guidelines available at the schools and on the District website.
The nutrition education and physical education curriculum will comply with all state and federal requirements. The curriculum in each area will be offered as part of a sequential, developmentally-appropriate, and standards-based program.
1. Nutrition Education Goals
The nutrition education curriculum will aim to provide students with knowledge and skills for life-long health promotion. The program should seek to provide nutrition knowledge to support healthy eating choices, such as the benefits of weight management or essential nutrients in a balanced diet. Students will also be taught skills needed to adopt and maintain healthy eating, such as planning a healthy meal or understanding food labels.
Staff members are encouraged to integrate nutrition education with other curriculum areas, such as math, science, language arts, and social studies, when appropriate and feasible. Specific curriculum areas directly related to nutrition, such as Family and Consumer Science, will be guided by the nutrition education goals. The school meal program and other school activities will be coordinated with nutrition education as well. The schools will seek to provide a consistent message to students concerning proper and healthy nutrition.
2. Physical Education Goals
The physical education curriculum will aim to provide students with knowledge and skills for lie-long health promotion. The curriculum should seek to provide knowledge about sports and physical activities that can be pursued throughout life. The program should emphasize physical fitness and include physical activities that provide a health benefit to students, subject to the differing abilities and interests of the students.
School administrators and staff will promote a school environment supportive of healthy eating and consistent with nutrition education. The school should be a place where students can learn to make healthy choices in an age-appropriate manner. Staff members will be encouraged to model healthy eating and to promote healthy practices. Staff members are discouraged from using food as a reward or punishment. Any school-based marketing of foods will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion. Moreover, parents will be encouraged to provide nutritious meals and snacks for their children to bring to school and to ensure that students start each day with a healthy breakfast.
1. The Food Service Program
The Food Service procedures and practices will be consistent with the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity. The Food Services program will offer a variety of options appealing to children to encourage good nutrition choices. All food sold by the schools will be analyzed in accordance with these goals. The program will plan meals designed to increase nutrient density, to decrease fat, added sugars, and sodium, and to provide appropriate portion sizes. The meal and snack offerings will emphasize fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lower fat options. Food service and cafeteria practices will comply with the District Student Allergy Policy and Protocol.
The lunch menus will be made available to parents through the District website and other means of communication. Information concerning ingredients and the nutrition content of the foods will be made available to parents upon request. The Food Service program is intended to be financially self-supporting. The District will balance budgetary concerns and nutrition goals in planning food offerings. In particular, the program will aim to provide a balanced meal that is affordable and to avoid reliance on minimally nutritious foods to generate profits.
The schools will provide a physical setting for meals that promotes healthy eating. For instance, dining areas will be clean and will provide enough seating for all students in the lunch period. Moreover, students will be provided ample time for eating meals.
a. School meals
The District will, when feasible, participate in available federal school meal programs and will encourage students to take advantage of these programs. All school meals will comply with the USDA dietary guidelines for the national school breakfast and lunch programs.
b. A la carte items
The options for snacks, individual items, and beverages sold a la carte in the school cafeteria and in any vending machines available to students will be consistent with appropriate nutrition guidelines. The individual snacks offered in the cafeterias will include healthy choices consistent with the messages of the nutrition education program. Students will be discouraged from substituting snack items for a nutritionally balanced meal.
In particular, in planning for individual and snack sale items, the District will consider the guidelines of the Massachusetts A La Carte Food & Beverage Standards to Promote a Healthier School Environment, established by the Massachusetts Action for Healthy Kids. These guidelines will be made available to parents upon request and can be found at www.johnstalkerinstitute.org.
2. Other food and beverages available to students during the school day:
When food or beverages are made available to students in connection with any school-sponsored event that occurs during the school day, staff members are encouraged to consider the food and beverage options in light of the District goals of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity. School-sponsored events include those planned for a class, team, grade, or the entire school. The schools also must follow the guidelines of the District Student Allergy Policy and Protocol when food or beverages are made available to students.
The teacher will consult with the school nurse concerning allergy and nutrition concerns prior to any celebration or curriculum activity involving the consumption of food. Such events include student birthday celebrations, other celebrations, field trips, special programs, meetings, and curriculum-based events such as grade-wide festivals.
To further this goal, staff members involved in planning food events are encouraged to include healthy options, when feasible, to assist students in making good choices. Staff may also consider the frequency of events providing food or the amount of food or portion size available for each event. The Massachusetts A La Carte Food & Beverage Standards to Promote a Healthier School Environment provides guidance for healthy snack options. The schools will aim to contribute toward eating patterns that are consistent with sound nutrition principles such as those underlying the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Staff members also are encouraged to consider alternatives to food for rewards or celebrations, such as a special activity.
In addition, each school is encouraged to develop specific site-based guidelines, with the assistance of the school council, concerning food and beverages available to students during the school day to implement the District’s nutrition goals.
Any class or other group planning a school-sponsored event that will provide a meal intended to replace the students’ usual lunch in the cafeteria is encouraged to order lunch through the Food Service program. Otherwise, the class or group should seek to ensure that the replacement meal complies with the nutrition and food safety guidelines used by the Food Service program. Information concerning the District’s nutrition and physical activity goals may be provided to the parent-teacher organizations or other parent groups, but these guidelines are not intended to address fundraisers or other events sponsored by parent groups.
The District recognizes the benefits of physical activity for students during the school day in addition to physical education activities. The schools will aim to allow students to engage in some physical activity each day. The Wellness Coordinator, in conjunction with the building principal at each school, will encourage staff members to consider ways to integrate physical activity or physical activity breaks in the classroom setting and will provide suggested activities to support this goal. The schools will provide for a daily recess period for elementary students that will include physical activity when feasible. Students will be encouraged to voluntarily participate in after-school physical activity programs such as school sports, intramurals, clubs, park and recreation activities, private classes, and organized sports. Parents will be encouraged to support options for physical activity and alternatives to sedentary activity outside the school day.
The District Wellness Coordinator, or other person designated by the Superintendent, will be responsible for ensuring that the District operates in accordance with the nutrition and physical activity policy and guidelines. The designated person will conduct a periodic review of the nutrition and physical activity goals to assess implementation. This person will report to the Superintendent concerns about failure to implement these goals and will provide recommendations for changes as needed. This review may include consultation with staff, students, or parents, or the creation of an ad hoc committee to assist in the review.
References:
Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-265) §204.
Child Nutrition Act, 42 U.S.C. 1771-1779.
Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. 1751- 1769h.
7 CFR Parts 210 and 220.
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