I.    PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to assure a school environment that promotes and protects students’ health, well-being and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating, physical activity, and social and emotional health. The Minnetonka School District is committed to enhancing the development of lifelong wellness practices through active partnership with parents and community.

II.    GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

1. The School Board recognizes that nutrition education and physical education are essential components of the educational process and that good health fosters student attendance and learning.
    
2. All E-12 students will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active on a daily basis.
    
3. Qualified food and nutrition services personnel will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; try to accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.
    
4. All E-12 students need access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis in order to grow, learn, thrive and achieve academic success.
    
5. The school environment will promote and protect student health, well being, and ability to learn by encouraging healthy eating and physical activity in order to reduce childhood obesity, eating disorders, and prevent diet-related chronic diseases.
    
6. The school environment will promote student emotional and social health by providing safe surroundings for students to grow emotionally and socially.
    
7. The District encourages the involvement of students, parents, teachers (K-12 specialists in health, physical education, Family & Consumer Science, food and nutrition services staff, school administrators, and other interested persons in implementing, monitoring, and reviewing District nutrition and physical activity policies.
    
8. The District will maintain an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan to provide a healthy atmosphere for the students.

III.    GUIDELINES

1. Foods and Beverages
    
   1. All foods and beverages made available during the school day on campus will be consistent with the current United States Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
       
   2. Food and Nutrition Services personnel will take every reasonable measure to ensure that student access to foods and beverages meet or exceed all federal, state, and local guidelines.
       
   3. Food and Nutrition Services personnel will adhere to all federal, state, and local food safety and security guidelines.
       
   4. The District will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.
       
   5. The District will promote student hand-washing or hand-sanitizing before meals or snacks.
       
   6. The District will make every effort to provide students with sufficient time and place to eat after sitting down for school meals and will schedule meal periods at appropriate times during the school day.
       
   7. The District will discourage tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities.
       
   8. Teachers and other school personnel will not use food as a reward for re-enforcement of learning unless it is used in exceptional settings. Food as a part of celebrations may be acceptable.
       
   9. The District will discourage restricting cafeteria time as a student consequence for misbehavior unless it is necessary for the safety of students.
       
2. School Food and Nutrition Program/Personnel
    
   1. The District will provide healthy and safe school meal programs that strictly comply with all federal, state, and local statutes and regulations.
       
   2. The Supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services will be responsible for the District’s school meal programs, whose duties shall include the creation of nutrition guidelines and procedures for the selection of foods and beverages served in the cafeterias during the school day to ensure food and beverage choices are consistent with current United States Department of Agriculture Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
       
   3. The nutritional needs of students will take precedence over profit generation.
       
   4. As part of the District’s responsibility to operate a food and nutrition service program, the District will provide continuing professional development for all food and nutrition service personnel in schools.
       
3. Nutrition Education and Promotion
    
   1. The District will encourage and support healthy eating by students and engage in nutrition and wellness promotion that is:
       
      1. Offered as part of a sequential, E-12 comprehensive program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;
          
      2. Integrated into other areas of the curriculum such as science, social sciences, and elective subjects, where appropriate; and
          
      3. Enjoyable, developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant, and includes participatory activities, such as contests, promotions, taste testing, and field trips.
          
   2. The District will provide information to families that encourage them to teach their children about health, nutrition and the importance of daily physical activity.
       
   3. The Supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services or a Registered Dietitian (R.D.) will be available to review nutrition education information, upon request.
       
   4. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy products will be promoted for healthy meals and snacks.
       
4. Physical Activity
    
   1. Students need physical activity and they need to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior. The Physical Education curriculum should be coordinated with the Health Education curriculum. Physical Education will be in the environment where students learn, practice and are assessed on developmentally appropriate motor skills, social skills and knowledge.
       
   2. For students to receive the nationally recommended amount of daily physical activity (i.e. at least 60 minutes per day) and for students to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior, students need opportunities for physical activity beyond Physical Education class and the school day. Toward that end, the District will assist by:
       
      • Having classroom Health Education reinforce the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a healthy habits and reduce sedentary activities such as watching television;
         
      • Having classroom teachers provide short movement breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate, and
         
      • Having classroom teachers incorporate opportunities for movement into other subject lessons (such as science, math and social studies), when appropriate.
         
      • Offering extra and co-curricular activities.
         
   3. All elementary school students will have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through the provision of space and equipment. Schools will discourage extended periods (i.e. periods of two or more hours) of inactivity.
       
   4. Elementary, middle and high schools are encouraged to offer extracurricular physical activity programs and interscholastic sports program. Schools will offer a range of activities that meet the needs, interests, and abilities of all students, including boys, girls, students with disabilities, and students with special health-care needs.
      
      After-school childcare and enrichment programs will provide and encourage, verbally and through the provision of space, equipment, and activities, daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants.
       
   5. Teachers and other school and community personnel should not use excessive physical activity (i.e. running laps, pushups) or withhold opportunities for physical activity (i.e. recess, physical education) as punishment.
       
   6. The District will discourage tutoring, club or organizational meetings or activities during recess or physical education class times.
       
5. Social and Emotional Wellness
    
   1. The District highly values the health and well being of every staff member and will plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy habits. The school staff will act as role models for good nutrition and physical activity behaviors. The District will maintain a Staff Wellness Committee. The committee will develop, promote and oversee a multifaceted plan to promote staff health and wellness.
       
   2. The District will coordinate efforts to promote student and family wellness through prevention of high-risk behaviors, including but not limited to: alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse, aggressive behaviors, unsafe driving practices and unsafe sexual behaviors. The District encourages an environment where students feel safe to disclose issues of abuse.
       
   3. The District will encourage student understanding of the impact of emotional and social health on overall well-being.
       
   4. The District and schools will promote educational opportunities for students, parents, and staff to learn about the impact positive emotional well-being has on one’s health.
       
6. Communications with Parents and Guardians
    
   1. The District recognizes that parents and guardians have a primary and fundamental role in promoting and protecting their children’s health and well being. Parents and caregivers provide the primary social environment in which children form attitudes and behaviors regarding eating and physical activity.
       
   2. The District will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children. Parents will be encouraged to create an environment conducive to an active lifestyle.
       
   3. The District will provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities and will support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school.
       
   4. Parents create an environment for healthy eating by the foods they select, the types of meals they eat outside the home and how they model good eating habits. The District will encourage parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks for their children to sustain those habits while in school. (Healthy Snack Choices brochure, Minnetonka Food & Nutrition Services)
       
   5. Parents will be informed of recommended state and local food safety and sanitation regulations.

IV.    IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING

1. After approval by the School Board, the Wellness Policy will be implemented throughout the District.
    
2. School Food Service staff, at the school or district level, will ensure compliance within the school’s food service areas and will report to the Food Service program administrator, the building principal, or the Superintendent’s designee, as appropriate.
    
3. The Superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with the Wellness Policy and will provide an annual report of the District’s compliance with the policy to the School Board.