NEPN/NSBA Code: EF
MSAD 60 WELLNESS POLICY ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION
The health of children is of the utmost importance to the future of our society. Healthy eating and daily physical activity can improve academic performance, attendance, mood, alertness and behavior issues. MSAD 60 is committed to creating a healthy school environment that supports the development of lifelong wellness practices to promote physical activity and healthy eating.
In order to improve the health of children the district will follow the criteria established for:
1. Nutrition Education
2. Physical Education
3. Nutrition Standards
4. Opportunities for physical activity
5. Staff and student wellness
6.Monitoring of policy
1) Nutrition Education
Nutrition education topics will be integrated within the K-12 comprehensive health education curriculum. Nutrition education will be consistent with Maine health education standards. Instructional activities shall stress the appealing aspects of healthy eating, be developmentally appropriate and based on theories proven effective by published research. The curriculum will be designed to help students learn:
nutritional knowledge including but not limited to the benefits of healthy eating, essential nutrients, nutritional deficiencies, principles of healthy weight management, the use and misuses of dietary supplements and safe food preparation, handling and storage.
nutrition-related skills including but not limited to planning a healthy meal, understanding and using food labels, and critically evaluating nutrition information, misinformation and commercial food advertising, and how to assess personal eating habits, set goals for improvement, and achieve those goals.
2) Physical Education
MSAD 60 will offer physical education opportunities that include the components of a quality physical education program. Physical education shall equip students with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary for lifelong physical activity. Physical education instruction shall be aligned with the federal statutes and the State of Maine laws.
Health and Physical Education curriculum will be analyzed according to the District curriculum review schedule to determine if it is meeting the needs of students and following current recommended practice within the State.
3) Nutrition Standards
Maine Department of Education Rule Chapter 51 mandates that any food or beverage sold at any time on school property of a school participating in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs shall be a planned part of the total food service program of the school and shall include only those items which contribute both to the nutritional needs of children and the development of desirable food habits, and shall not include foods of minimal nutritional value as defined in applicable federal regulations, except as provided for by school board policy in certain circumstances.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reimbursable school lunch and breakfast program will:
be appealing to children
served in a clean and pleasant setting
meet the minimum nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes and regulations
provide nutrition education for students and families
use the healthy food and beverage guidelines (see appendix A) for all ala carte items
Administrators are encouraged to use the following best practices concerning the scheduling of school meals:
Provide students with at least 20 minutes to eat after sitting down for lunch.
Schedule meal periods at appropriate times (e.g., lunch should be scheduled between 10:30 and 1 p.m.).
Do not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities.
Schedule lunch periods to follow recess (in elementary schools).
Provide access to students for hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks.
Snacks and meals should be scheduled at least 1.5 hours apart.
Nutrition Standards in Other Venues
This policy applies to sales of foods and beverages at any time on school property by any person, group or organization. As allowed by Rule Chapter 51, the Board permits the sale of food and beverages of minimal nutritional value outside the total food program:
To school staff
To attendees at school-sponsored community events held on school property (i.e., school-sponsored events which are open to the public)
To the public at community events held on school property in accordance with the Board’s facilities use policy
In State-approved instructional Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs
In order to be consistent with the nutrition messages taught in the classroom and to support people who want to make healthy food choices, meals and snacks served or sold on school property outside of the USDA reimbursable school lunch and breakfast program, should adhere to the following guidelines:
Beverages
When soda is offered, juice is also available.
When juices are served, 100% fruit juice choices are offered.
Water is always available as a beverage choice.
1% fat or skim milk is offered as a beverage.
When serving coffee and tea, reduced-fat milk will be a choice along with half-and-half or creamer.
Snacks and entrees
Fresh fruit and vegetable choices are offered.
When chips are offered, baked varieties and/or pretzels are available.
When more than one entrée is offered, one will be vegetarian.
When pizza is offered, a vegetable option is available.
When a variety of breads are offered, at least one choice will be whole grain.
Cooked foods should be baked, broiled, steamed, grilled or poached not fried.
School Parties
Staff may conduct healthy school parties. Notices shall be sent to parents/guardians either separately or as part of a school newsletter, reminding them of the necessity of providing healthy treats for students and/or encouraging the use of non-food treats for classroom birthday or award celebrations.
Food for Incentives or Rewards
In order to reinforce nutrition education and establish healthy attitudes toward eating, staff are discouraged from using food as reward or incentive for academic performance or good behavior and food will not be withheld for punishment. If foods are used as reward they should meet the healthy food and beverage guidelines outlined above.
Food for Fundraising
When foods and beverages are sold to raise funds for schools or student activities, students, staff, parents, or school-sponsored organizations involved in such sales are requested to include at least some healthy food choices. (Appendix A).
Funds from all food and beverage sales made at any time on school property shall accrue to the benefit of the school’s non-profit school food service program, except that funds raised through authorized sales outside the total food service program shall accrue to the sponsoring school or approved student organization in accordance with applicable policies, cash-management procedures and administrative directives, or to the sponsor of a community event that is held on school property in accordance with the Board’s facilities use policy.
According to State and Federal regulations food and beverages outside of the school’s food service program are not to be sold on school property during school hours.
Physical Activity Opportunities
The district shall have the opportunity for all K-12 students of to participate in extracurricular physical activity through intramural and interscholastic sports programs that meet the needs, interests and abilities of all students.
All elementary school students will have at least 20 minutes each day for supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which school personnel should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity.
MSAD 60 discourages the use of physical activity (i.e. running laps, push-ups or withholding recess and physical education) as punishment.
Maintaining Staff and Student Wellness
Students can learn healthy lifestyle habits by observing food and physical activity patterns of school personnel and other adults who serve as role models. In order to send consistent messages to students, all adults in the school environment are encouraged to make healthy food choices and engage in physical activity. The district shall work through the District Wellness Team to find no and low cost ways to support and promote student and staff wellness.
Policy Maintenance and Review
The Superintendent shall be responsible for enforcement of this policy. These rules are subject to ongoing administrative review and modification as necessary to help assure compliance with the purpose and intent of the MSAD 60 Local Wellness Policy.
A District Wellness Team shall be established to provide ongoing review and evaluation of the policy. The Superintendent shall appoint a member of the administrative team to organize the team and invite appropriate district stakeholders to become members of the District Wellness Team. The team may include representatives from the following areas:
health education
physical education
health services
food service
counseling/psychological/and social services
administration
parent, student and community organizations
Adopted: June 22, 2006
Amended: September 24, 2009
Revised: May 15, 2014
* According to DOE Rule Chapter 51 (1)(b), the “Total Food Service Program” includes the federal Milk Program as defined in 7 C.F.R. § 215; the federal Breakfast Program, which means the federal program under which a breakfast that meets the nutritional requirements set forth in 7 C.F.R. § 220 is offered; the National School Lunch Program (including the After School Snack), which means the federal program under which the school operates a nonprofit lunch program that meets the requirements of 7 C.F.R.§ 210; or any combination of these programs.
** “Foods of minimal nutritional value” as defined in 7 C.F.R. § 210.11(a)(2) means: (a) In the case of artificially sweetened foods, a food which provides less than five percent of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for each of the eight specified nutrients per serving; (b) in the case of all other foods, a food which provides less than five percent of the RDI for each of eight specified nutrients per 100 calories and less than five percent of the RDI for each of eight specified nutrients per serving. The eight nutrients to be assessed for this purpose are: protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin, calcium, and iron. This definition is applicable to foods that are part of the total food service program of the school and to foods and beverages sold at food sales, school stores, and in vending machines. A listing of “Categories of Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value” is in Appendix B to 7 C.F.R. Part 210 (National School Lunch Program).
APPENDIX A
Healthy Food and Beverage Guidelines
Item Maximum Portion Entrees Consistent with National School Lunch Program
Yogurt (not frozen) 8 oz.
Snacks/Sweets, Chips, crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, jerky, etc. 1.25 oz.
Category Beverages
Items Not Allowed Soft drinks Fruit punch Iced tea Other beverages containing caffeine (except chocolate milk) or added sugar Juices containing less than 25% real juice.
Allowable Items Low fat or nonfat milk Soy milk Rice milk Flavored milk Sports Drinks Juices containing at least 25% real juice. Bottled water Fortified water Category Snacks, desserts, Grain foods
*Excessive Portions
More than 30% total calories from fat (excluding fat from nuts, seeds, peanut butter)
More than 10% of calories from saturated fat
More than 35% by weight of sugar (excluding sugars occurring naturally in fruit and dairy products)
Candy – candy flavored ice cream
Regular chips
Chewing gum
Allowable Items *Appropriate Portions. Lower fat grain foods (preferably whole grain with at least 2 gm fiber) Examples:
Popcorn
Some chips
Some granola bars
Some crackers Page 5 of 6
Pretzels
Lowfat/low sugar baked goods
Low sugar cereal
Bakery items that are school-made and meet USDA guidelines Snacks or desserts with naturally occurring nutrients. Examples:
Pudding
Trail mix of grains/nuts/seeds and/or dried fruit
100% fruit pops
lower sugar/fat cookies such as animal crackers, oatmeal raisin and fig bars.
Ice cream with limited added ingredients (caramel, chocolate crunch etc.) and sold after 10 a.m. only.
* Portion Limits