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Requirements
The materials
provided here may still be used by local educational agencies in building on
their existing local wellness policies.
CDC also has a number of resources to
assist local educational agencies in designing,
implementing and promoting
elements of local wellness
policies, which are available on
the
CDC site.
To the extent practicable, local educational agencies
should look to these resources
to assist them in adding
additional elements to their
existing local wellness
policies.
On June 30, 2004, the President signed Public Law 108-265, the Child Nutrition
and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (see
Section 204). Each local educational agency participating in a program authorized by the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq) or the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq) shall establish a local school wellness policy by School Year 2006.
Many State agencies and school districts have already recognized the need to assist their students by encouraging healthy eating and physical activity. The number of State agencies that have developed model wellness policy language continues to grow. At the local level, over 31,000 schools have enrolled as Team Nutrition Schools and are striving to have an impact on their students' eating and activity behaviors.
Changing the Scene: Improving the School Nutrition Environment provides a roadmap for assessing and improving school policies, in order to provide students with a healthy school nutrition environment. In the classroom students are taught to eat healthfully and to be active, but they also need the opportunity to practice those behaviors. Wellness policies combine education with practice to create healthful school environments and encourage healthy behavior.
Components of a Wellness Policy
As required by law, a local wellness policy, at a minimum, shall include:
- Goals for nutrition education, physical activity and other school-based activities that are designed to promote student wellness in a manner that the local educational agency determines is appropriate;
Sample policy language, existing state and local policies, implementation tools, and resources are available for:
- Nutrition education
- Physical activity
- Other school-based activities designed to promote wellness
- Nutrition guidelines selected by the local educational agency for all foods available on each school campus under the local educationial agency during the school day with the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity;
More information is available at:
Setting nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages available on campuses.
- Guidelines for reimbursable school meals, which are no less restrictive than regulations and guidance issued by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to Subsections (a) and (b) of Section 10 of the Child Nutrition Act (42 U.S.C. 1779) and Section 9(f)(1) and 17(a) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(f)(1), 1766(a)0, as those regulations and guidance apply to schools;
This requirement implies that districts must ensure that reimbursable school meals meet the program requirements and nutrition standards set forth under the 7 CFR Part 210 and Part 220.
- A plan for measuring implementation of the local wellness policy, including designation of 1 or more persons within the local educational agency or at each school, as appropriate, charged with operational responsibility for ensuring that each school fulfills the district's local wellness policy;
More information is available at:
Maintaining, measuring and evaluating a wellness policy
- Community involvement, including parents, students, and representatives of the school food authority, the school board, school administrators, and the public in the development of the school wellness policy.
More information is available at:
Identifying a policy development team
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