CODE C9 (OLD F29): FEDERAL CHILD NUTRITION ACT WELLNESS POLICY

Policy Model

It is the policy of the Windham Northeast School District to establish goals that are developed to promote student wellness and comprehensive health, and include;

1. Nutrition promotion and education
2. Nutrition services/Guidelines for ALL foods available on school campus, i.e., competitive foods and beverages.
3. Physical education
4. Physical activity
5. Comprehensive Health Education
6. Other school-based activities to promote student wellness

The Superintendent or designee will assist in ensuring compliance with the School District’s Local Wellness Policy includes goals for all required components and that evidence-based strategies have been reviewed and considered in the development of those goals.

Purpose

It is the intent of the Windham Northeast School District to comply with all applicable federal and state requirements. In accord with those requirements, this policy has been developed in consultation with parents, students, school food authority personnel, physical education and health education teachers, school board members, school administration, members of the public and school health professionals, which may include school nurses, school counselors, school-based clinicians, and behavioral health professionals.

1. Nutrition

   • The district shall ensure that guidelines for reimbursable school meals are not less restrictive than regulation and guidance issued by the Secretary of Agriculture pursuant to sections (a) and (b) of section 9A of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act as those regulations and guidance apply to schools.

     1. The district will provide adequate space for eating and serving school meals.
     2. The district shall provide a clean and safe meal environment for students.
     3. The district shall establish meal periods that provide at least 20 minutes to eat and are scheduled at appropriate hours.
     4. Free drinkable water will be available in the vicinity of each school’s cafeteria.
     5. To the extent that is practicable the district shall ensure that nutrition services will reference USDA geographic preference rules and seasonal and local agricultural information when planning school meal menus.
     6. The district shall provide training opportunities as appropriate for food service and other staff members in areas of nutrition and wellness.
        • A. Evaluation of Nutrition Services
          1. The superintendent or designee is responsible for ensuring the district is in compliance with any Administrative Review procedures of the State Educational Agency (SEA).
          2. The superintendent or designee shall report at least annually to the board and to the public on the district’s compliance with law and policies related to student wellness and the school nutrition environment. The report shall include information as to the content and implementation of this policy, and as assurance that district guidelines issued for schools in accordance with federal law.
        • B. Competitive Foods and Beverages
          1. The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs will meet the requirements provided in 7 CFR 210 and 7 CFR 220
          2. All foods and beverages outside the reimbursable school meal programs that are sold to students on the school campus during the school day will meet the USDA Smart Snack nutrition standards.
          3. School district fundraisers that occur during the school day will meet the USDA Smart Snack nutrition standards.
          4. The district is required to establish nutrition guidelines for all other foods provided, but not sold to students during the school day. Foods provided but not sold may include food that is part of a classroom celebration or provided by parents or community members free of charge.
          5. It is the policy of the district that, when feasible, food provided, but not sold, will at minimum, comply with the Smart Snacks Standards and be allergen free .
          6. Food shall not be used in district schools as a reward or punishment except as part of a behavioral intervention plan developed by licensed professionals, whose content is subject to state and local grievance procedures under section 504 and IDEA.

2. Nutrition Promotion and Education

   • The school district shall provide nutrition promotion and education programs as required by state law and regulations of the State Board of Education. In particular, the district shall provide a nutrition component in its comprehensive Health Education program and shall develop curricular programs intended to accomplish applicable goals enumerated in the Vermont Education Quality Standards.
     1. Nutrition education and promotion shall be conducted by appropriately licensed staff members.
     2. To the extent practicable, nutrition education and promotion shall be integrated into core curricula in areas such as science and family and consumer science courses.
     3. The superintendent or designee is responsible for ensuring that schools identify, near or at the beginning of serving lines, what foods constitute unit priced reimbursable meals.
     4. The district will limit food and beverage marketing to the promotion of only those foods and beverages that meet the USDA SMart Snacks in School nutrition standards on school campus.

3. Physical Education

   • The superintendent or designee is responsible for ensuring that the district complies with applicable state law and regulations governing the provision of and access to physical activity, physical education, and comprehensive health education as set forth in 16 V.S.A.§ 136, 16 V.S.A. § 906, 16 V.S.A. § 941, and Education Quality Standard Rules (series 2000).
     1. The district shall ensure that physical education is designed to enable all students, including those who may need adapted physical education, to engage annually in rigorous, relevant, and comprehensive learning opportunities that allow them to demonstrate proficiency in Physical Education.
     2. The district shall ensure that teacher licensure, professional development, and staff and program evaluation complies with state laws and regulations.

4. Physical Activity

   • The superintendent or designee is responsible for ensuring that the district complies with applicable state law and regulations governing the provision of and access to physical activity, physical education, and comprehensive health education as set forth in 16 V.S.A.§ 136, 16 V.S.A. § 906, 16 V.S.A. § 941, and Education Quality Standard Rules (series 2000).
     1. The district shall offer opportunities for students in grades K-12 to participate in at least 30 minutes of physical activity within or outside of the school day. Physical activity may include recess and movement built into the curriculum but does not replace physical education classes.
     2. Physical activity shall not be used as a punishment

5. Comprehensive Health Education

   • The superintendent or designee shall ensure the development and delivery of comprehensive health education as required by state law 16 V.S.A. §131, 16 V.S.A. § 906, 16 V.S.A. § 909 and Education Quality Standards (series 2000), Pupils Rules (Series 4000) (as specified), and in coordination with expectations delineated in 16 V.S.A. §132 and Act 151 of 2012.
     1. In addition to health education courses, the superintendent or designee may consider the promotion and integration of health education throughout the school day and within various curricular areas. This will be done to the extent practicable, under the supervision of the superintendent or designee, and aligned with state rules and standards.
     2. The district shall ensure that teacher licensure, professional development, and staff and program evaluation complies with state laws and regulations.
     3. The superintendent or their designee shall develop a plan to respond to a parent or guardian’s signed statement that the teaching of disease, its symptoms, development, and treatment, conflicts with the parents’ religious convictions. In the case of a student exemption from such instruction, the exempted student shall not be penalized by reason of that exemption.

6. Other School-Based Activities to Promote Wellness

   1. Community health promotion and engagement
      • a.    The school or SU/District will partner with local healthcare agencies to provide resources, environmental approaches, and/or social and behavioral programs for parents/caregivers, families, and the general community to engage in healthy eating and physical activity.
   2. Staff Wellness
      • a.    The district Wellness Team will have a staff wellness subcommittee that focuses on staff wellness issues, identifies and disseminates wellness resources, and performs other functions that support staff wellness in coordination with human resources staff.
      • b.    The district will use the Vermont Department of Health healthy food guidelines for all events with available food options.
      • c.    The district will create a workplace environment that provides a private space, other than a public bathroom, and supports and respects a women’s decision to breastfeed and/or pump during the school day.
   3. Dental Care
      • a.    The Local Wellness Team will encourage students and their families to establish and access  their dental home to receive age-specific comprehensive oral health care annually, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics’, Bright Futures - Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
   4. Well Care Visits
      • a.    The Local Wellness Team will encourage students and their families to establish and access their medical home to receive age-specific health supervision visits (Well Care Visits) annually, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics’, Bright Futures - Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents.
   5. Farm to School Program
      • a.    Whenever possible, schools shall collaborate with the greater community, to establish a farm to school program.
      • b.    When planning a farm to school program, schools shall incorporate the three C’s - community, classroom and cafeteria - into all plans.
      • c.    When designing a farm to school activity, there shall be a large diversity of activities associated with the program including, but not limited to, taste-tests, farm visits when possible, cooking classes, school gardening, agricultural curriculum and school food program development.
      • d.    Schools shall work with USDA Farm to School on learning how to incorporate local food into school meals, while also following procurement policies.
      • e.    In the interest of incorporating seasonally appropriate, Vermont grown foods, school food service shall use Harvest of the Month programming.
      • f.    Schools shall work with FEED and other regional farm to school nonprofits to complete farm to school evaluation rubric and growth chart.
         

Systems and Evaluation

1. A district level Wellness Team shall be formed and maintained, meeting no fewer than four times per year.
2. The team shall be reflective of the Whole School, Community, and Child (WSCC) Model. The team shall strive for membership from the 10 domains represented in the WSCC Model. The team will also work toward stakeholder involvement from students, administration, school board, and representation from each school.
   • a.    Each school in the district shall form a Wellness Committee, composed of guidance counselors, school nurses, clinicians and teaching staff.
   • b.    One member from each school wellness committee shall join the district Wellness Team at annual assessment meetings.
3. Every three years, the district Wellness Team will conduct an assessment of the Local Wellness Policy (LWP). This assessment shall include, at a minimum: a review of the policy compared to the state's model wellness policy, each school’s compliance with the policy, and progress made in attaining wellness goals.
4. The superintendent or their designee shall periodically monitor district programs and curriculum to ensure compliance with this policy and any administrative procedures established to carry out the requirements of this policy.
5. The district shall annually inform and update the public about the content and implementation of this policy, including the extent to which district schools are in compliance with this policy, the extent to which this policy compares to model local school wellness policies and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of this policy. Communications will include, at a minimum;
   • a.    A link to the district Wellness Policy
   • b.    Compliance with the wellness policy and progress toward wellness goals
   • c.    Any updates to and about the wellness policy
   • d.    Contact information for the Wellness Team
   • e.    Information on how to get involved in wellness planning and implementation.
6. The superintendent or designee shall report at least annually to the board and to the public on the district’s compliance with law and policies related to student wellness and the school nutrition environment. The report shall include information as to the content and implementation of this policy, and an assurance that district guidelines for reimbursable meals are not less restrictive than regulations and guidelines issued for schools in accordance with federal law.
7. The district wellness team will participate in the development, implementation, monitoring, and annual review and update of the LWP to prepare annual progress reports and triennial assessments.
    

Date Warned: 6/5/25
Date Adopted: 6/18/25

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