Student Wellness Policy
CNLS is committed to promoting healthy students and healthy living by supporting good nutrition, nutrition education, and regular physical activity for every student PreK through 12th grade.
Section I
Purpose and Goals
Our Commitment to Student Wellness
CNLS strives to promote healthy students and healthy living by supporting good nutrition, nutrition education, and regular physical activity. The school desires to promote student health and reduce childhood obesity and other health issues.
- Involving parents, students, board members, administrators, teachers, health professionals, and other interested members of the community in the development, monitoring, and review of this policy.
- Developing goals for nutritional education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that are designed to promote student wellness.
- Providing nutrition guidelines for all foods available at school during the school day.
- At least once every three years, the District will evaluate compliance with the wellness policy to assess implementation and compare to the Nebraska Schools in Action Program.
Section II
Nutrition Education Goals
Nutrition Education in the Classroom
Nutrition education topics are included within the health education program taught at each grade level at CNLS. Topics include:
- Benefits of healthy eating, the Food Guide Pyramid, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, understanding calories, healthy breakfast choices, diet and disease, healthy snacks, serving sizes, essential nutrients, and safe food preparation.
- Planning a healthy meal, understanding and using food labels, and critically evaluating nutrition information and commercial food advertising.
- Assessing personal eating habits, setting goals for improvement, and establishing methods to achieve those goals.
Nutritional education activities are interactive, stress the benefits of healthy eating, are age and developmentally appropriate, and teach students the skills they need to adopt healthy eating behaviors.
- The wellness committee assesses and revises the nutrition education program for accuracy, completeness, balance, and consistency with CNLS goals and standards.
- School staff are encouraged to model healthy eating behaviors.
- The food service program is coordinated with nutrition instruction where practicable so students can apply classroom learning in the cafeteria.
Section III
Physical Activity Goals
Keeping Students Active Every Day
| Area | Policy |
|---|---|
| Physical Education | PE classes are available for all students throughout the year. Students will spend at least 50% of PE class time participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity. |
| Daily Recess | All students have daily supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which teachers encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity through space and equipment. |
| Limiting Inactivity | CNLS discourages extended periods of two or more hours of inactivity. When mandatory testing or other activities require students to remain seated, periodic movement breaks are provided. |
| Extracurricular Programs | CNLS offers extracurricular physical activity programs and interscholastic sports for grades 7-12 to the extent practicable. |
| After-School Programs | After-school care and enrichment programs provide and encourage daily moderate to vigorous physical activity with appropriate space and equipment. |
| Variety and Individualization | The physical activity program exposes students to a wide variety of activities, teaches physical skills for long-term health, and individualizes intensity as needed. |
| Fitness Assessments | CNLS conducts fitness assessments at least once per year to help students understand their health and fitness level and monitor progress over time. |
Section IV
School-Based Wellness Activities
Dining Environment
- CNLS provides a clean, safe, and enjoyable meal environment for all students.
- Adequate space and serving areas are provided to ensure all students have access to school meals with minimum wait time.
- Drinking fountains or other accommodations ensure students can access water during meals and throughout the day.
- All students are encouraged to participate in the school meal program.
- CNLS makes every effort to eliminate any social stigma associated with free and reduced-price school meals.
- Students are encouraged to wash and sanitize their hands before eating meals or snacks.
Mealtimes
- Students are provided at least 15 minutes after being seated to eat lunch and socialize with friends.
- Lunch is scheduled as near to the middle of the school day as possible.
- Tutoring, club meetings, and organizational activities are not scheduled during mealtimes unless students may eat during such activities.
- Reasonable steps are taken to accommodate tooth brushing regimens for students with special oral health needs such as orthodontia or high tooth decay risk.
Section V
Nutrition Guidelines for Food Served or Sold
Food Standards on Campus
The goal for CNLS is to provide students with foods that promote health and reduce childhood obesity. All food programs meet or exceed nutritional requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes including the USDA National School Lunch and Breakfast Program and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
CNLS encourages the consumption of nutrient dense foods such as whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products.
The following items should not be served anywhere a reimbursable meal is served, sold, or eaten:
- Carbonated beverages, water ices, chewing gum, hard candies, jellies and gums, marshmallow candies, fondant, licorice, spun candy, and candy-coated popcorn.
- Foods and beverages that list sugar, corn syrup, shortening, lard, or their equivalent as the first ingredient should not be sold to students on school grounds during school hours.
- School menus are prepared with input from students, parents, and school personnel.
- School personnel periodically review menus to ensure they meet USDA guidelines.
- Nutritional content of meals is shared with parents and students upon request.
- Educational materials on the value of healthy treats for classroom celebrations are provided through classroom instruction and the parent newsletter.
Section VI
Wellness Committee
Who Oversees This Policy
The school maintains a wellness committee to monitor and review this policy and make recommendations for revision to the Board of School Ministry as needed. The committee also serves as a resource for implementing this policy.
Committee members are appointed by the administrator and include parents, students, food service employees, board members, school administrators, teachers, health professionals, and other interested community members.
Section VII
Marketing Standards
Food and Beverage Marketing on Campus
Central Nebraska Lutheran School prohibits the marketing to students on the school campus of any foods or beverages that do not comply with or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
Section VIII
Monitoring and Policy Review
Compliance and Review Process
The administrator is responsible for ensuring compliance with this policy. School food service staff ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas and report to the administrator.
At least once every three years CNLS evaluates compliance with this wellness policy and assesses the extent to which it aligns with the Nebraska Schools in Action Program, describing the progress made in attaining the goals of this policy.
Legal reference: Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, Section 204 of Public Law 108-265