Ingalls USD 477 Wellness Policies
USD #477 - INGALLS DISTRICT WELLNESS POLICY
Ingalls School District is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating, nutrition education, physical activity, and integrated school based wellness. Therefore, it is the policy of USD #477 - Ingalls that:
Policies in Place
Nutrition
General Guidelines
- All school food service personnel receive required food safety training annually. Continuing education training for all food service personnel meets federal and state requirements.
- The dining area has seating to accommodate all students during each serving period.
- The food service area is clean, orderly, and has an inviting atmosphere that encourages meal consumption.
- The dining area has adequate adult supervision.
- The dining area has food service personnel and supervisory staff use positive communication cues with students to promote consumption of foods served as part of Child Nutrition Programs.
- Mealtime conversation is not prohibited for the entire meal time as disciplinary action.
- The students are allowed to converse during the entirety of the meal time.
- Reimbursable meals and/or parts of a reimbursable meal are not withheld or denied as a disciplinary action.
- Students being disciplined are NOT seated at tables separated from other students in the dining area.
- Content of reimbursable lunch and breakfast is identified near or at the beginning of the serving line(s).
- Kansas food products that are served as part of the school meals program are identified at the beginning or on the serving line.
- A Kansas product is served in the school meals program at least one time per week.
Breakfast
- All school breakfasts comply with USDA regulations and state policies.
- At least three different fruits are offered each week on three different days. At least one fruit per week is served fresh.
- Students have to have the opportunity to eat breakfast.
- District offers at least 15 minutes “seat time” to eat breakfast (not including time spent walking to and from class or waiting in line) or Grab n Go breakfast options are available.
Lunch
- All school lunches comply with USDA regulations and state policies.
- At least three different fruits are offered each week. Two fruits per week are served fresh.
- One additional ½ cup of vegetable offering weekly from any of the vegetable subgroups (dark green, red/orange, dry beans, and peas).
- Students have at least 20 minutes “seat time” to eat lunch not including time spent walking to/from class or waiting in line.
- Elementary students are offered recess before lunch and at least 20 minutes of seat time to eat.
During the School Day
- Students have access to free drinking water throughout the school day, including during meal services. Hygiene standards for all methods delivering drinking water will be maintained.
- Students are allowed to have clear/translucent individual water bottles in the classroom where appropriate.
- District develops nutritional standards for non-sold food and beverages made available on school campuses during the school day.
- No foods are sold in school during the school day except for food provided by the breakfast and lunch program.
- Meals purchased at fast food outlet to be consumed at school must not be brought to the school in their original containers. Caffeinated beverages are not allowed in sack lunches to be consumed in the cafeteria. (Elementary/Middle School).
Nutrition Education
Nutrition Promotions
- Students provide input on foods offered in the cafeteria
- Students learn about the nutrition requirements for school meals and some students are involved in helping plan menus.
- District promotes participation in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) if applicable and to choose nutritious foods and beverages throughout the day. Menus are posted on school website and/or distributed to families via another method.
- No foods are sold in school during the school day except food provided by the breakfast and lunch program.
Nutrition Education
- All students in grades K12, including those with disabilities, special health care needs, and in alternative education settings, will have the opportunity to participate in culturally relevant participatory activities, as appropriate, and a variety of learning experiences that support development of healthful eating habits that are based on the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans and evidence-based information.
- District administrators inform teachers and other school personnel about opportunities to participate in professional development on nutrition and teaching nutrition.
- Include nutrition education as part of physical education/health education classes and/or standalone courses for all grade levels, including curricula that promote skill development.
- District uses qualified personnel or organizations from the community to provide nutrition education to students under the direct supervision of a teacher at least once a year. The County Extension Agency will provide this yearly training.
- Integrate age appropriate nutrition education into other core subjects such as math, science, language arts, and social sciences, as well as into at least one non-core elective subject.
- Include nutrition and health posters, signage, or displays in the cafeteria food services and dining areas that are rotated, updated or changed quarterly.
- Offer information to families at least once per month that encourages them to teach their children about health and nutrition, and assists them in planning nutritious meals for their families. Food Service Director and Elementary Physical Education teacher will publish nutrition and wellness information with the monthly menu.
Physical Activity
General Guidelines
- All students in grades K12, including those with disabilities, special health care needs, and in alternative education settings, have the opportunity to participate in moderate to vigorous physical activity every day during the entire school year.
- District prohibits the use of physical activity as a punishment. District prohibits withholding physical activity, including recess and physical education, as punishment.
- District encourages extra physical activity time as an option for classroom rewards.
Throughout the day
- Elementary school students have two supervised recess periods per day, totaling at least 30 minutes (not including time spent getting to and from the playground), with one being offered in the morning. Supervisory staff encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity.
- School policy outlines guidance on conditions regulating indoor and outdoor recess during extreme weather conditions.
- Ingalls USD 477 believes outdoor recess is crucial to our students. Please make sure your children dress appropriately for the winter weather. P.lease mark our child’s coat, hat, gloves, mittens, scarf, and boots with his/her name. Here’s a reminder of the district’s temperature/windchill guidelines for recess: The principal and teachers will use their thorough discretion on indoor and outdoor recess.
- Each school provides equipment, instruction, and supervision for active indoor recess.
- Students that participate in indoor recess are provided moderate to vigorous physical activity opportunities.
- Structured physical activity opportunities, in addition to physical education and recess(where applicable), are encouraged for all students.
- Professional development on integrating physical activity into core/noncore subjects is provided to licensed physical education teachers, school nurses, and building administrators. The Elementary Physical Education teacher will provide yearly training.
- Structured physical activities are planned by a licensed physical education teacher and integrated into health education and one or more core subjects, such as math, science, language arts, and social sciences, as well as in non core and elective subjects.
Physical education
- Physical education is taught by teachers licensed by the Kansas State Department of Education.
- Physical education teachers are licensed and participate in physical education and/or physical activity specific professional development every 2 years.
- The physical education curriculum is sequential and consistent with Kansas State Board of Education approved physical education teaching standards for prekindergarten through grade 12.
- Physical Education teaches basic motor skills, enhances knowledge of concepts related to movement needed to achieve and maintain health for lifetime physical activity.
- Elementary students receive 90119 minutes of physical education per week, which includes at least 50% of the minutes engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity.
- Physical education curriculum encourages a multidimensional fitness assessment.
Family & Community
- Community members are provided access to the district’s indoor and outdoor physical activity facilities at specified hours.
- Offer information via multiple channels at least once per semester to all families that encourages them to teach their children about physical activity, and assists them in planning physical activity for their families.
Integrated School Based Wellness
General Guidelines
- The school wellness committee makes appropriate updates or modification to wellness policy based on assessment and an update on the progress toward meeting the State Model Wellness Policy is made available to the public, including parents, students, and the community.
- The wellness policy assessment and progress toward meeting the State Model Wellness Policy are presented to school and district staff.
- The wellness policy assessment and progress toward meeting the State Model Wellness Policy are presented to and approved by the local school board.
- Annual staff wellness activities and/or professional development opportunities related to nutrition, physical activity, and abstaining from tobacco are provided to encourage school staff to serve as healthy role models. Staff wellness activities and training may also include additional components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model.
- School staff are aware of Team Nutrition and the HealthierUS School Challenge Award opportunity.
- Annually, offer district sponsored wellness family activities that address one or more components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model.
- Annually partner with local health agencies and community organizations.
- District Wellness Committee will discuss the development of a farm to school program
- Farm to school activities conducted annually in some schools.
- Farm to school activities conducted annually in some core subjects.
- Each month, culturally relevant health education information is provided to families via handouts, postings on the school website, newsletters, presentations, and workshops.
- The local school wellness policy committee meets at least twice per year.
The following students, parents, classroom teachers, food service professionals, physical education teachers, health professionals, administrators, school board members and other interested community members are engaged in developing, implementing, monitoring, reviewing, and making the district wide wellness policies available to the public:
Mark Hager, Chairperson
Braden Pelischek, Secretary
Terra Simon
Tracy Bleumer
Luke Johnson
Jeanette Loewen
Ana Quint
Deb Benton
Randy Rockhold