Overview
The purpose of the PUSD Wellness Committee (DWC) is to assess and make recommendations that improve student and employee wellness. The DWC develops the local wellness policy, creates measurable wellness goals, assists the district with implementation of wellness goals, and updates the local wellness policy as needed. Currently, the DWC consists of PUSD administrators, employees, a parent volunteer, and community partners.

The DWC will be focusing on The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model which encompasses a collaborative approach with the community, school, and health sectors to meet the health and wellness needs of each child. This model fits well with PUSD’s motto that every child, every day, matters. Creating a healthy learning environment for all students can help schools meet their academic goals while also instilling lifelong healthy habits.

Disclosure, transparency, and accountability are key components to a successful wellness program. Parents and the community can help play a part by adding their input and helping find resolution to dilemmas. Using the platform of the DWC is a great opportunity to create positive change regarding health and wellness in our community. DWC meetings will be open to the public starting later this year and we encourage people to attend. PUSD will also be hosting a Spring Wellness Fair that will encompass all aspects of health and wellness. Look for more information to be announced in the coming months!

Wellness Policy Support Procedures
PDF PRINT VERSION
Prescott Unified School District recognizes that proper nutrition and physical activity are directly related to a student’s health, physical well-being, and ability to learn. The District is committed to providing a school environment that promotes student wellness, proper nutrition, nutrition education, and regular physical activity as part of the total learning experience. In a healthy school environment, students will learn about and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices that can improve student achievement.

The District strives to make a significant contribution to the general well-being, mental and physical capacity, and learning ability of each student while affording them the opportunity to fully participate in the educational process.

I. DEFINITIONS
Competitive Food: All foods and beverages offered or sold to students on all school campus during the school day outside of reimbursable meals served through a national child nutrition program such as the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program.

School Campus: Areas that are owned or leased by the District and used at any time for school-related activities, including on the outside of a school building, school buses or other vehicles used to transport students, athletic fields and stadiums (e.g. on scoreboards, coolers, cups, and water bottles), or parking lots.

School Day: The time between midnight the night before to thirty (30) minutes after the end of the instructional day.

II. ADMINISTRATION
Wellness Committee
The Wellness Committee’s purpose is to establish goals for and oversee health and safety policies and programs, including development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the District’s Wellness Policy. The District’s wellness policy can be found http://policy.azsba.org.

The Superintendent will appoint a Wellness Committee comprised of at least one (1) of the following: a representative from the school level, parent/guardian, student, the District’s Director of Child Nutrition, a physical education teacher, a school health professional, a school administrator, and any other individuals of the general public.

The Wellness Committee will meet at least four (4) times per year to assess the policy and implementation. Meetings are open to the public and will be posted on the District’s website. https://www.prescottschools.com/district-wellness-committee/

The Superintendent shall report to the Board on the District’s compliance with its Wellness Policy as the law prescribes.

At a minimum, the Wellness Policy will be updated at least every three years per regulations.

Implementation
It will provide current information about goals and objectives for nutrition standards for all foods and beverages available on the school campus, food and beverage marketing, nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, physical education, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness.

Recordkeeping
The District will maintain records to document compliance with the requirements of its Wellness Policy. https://www.prescottschools.com/district-wellness-committee/

Annual Notice
Each year, the District will inform families and the public of basic information about the Wellness Policy, including its content, any updates to the Policy, and its implementation status. https://www.prescottschools.com/district-wellness-committee/

Assessment
At least once every three years, the District will assess its compliance with the Wellness Policy against the Model Wellness Policy and make the assessment results available to the public. https://www.prescottschools.com/district-wellness-committee/

Community Involvement, Outreach, and Communications
The District is committed to being responsive to community input. The District will actively communicate the following:

The District will inform parents regarding improvements made to school meals and its compliance with school meal standards;
The District shall inform parents of the availability of District child nutrition programs and how to apply;
The District will share information regarding a description of and compliance with Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
District communications may occur via a variety of methods including email, the District’s website, newsletters, presentations to parents, and through any other means that the District and District schools communicate information with parents. https://www.prescottschools.com/district-wellness-committee/

III. NUTRITION
School Meals
The District’s nutrition and meals program aims to improve the diet and health of school children, help mitigate childhood obesity, model healthy eating to support the development of lifelong healthy eating patterns, and support healthy choices. The District shall serve healthy meals to students consistent with federal and state minimum requirements which promote plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and fat-free milk offerings. It will also stay in compliance with the dietary specifications for calories, saturated fat, trans fat, and sodium. https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/nutrition-standards-school-meals

Staff Qualifications and Professional Development:
All school nutrition program directors, managers, and staff will meet or exceed hiring and annual continuing education/training requirements as required by law.

Water
To promote hydration, free, safe, unflavored drinking water will be available to all students throughout the school day at each school. Drinking water will be available where school meals are served during mealtimes.

Sunscreen
The goal is to emphasize skin health and promote the application of sunscreen products and to inform students that a student who attends school in this District may possess and use a topical sunscreen product while on school property or at a school-sponsored event without a note or prescription from a licensed health care professional.

Competitive Foods and Beverages
At a minimum, Competitive Foods and Beverages provided and/or sold to students, on school campus during the school day, will meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. These standards will apply in all locations and through all services where foods and beverages are sold or given. Smart Snack Calculator Link is provided. https://foodplanner.healthiergeneration.org/calculator/

In addition, all foods and beverages offered on the school campus during the school day will meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.

Fundraising
Foods and beverages that meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools nutrition standards may be sold through fundraisers on the school campus during the school day. https://foodplanner.healthiergeneration.org/calculator/

Nutrition Promotion
Nutrition promotion and education positively influence lifelong eating behaviors by using evidence-based techniques and nutrition messages, and by creating food environments that encourage healthy nutrition choices and encourage participation in school meal programs. Students and staff will receive consistent nutrition messages throughout schools, classrooms, gymnasiums, and cafeterias.

The District will promote healthy food and beverage choices for all students throughout the school campus, as well as encourage participation in school meal programs. Menus can be found https://prescottschools.nutrislice.com/

Nutrition Education
Nutrition education shall focus on students’ eating behaviors, be based on theories and methods proven effective by research, and be consistent with state and local district health education standards. The District will teach, model, encourage, and support healthy eating by all students.

Designed to provide students with the age-appropriate knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;
 Includes enjoyable, developmentally-appropriate, and participatory activities, such as cooking demonstrations or lessons, promotions, taste-testing, farmers markets;
Promotes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and healthy food preparation methods;
Links with school meal programs, cafeteria nutrition promotion activities, and nutrition-related community services;
Food and Beverage Marketing in Schools
Any foods and beverages marketed or promoted to students on all school campuses during the school day will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards and applicable state standards. https://foodplanner.healthiergeneration.org/calculator/. Guidelines can be found at https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/tools-schools-focusing-smart-snacks.

IV. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Physical Education
The District will provide students with physical education, using an age-appropriate, sequential physical education curriculum consistent with national and state standards for physical education. All students will be provided equal opportunity to participate in physical education classes. The District will make appropriate accommodations to allow for equitable participation for all students and will adapt physical education classes and equipment as necessary.

The District physical education program will promote student physical fitness through individualized fitness and activity assessments and will use criterion-based reporting for each student.

Essential Physical Activity Topics in Health Education
Health education will be required at all levels according to current program of studies/board approved grade-level requirements. The District will include in the health education curriculum the physical, psychological, or social benefits of physical activity.

• How physical activity can contribute to a healthy weight
• How an inactive lifestyle contributes to chronic disease
• Health-related fitness, that is, cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition
• Decreasing sedentary activities, such as TV watching
• Opportunities for physical activity in the community
• Preventing injury during physical activity
• Weather-related safety, for example, avoiding heat stroke, and sunburn while being physically active
• Dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids
• How to resist peer pressure that discourages physical activity
• Recess (Elementary)

All elementary schools will have recess or education classes daily to promote physical activity. Outdoor recess will be offered when weather is feasible for outdoor play. In the event that a District school must conduct indoor recess, teachers and staff will promote physical activity for students to the extent practicable. Recess requirements can be found at http://www.azed.gov/hns/recess/.

Classroom Physical Activity Breaks
The District recognizes that students are more attentive and ready to learn if provided with periodic breaks when they can be physically active or stretch. Thus, students will be offered periodic opportunities to be active or to stretch throughout the day on all or most days during a typical school week.

Extracurricular Activities
The District offers opportunities for students to participate in physical activity after the school day through a variety of methods. The District will encourage students to be physically active by participation in clubs, intramurals, or interscholastic sports.

V. OTHER SCHOOL BASED ACTIVITIES THAT PROMOTE STUDENT WELLNESS
Community Health Promotion and Family Engagement
The District will promote to parents/caregivers, families, and the general community the benefits of and approaches for healthy eating and physical activity throughout the school year. Families will be informed and invited to participate in school-sponsored activities and will receive information about health promotion efforts. https://www.prescottschools.com/district-wellness-committee/

Staff Wellness and Health Promotion
The District’s Wellness Committee 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.

REFERENCES:
School Code – 24 P.S. Sec. 504.1, 1337.1, 1422, 1422.1, 1512.1, 1513
Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 – 42 U.S.C. Sec. 1751
7 C.F.R. Sections 210.2, 210.10 – 210.12, 210.11, 210.30, 210.31
Local Wellness Policy Assessment/Evaluation
Meeting Agendas & Recordings
Newsletters