5030 BP - Student Wellness in Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS) and Monarch Schools

Adopted: 9/9/20
Revised: 
 

 

Student Wellness – (JCCS and Monarch Schools)

The San Diego County Board of Education recognizes the link between student health and learning and desires to provide a comprehensive program promoting healthy eating and physical activity for JCCS and Monarch Schools students. The county superintendent of schools or designee shall coordinate and align the San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) efforts to support student wellness through health education, physical education and activity, health services, nutrition services, psychological and counseling services, and a safe and healthy school environment. In addition, the county superintendent of schools or designee shall develop strategies for promoting staff wellness and for involving parents/guardians and the community in reinforcing students' understanding and appreciation of the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall encourage parents/guardians, students, food service employees, physical education teachers, school health professionals, County Board of Education members, school administrators, and members of the public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the JCCS and Monarch Schools student wellness policy.

To fulfill this requirement, the county superintendent of schools or designee may appoint a wellness advisory council or another SDCOE committee whose membership shall include representatives of the above groups. The county superintendent of schools or designee also may invite participation of other groups or individuals, such as health educators, curriculum directors, counselors, before- and after-school program staff, health practitioners, and/or others interested in school health issues. The county superintendent of schools or designee may make available to the public and JCCS or Monarch Schools community a list of the names, position titles, and contact information of the members.

The wellness advisory council/committee shall advise SDCOE on health-related issues, activities, policies, and programs. At the discretion of the county superintendent of schools or designee, the duties of the council/committee may also include the planning, implementation, and evaluation of activities to promote health within the school or community.

 

Goals for Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Other Wellness Activities

SDCOE shall adopt specific goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote student wellness. In developing such goals, SDCOE shall review and consider evidence-based strategies and techniques.

SDCOE nutrition education and physical education programs shall be based on research, shall be consistent with the expectations established in the state's curriculum frameworks and content standards, and shall be designed to build the skills and knowledge that all students need to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The nutrition education program shall include, but is not limited to, information about the benefits of healthy eating for learning, disease prevention, weight management, and oral health. Nutrition education shall be provided as part of the health education program and, as appropriate, shall be integrated into other academic subjects in the regular educational program, before- and after-school programs, summer learning programs, and school garden programs.

All students shall be provided opportunities to be physically active on a regular basis. Opportunities for moderate to vigorous physical activity shall be provided through physical education and recess and may also be provided through school athletic programs, extracurricular programs, before-and after-school programs, summer learning programs, programs encouraging students to walk or bicycle to and from school, in-class physical activity breaks, and other structured and unstructured activities.

SDCOE may enter into a joint use agreement or memorandum of understanding to make JCCS and/or Monarch Schools facilities or grounds available for recreational or sports activities outside the school day and/or to use community facilities to expand students' access to opportunity for physical activity.

Professional development may be regularly offered to the nutrition program director, managers, and staff, as well as health education teachers, physical education teachers, coaches, activity supervisors, and other staff as appropriate to enhance their knowledge and skills related to student health and wellness.

In order to ensure that students have access to comprehensive health services, SDCOE may provide access to health services at or near JCCS or Monarch schools and/or may provide referrals to community resources.

The County Board of Education recognizes that a safe, positive school environment is also conducive to students' physical and mental health and thus prohibits bullying and harassment of all students, including bullying on the basis of weight or health condition.

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall encourage staff to serve as positive role models for healthy eating and physical fitness. The county superintendent of schools or designee shall promote work-site wellness programs and may provide opportunities for regular physical activity among employees.

 

Nutrition Guidelines for All Foods Available at School

For all foods and beverages available on each campus during the school day, SDCOE shall adopt nutrition guidelines consistent with United States Code, Title 42, sections 1758, 1766, 1773, and 1779, and federal regulations, and which support the objectives of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity.

In order to maximize SDCOE’s ability to provide nutritious meals and snacks, all JCCS and Monarch schools shall participate in available federal school nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and after-school snack programs, to the extent possible. When approved by the California Department of Education (CDE), SDCOE may sponsor a summer meal program. The JCCS and Monarch schools will include evidence-based strategies to increase meal participation. Students will have access to a safe, comfortable eating environment with adequate time to eat.

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall provide access to free, potable water in the food service area during meal times in accordance with Education Code section 38086 and United States Code, Title 42, section 1758, and shall encourage students' consumption of water by educating them about the health benefits of water and by serving water in an appealing manner.

SDCOE protects the privacy of all qualifying students. No overt identification of students eligible for free and reduced priced meals will occur. Student households shall be provided with the annual notification to advise the parent or guardian of the program of free and reduced priced meals pursuant to Education Code section 49510. If another qualifying meal provision program is active and available at the school that the student’s parents or legal guardians qualify, and is based on annual household income, then it shall also be provided.

SDCOE believes that all foods and beverages sold or served to students during the school day at JCCS and Monarch schools/programs, including those available outside SDCOE’s reimbursable food services program, should support the health curriculum and promote optimal health. Nutrition standards adopted by SDCOE for foods and beverages provided through student stores, vending machines, or other venues shall meet or exceed state and federal nutrition standards and shall not reduce student participation in SDCOE's food service program.

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall encourage school organizations to use healthy food items or non-food items for fundraising purposes. He/she also shall encourage school staff to avoid the use of non-nutritious foods as a reward for students' academic performance, accomplishments, or classroom behavior.

JCCS and Monarch Schools staff shall encourage parents/guardians or other volunteers to support SDCOE’s nutrition education program by considering nutritional quality when selecting any snacks that they may donate for occasional class parties. Class parties or celebrations shall be held after the lunch period when possible and the maximum number of classroom celebrations will be no more than three per year. This will be consistent at each school site.

Nutrition Services shall have sole authority to provide food and beverages from the beginning of the school day until after the last lunch period to ensure food safety and to maximize the schools' ability to serve healthy and appealing meals. All Non-Program foods must be maintained separately and away from Nutrition Services, shall meet or exceed state and federal nutrition standards, and shall not reduce student participation in JCCS and Monarch Schools’ food service program. These non-program foods can be included in Nutrition Services’ regularly scheduled Administrative Review by state nutrition officials and separate records must be kept by the operating entity selling or serving them.

Nutrition Services shall have sole authority for the nutritious snack required in state and federally funded, SDCOE sponsored, before- and after-school programs.

School meals shall include whole, fresh, unprocessed foods and ingredients whenever possible. These meals shall also use foods low in sodium and limit sources of trans fatty acids whenever possible.

Nutrition Services shall monitor and implement food safety procedures for all food sold, served, or consumed on school premises, with the exception of food brought from home for individual consumption or staff-only functions.

To reinforce SDCOE’s nutrition education program, SDCOE prohibits the marketing and advertising of non-nutritious foods and beverages that do not meet nutrition standards for the sale of foods and beverages on campus during the school day through signage, vending machine fronts, logos, scoreboards, school supplies, advertisements in school publications, coupon or incentive programs, free giveaways, or other means.

 

Program Implementation and Evaluation

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall designate the Food Service Program Supervisor as its meal program service administrator, as appropriate, to ensure that each school site complies with this policy

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall assess the implementation and effectiveness of this policy at least once every three years. The plan for evaluation shall be directed by the program administrator.

The assessment shall include the extent to which JCCS and Monarch schools are in compliance with this policy, the extent to which this policy compares to model wellness policies available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy.

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall invite feedback on JCCS and/or Monarch Schools and school wellness activities from food service personnel, school administrators, the wellness council, parents/guardians, students, teachers, before- and after-school program staff, and/or other appropriate persons.

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall establish indicators that will be used to measure the implementation and effectiveness of JCCS and Monarch Schools activities related to student wellness. Such indicators may include, but are not limited to:

1. Descriptions of the JCCS or Monarch Schools nutrition education, physical education, and health education curricula and the extent to which they align with state academic content standards and legal requirements
2. An analysis of the nutritional content of school meals and snacks served in all SDCOE programs, based on a sample of menus and production records
3. Student participation rates in all school meal and/or snack programs, including the number of students enrolled in the free and reduced-price meals program compared to the number of students eligible for that program
4. Extent to which foods and beverages sold or served on campus outside the food services program, such as through vending machines, student stores, or fundraisers, comply with nutrition standards
5. Extent to which other foods and beverages that are available on campus during the school day, such as foods and beverages for classroom parties, school celebrations, and rewards/incentives, comply with nutrition standards
6. Results of the state's physical fitness test at applicable grade levels
7. Number of minutes of physical education offered at each grade span, and the estimated percentage of class time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity
8. A description of JCCS or Monarch Schools efforts to provide additional opportunities for physical activity outside of the physical education program
9. A description of other county-wide or school-based wellness activities offered, including the number of sites and/or students participating, as appropriate

As feasible, the assessment report may include a comparison of results across multiple years, a comparison of SDCOE data with county, statewide, or national data, and/or a comparison of wellness data with other student outcomes such as academic indicators or student discipline rates.

In addition, the county superintendent of schools or designee shall prepare and maintain the proper documentation and records needed for the administrative review of JCCS and Monarch Schools’ wellness policy conducted by the CDE every three years.

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall inform and update the public, including parents/guardians, students, and others in the community, about the content and implementation of this policy and assessment results.

The assessment results shall be submitted to the County Board of Education for the purposes of evaluating policy and practice, recognizing accomplishments, and making policy adjustments as needed to focus JCCS and/or Monarch Schools resources and efforts on actions that are most likely to make a positive impact on student health and achievement.

 

Notifications

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall inform the public about the content and implementation of the SDCOE's wellness policy and shall make the policy, and any updates to the policy, available to the public on an annual basis. He or she shall also inform the public of JCCS and/or Monarch Schools’ progress towards meeting the goals of the wellness policy, including the availability of the triennial SDCOE assessment.

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall distribute this information through the most effective methods of communication, including SDCOE, JCCS, or Monarch school newsletters, handouts, parent/guardian meetings, SDCOE, JCCS, and Monarch Schools web sites, and other communications. Outreach to parents/guardians shall emphasize the relationship between student health and wellness and academic performance.

Each school may post a summary of SDCOE’s nutrition and physical activity laws and regulations prepared by the CDE.

 

Records

The county superintendent of schools or designee shall retain records that document compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7, section 210.31, including, but not limited to, the written student wellness policy, documentation of the triennial assessment of the wellness policy for each JCCS and Monarch school site, and documentation demonstrating compliance with the community involvement requirements, including requirements to make the policy and assessment results available to the public.

 

 

 

Derivation: Adopted 9/9/20.

Legal Reference:
Education Code
33350-33354, 38086, 49430-49434, 49490-49494, 49500-49505, 49510-49520, 49530-49536, 49540-49546, 49547-49548.3, 49550-49562, 49565-49565.8, 49570, 51210, 51210.1-51210.2, 51210.4, 51220, 51222, 51223, 51795-51798, 51880-51921
California Code of Regulations, Title 5
15500-15501, 15510, 15530-15535, 15550-15565, 
United States Code, Title 42
1751-1769j (1758b), 1771-1793 (1773), 1779
Code of Federal Regulations, Title 7
210.1-210.33 (210.31), 220.1-220.22

 

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: How to File a Complaint, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
2. fax: (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider