Model Local School Wellness PoliciesSchool districts may choose to use the following model policies as written or revise them as needed to meet local needs and reflect community priorities. When developing wellness policies, school districts will need to take into account their unique circumstances, challenges, and opportunities. Among the factors to consider are socioeconomic status of the student body; school size; rural or urban location; and presence of immigrant, dual-language, or limited-English students. It often helps to begin by conducting a baseline assessment of schools' existing nutrition and physical activity environments. Please see resources on conducting a local school wellness policy assessment. A district may find it more practical to phase in the adoption of its wellness policies than to implement a comprehensive set of nutrition and physical activity policies all at once. Compromises from the ideal might be required as district decision makers consider challenges such as limited class time, curriculum requirements, and funding and space constraints. The resources can help stakeholders and school districts with the development, implementation, and monitoring/review of local wellness policies. If you would like additional information, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program gives schools and school districts guidance, technical assistance, training, and support to create and sustain healthy changes, including assistance with wellness policy creation and implementation. To enroll in the Healthy Schools Program, please click here. Members will have access (free of charge) to additional resources, including the model wellness policy. For more information, contact nana@cspinet.org. |
