Wellness Policy
TIFT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT WELLNESS POLICY ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND NUTRITION
The Tift County 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 and physical activity.
I. School Health Councils
The school district will incorporate school health councils into existing school councils to develop, implement, monitor, and review school nutrition and physical activity policies. The councils also will serve as resources to school sites for implementing those policies.
II. Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus
School Meals
Meals served through the National School Breakfast, Lunch, and Snack Programs will meet nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes and regulations.
Meal Times and Scheduling.
--Schools should provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch.
--Schools should not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities.
K-5 Schools
The school nutrition director will approve all food and beverage sales to students in elementary schools from the current list of approved snacks. Given young children's limited nutrition skills, food in elementary schools should be sold as balanced meals. If available, foods and beverages sold individually should be limited to water, low-fat and non-fat flavored milk, fruits, 100% juices, frozen items from approved snack list, and non-fried vegetables.
All items sold should be served after lunch.
6-12 Schools
All foods and beverages sold to students outside the reimbursable school meal programs (including those sold through a la carte [snack] lines, vending machines, student stores, or fundraising activities) during the school day, must meet at a minimum, existing Federal and State guidelines for foods of minimal nutritional value, all will comply with "foods of minimal value" where school meals are sold or served during meal periods (7 code of Federal Regulations Part 210.11), adhere to Tift County nutrition guidelines, and be approved by school nutrition director.
Fundraising Activities
To support children's health and school nutrition-education efforts, school fundraising activities on campus, during the school day should use only foods that meet the nutrition and portion size guidelines for foods and beverages sold individually. Schools will encourage fundraising activities that promote physical activity.
Rewards
Schools will limit use of non nutritive foods or beverages as rewards for academic performance or good behavior.
Celebrations
Schools should limit celebrations that involve food during the school day. The schools will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to school administration.
III. Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion and Food Marketing
Nutrition Education and Promotion
Tift County School District aims to teach, encourage, and support healthy eating by:
--State and local health education curriculum will focus on nutrition and health;
--School nutrition will provide links to school meal programs, other school foods, and nutrition-related community services;
--Continuing to participate in the National School Lunch and National School Breakfast promotions annually.
--Establishing Wellness Zones, and promoting healthy eating and physical activity, annually.
--Conducting taste testing with student focus groups to introduce new products or menu changes.
--Utilizing community collaboration promoting school nutrition including but not limited to PTA/PTO sponsored events, parent workshops, faith based feeding programs, YMCA programs, Recreation Department sponsored camps, and public library reading programs.
--Distributing nutrition education resources/newsletters/menus/promotion activities and having them available online access to faculty, students, parents, and community.
--Promoting all current state and national innovative initiatives.
Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom Setting
Students need opportunities for physical activity beyond physical education class. Toward that end:
--Classroom health education will complement physical education by reinforcing the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically-active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities, such as watching television;
--Using fitness gram as a measuring component
Staff Wellness
Tift County School District highly values the health and well being of every staff member. Each school should establish and maintain a staff wellness committee as part of the existing school council. The committee should develop, promote, and oversee a plan to promote staff health and wellness.
IV. Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education
Physical Education (P.E.) K-12. All students in grades K-12, including students with disabilities, special health-care needs, and in alternative educational settings, will receive physical education meeting the local, state, and federal guidelines. Students will spend at least 50 percent of physical education class time participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity.
Daily Recess
All K-5 school students will have at least 10 to 15 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through the provision of space and equipment.
Schools should discourage extended periods (i.e., periods of two or more hours) of inactivity. When activities, such as mandatory school-wide testing, make it necessary for students to remain indoors for long periods of time, schools should give students periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.
V. Monitoring and Policy Review
Monitoring
The superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with established district-wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies. In each school, the principal or designee will ensure compliance with those policies in his/her school and will report on the school's compliance to the school district superintendent or designee.
School food service staff, at the school or district level, will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas. All a la carte sales will comply with USDA competitive food nutrient standards and use smart snacks calculator to ensure compliance.
Policy Review
The school district will review nutrition and physical activity policies; and will, as necessary, revise the wellness policies and develop work plans to facilitate their implementation.
Nutrition Guidelines
In accordance to the 7 CFR Parts 210, 215, 220 Federal Regulations
National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: Nutrition Standards for All foods Sold in School as Required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010; Final Rule
--A choice of at least two fruits and/or non-fried vegetables will be offered for sale at any location on the school site where multiple food choices are offered (concession and vending sites). Such items could include, but are not limited to, fresh, canned or dried fruits and vegetables; 100% fruit or vegetable juice; fruit-based drinks that are at least 50% fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners.
The portion size of a la carte entrees and side dishes, including potatoes, will not be greater than the size of comparable portions offered as part of school meals. Fruits and non-fried vegetables are exempt from portion-size limits.