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- Wellness policy goes back to teacher for further input
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By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Juab School District has been working on a wellness policy for many months and, at the last meeting, sent the part of the policy back to teachers to receive further input.
“Until we complete this policy, there is no policy,” said Superintendent Kirk Wright.
The policy is in answer to a federal mandate.
The wellness policy was passed for a first reading with the exception of the rewards section. That was withheld for the purpose of receiving further feedback from the teaching staff of the district.
A recent survey of parents of school-aged children conducted by the national Action for Healthy Kids consortium found that while the majority of parents want their children to get healthier food and more exercise at school, nearly 85 percent were unaware that federal law requires their schools to develop comprehensive wellness policies addressing these issues.
The survey showed parents are also unaware that the law specifies that parents, among other key stakeholders, must be involved from the beginning in designing those district policies.
“We have involved parents and teachers from the beginning,” said Wright.
Under the Federal mandate, each school will be required to adopt a Wellness Policy that includes: (1) nutrition guidelines for all foods sold on school campus during the school day; (2) setting school goals for nutrition education and physical activity; (3) establishing community participation in creating local wellness policies; and (4) creating a plan for measuring implementation of these wellness policies.
“We do not, however, want to micromanage schools,” said Delanie Hathaway.
Micromanagement is a management style where a manager closely observes or controls the work of their employees. Board members prefer to have teachers manage proactively.
The big concern voiced by several elementary teachers were the incentives they offer to promote learning.
Stacy Brooks, board member, said she had a concern about teacher input.
“I am torn,” she said. “Teachers said that kids do not get as excited about getting non-food incentives.”
In other words, M&Ms go much further in promoting good study habits and good citizenship than do new pencils.
Hathaway suggested the policy might reword the portion dealing with food rewards to read: “reduce the use of.”
Rick Walsh, board member, said that there was no way to measure “reduce” and, if that wording was used, the board should just do away with that requirement.
“I have had several comments from teachers that they are very much against not allowing food incentives,” said Tracy Olsen, board member.
There are other foods which might be used as incentives rather than candy and sweets. Those might include cereal bars and healthful foods.
Olsen said there was also concern on the part of teachers that they could not keep students in during recess as a punishment for bad behavior or for failure to do the needed classwork.
“Sometimes, however, they need to use that time to get a student alone to have one-on-one time,” said Brooks. “They have bus students who cannot stay after school and parents who do not want their children kept after school.
Wright said the policy could be watered-down until it was meaningless.
“The physical aspect of wellness is as important as the diet,” he said. “I don’t think it would be objected to (keeping a child in from recess) on a very rare occasion, especially if the teacher went to the principal in advance,” said Wright.
The student, who misses recess occasionally to have a one-on-one with a teacher is much different than the student who is kept in to sit in a corner.
The reauthorized federal Child Nutrition Act now requires K-12 school districts with federally funded school meal programs to put wellness programs in place this year.
The district board of education has been considering ways to develop health-promoting school environments; offer inviting and nutritious menu choices; meet state and national wellness program guidelines; and implement a quality wellness program.
These initiatives are a response to the growing epidemic of childhood obesity and related illnesses among children and teens, which is linked with the consumption of nutrient-poor fast food and decreased physical activity.
The sharp rise in the number of children diagnosed with type II diabetes and other obesity-related health problems may even result to shortened life expectancy for the current generation of school children.
Even former president Bill Clinton, who struggles with his weight as a child and as an adult, has been tapped to advocate on this issue by the American Heart Association.
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