.png)
The Board recognizes the relationship between student well-being and student achievement as well as the importance of a comprehensive district wellness program. Therefore, the district will provide developmentally appropriate and sequential nutrition and physical education as well as opportunities for physical activity. The wellness program will be implemented in a multidisciplinary fashion and will be evidence based.
The district will establish a wellness committee that consists of at least one parent, student, nurse or other school health professional, physical education teacher, school food service representative, Board member, school administrator, member of the public, and other community members as appropriate. If available, a qualified, credentialed nutrition professional will be a member of the wellness committee.
Committee meeting dates and agendas will be posted on the district's website in advance of each meeting and advertised in a manner designed to reach students, staff and members of the community. All wellness committee meeting agendas will include a public comment period in which students, staff and members of the community are encouraged to provide input on the district's wellness program. Meetings, records and votes of the wellness committee will adhere to the requirements of the Missouri Sunshine Law.
The Board designates the Director of Finance as the wellness program coordinator. Only employees of the district who are members of the wellness committee may serve as wellness program coordinator. The wellness coordinator, in consultation with the wellness committee, will be in charge of implementation and evaluation of this policy.
The wellness program coordinator is responsible for ensuring that each school in the district is in compliance with this policy.
The nutrition guidelines outlined in this section do not apply to food or beverages brought from home by students for consumption solely by the student or food or beverages created or used by students as part of the district's instructional program.
It is the policy of Sikeston R-6 that all foods and beverages sold to students during the school day on any property under the jurisdiction of the district will meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) school meal and Smart Snacks in School (Smart Snacks) nutrition standards. These nutrition standards apply to all food and beverages sold to students, including those sold in vending machines, school stores and through district-sponsored fundraisers, unless an exemption applies. In addition, the Wellness Committee will set nutrition standards that encourage healthy options applicable to all food and beverages provided, but not sold, to students outside the reimbursable school meals program during the school day. For the purposes of this policy, the school day is the time period from the midnight before to 30 minutes after the official school day.
The district will provide nutrition education aligned with the Missouri Learning Standards and Grade-Level Expectations (GLEs) in health and physical education in all grades. In addition, the district will disseminate nutrition messages and other nutrition-related materials received from the USDA to students, staff and the community through a variety of media and methods. The wellness program coordinator, in consultation with the wellness committee, will develop procedures that address nutrition education and promotion.
The district will provide physical education and opportunities for physical activity aligned with the Missouri Learning Standards and GLEs in health and physical education in all grades. The wellness program coordinator, in consultation with the wellness committee, will develop procedures that address physical education and physical activity.
The wellness program coordinator, in consultation with the wellness committee, is charged with developing procedures addressing other school-based activities to promote wellness.
The local wellness program will be assessed at least once every three years. The assessment will measure the district's level of compliance with implementing the local wellness program, including compliance levels in each of the district's schools; the extent to which the district's policy compares to model wellness policies; and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the program. The wellness program coordinator will report the results of assessments to the Board, and the results of each assessment will be made available to the public on the district's website and by other appropriate means. The wellness program coordinator will make recommendations for modifications to the wellness policy in accordance with these assessments, and the Board will revise the wellness policy as it deems necessary based on these recommendations. Administrative procedures will be revised accordingly.
The wellness program coordinator will maintain records necessary to document compliance with law, including a copy of the policy; documentation of community involvement, including sign-in sheets or other documentation of the names of those who provided input to the committee; documentation of triennial assessments; and documentation that assessment findings were shared with the public.