Goals

STUDENT WELLNESS

Based on review and consideration of evidence-based strategies and techniques, the

Portsmouth Public School Board establishes the following goals to promote student wellness.

Goal 1: The Portsmouth Public School Board promotes student/employee wellness and safety through the following Wellness Policy Goals: Nutrition Education, Physical Activity, Nutrition Standards, Other School Based Activities and Sharing of Foods and Beverage

Goal 2: The Wellness Policy Committee will administer a baseline survey to be completed by building principals to ascertain the level of Wellness Policy compliance.

Goal 3: Upon completion of baseline data collected by the Wellness Committee, division goals for compliance improvement will be established and reviewed annually.

Nutrition Promotion and Education

1. All Portsmouth Public School employees shall be made aware of the Nutrition Education Standards outlined in the School Board approved Portsmouth Public Schools Wellness Policy.

All PPS employees will receive Wellness Policy/Nutrition Education Standards in- formation along with Blood Borne Pathogens information delivered through the Office of Health Services.

2. Students and staff will receive nutrition education that teaches the skills they need to adopt and maintain healthy eating and drinking behaviors.
3. All schools shall establish a Wellness and Nutrition Committee.

Principals will select the following recommended members for the school Wellness/ Nutrition Committee:

Pre-K Centers -- Cafeteria Manager, nurse, teacher and parent. Elementary K-6 --Cafeteria Manager, nurse, student, teacher and parent.

Middle and High Schools -- Cafeteria Manager, nurse, student, teacher and parent.

4. Portsmouth Public Schools highly values the health and well-being of every staff member. A PPS Wellness Committee will plan and implement activities that support wellness and a healthy life style.        The committee should develop promote and oversee a plan to promote, and oversee a plan to promote staff health and wellness and to encourage staff to model healthy behaviors for students.

5. Nutrition is integrated into the health education and core curricula (e.g., math, science, language arts, and social studies).

6. Schools are encouraged to enroll as Team Nutrition Schools and they conduct nutrition education activities and promotions that involve parents, students and the community.

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Physical Activity

1. Students will be given opportunities for physical activity during the school day through physical education classes and through the integration of physical activity into the academic curriculum as appropriate.

• Schools should discourage extended periods (2 or more hours) of inactivity whenever possible.
• Teachers will incorporate movement and kinesthetic learning approaches into “core” subject instruction when possible (science, math, social studies,

language arts and others) and do their part to limit sedentary behavior during the school day.

• Teachers and other school personnel will not use physical activity (e.g., running laps, push-ups) as a punishment. Teachers will not withhold (recess or physical education) physical activity as punishment.

2. An adequate amount of time for physical activities will be provided at all grade levels.

• Twenty (20) minutes of daily physical activity (recess) will be provided at the elementary level during which schools should encourage physical activity. Daily recess should be held outside when weather is feasible for outdoor activity. Students may not be kept from recess as a behavioral strategy.
• Two hundred twenty-five (225) minutes per week on average of physical activity will be provided at the middle (grades 6, 7, and 8) and high school (grades 9 and 10).
• A certified physical education teacher will provide elementary students with a minimum of 45 minutes per week of physical education.
• A certified physical education teacher will provide physical education classes for middle and high school students.

3. Schools will encourage parents and guardians to support their children’s participation in physical activity, to be physically active role models, and to include physical activity in family events.

• Schools will provide family wellness nights at school.

4. Elementary schools participate in the Safe Routes to School Program and encourage students, parents, and the community to become involved in SRTS.
5. Portsmouth Public Schools promotes staff wellness opportunities that may enable employees to maintain a healthy life style.

Other School-Based Activities

1. REWARDS

Schools will not use foods or beverages as rewards for academic or behavior and will not withhold food or beverages as a form of punishment.

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2. CELEBRATIONS

Food items included in celebrations/recognitions may be purchased from Food Services. Food purchased from Food Services have been tracked through HACCP (Hazardous Analysis & Critical Control Points). Alternatives to food celebrations may include: Craft or gift making, reading a special story, extra recess or physical activity party. This is due to multiple allergy types in our schools such as wheat, soy, rye, milk, strawberries, chocolate, nuts, eggs, coconut, pears, pork, beef, and rice. Food items should only be purchased from the PPS approved food services list.

3. FUNDRAISING

Schools should encourage fundraising activities that promote physical activities (such as walk-a-thons, Jump Rope for Heart, fun runs etc. HB 2114 Competitive foods: school- sponsored fundraisers. PPS School Board Policy JHCH-Each school may conduct up to three school sponsored fundraisers per school year during which food that does not meet the nutrition guidelines for competitive food may be available to students. Competitive foods may not be sold during the protected meal times of breakfast and lunch.

Nutrition Standards and Guidelines

1. An adequate amount of time will be allowed for students to eat meals in adequate lunch- room facilities.
2. Portsmouth Public Schools is committed to ensuring that all food and beverages, including purchased foods, available to students will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools nutrition standards.
3. All students who participate in subsidized food programs will be able to obtain food in a non-stigmatizing manner.

• Computerized point-of-service will provide for no overt identification of which students receive free or reduced or paid lunches.

4. Nutritional information will be made available on menus, the website, cafeteria menu boards, placard, or other point-of-service materials.
5. Water is recognized as an essential nutrient and will be available at no cost to all students before, during, and after the school day and throughout every campus. Water sources, containers, and cups will be made available in the cafeteria if a drinking fountain is not present. All water sources and containers are maintained regularly and meet established hygiene and health safety standards. Such sources and containers may include drinking fountains, water containers, hydration stations, water jets, and other methods for delivering drinking water. To encourage water consumption, Students will be allowed to bring and carry (approved) water bottles filled exclusively with water throughout the day.
6. Schools will encourage all students to wash their hands before and after school meals. Hand washing is highly recommended and the use of hand sanitizer is to be used only when appropriate facilities for hand washing are not available. Hand sanitizer is not to replace hand washing when proper facilities are available.

The School Board incorporates and adopts the nutrition standards in 8 VAC 20-740-10 through 8 VAC 20-740-40.

The superintendent is responsible for creating

1. regulations to develop and implement standards for all foods and beverages provided, but not sold, to students on the school campus during the school day; and

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2. standards and nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages sold to students on the school campus during the school day that promote student health and reduce childhood obesity and are consistent with the applicable standards and requirements in 7 C.F.R. §§ 210.10, 210.11 and 220.8.

Marketing on the school campus during the school day is permitted only for those foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards under 7 C.F.R. § 210.11, serve to promote student health, reduce and prevent childhood obesity, and combat problems associated with poor nutrition and physical inactivity.

Implementation

The School Board encourages parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, school administrators and the general public to participate in the development, implementation and periodic review and update of this policy by the Wellness Policy inclusion in the PPS Student/Parent Handbook with receipt signature page. Public and staff are encouraged to participate in a scheduled Fall 2019 Wellness Policy discussion. Wellness Policy Survey..\..\Scans\2019_07_24WPSurvey.pdf

The Superintendent and the Supervisor of Health and Physical Education and Wellness are responsible for overseeing the implementation of this policy and developing procedures for evaluating the policy including indicators that will be used to measure its success.

Portsmouth Public Schools Wellness Policy—Annual/Triennial Wellness Policy School Compliance Survey—Building Principals. Wellness Policy will be posted to the division website.

The public is informed about the content and implementation of the policy by approved Wellness Policy at public school Board meeting and posted on the PPS website:

http://pps.k12.va.us/departments/departments_n-z/wellness_for_parents_students Implementation procedures include measuring and making available to the public, at least

once every three years, an assessment of the implementation of the policy, including the extent

to which schools are in compliance with the policy, the extent to which this policy compares to model school wellness policies and a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the policy. The results of the triennial assessment are considered in updating the policy.

The process for monitoring compliance with this policy is Portsmouth Public Schools Wellness Policy – Annual/Triennial Wellness Policy School Compliance Survey--Building Principals. Wellness Policy will be posted to the division website.

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The School Board retains the following records to document compliance with 7 C.F.R. § 210.31:

• the policy;
• documents demonstrating compliance with community involvement requirements, including requirements to make the policy and triennial assessments available to the public; and
• documentation of the triennial assessment of the policy.

Adopted: February 26, 2013

Revised: June 22, 2017

Revised: August 16, 2018

Revised: June 20, 2019

Revised: October 14, 2021

Legal Refs:        42 U.S.C. § 1758b.

7 C.F.R. 210.31.

The Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, § 22.1-207.4. 8 VAC 20-740-30.

8 VAC 20-740-40.

Cross Refs:  EFB        Food Services

IGAE/IGAF        Health Education/Physical Education JL         Fund Raising and Solicitation

KQ        Commercial, Promotional and Corporate Sponsorships and Partnerships