Introduction

The Seattle Public Schools Board recognizes that it is the School District’s role, as part of the larger community, to model and actively practice, through policies and procedures, the promotion of nutrition education, smart food choices, and overall health. It is the intent of the school district to assist family and societal efforts in optimizing student health by offering nutrition education in line with best practices available at this time.

National legislation mandates that all school districts with a federally funded school meal program develop and implement a Wellness Policy by September 2006. In line with this requirement, Seattle Public Schools has adopted separate but interrelated policies that meet or exceed each specific requirement, including “Distribution of Competitive Foods” (H66.01), “Food Service” (H61.00), and “Physical Education” (D119.00). The Nutrition Education policy is a component of this work.

Further, Washington State legislation mandates that Classroom Based Assessments be used in all school districts:  “By the end of the 2008-09 school year, school districts shall have in place in elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools assessments or other strategies to assure that students have an opportunity to learn the essential academic learning requirements in social studies, the arts, and health and fitness. Beginning with the 2008-09 school year, school districts shall annually submit an implementation verification report to the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.” Consequently, OSPI created a series of Essential Academic Learning Requirements related to nutrition that have been considered during the creation of this Nutrition Education policy.

As stated in the “Distribution of Competitive Foods” Policy, “The availability of non-nutritious foods undermines nutrition education efforts” and “increases the potential for development of eating disorders, food-borne illnesses and food-based allergic reactions.” This interdependence between policies requires a concerted approach across multiple fronts to ensure the success of all local, state, and federal actions pertaining to health, wellness, and education. This policy has attempted to encapsulate all of the interrelated requirements by carefully considering how to implement a systemic approach to nutrition education.

The Seattle School District has taken the lead on changes directed towards a more healthful school environment. Adopting this nutrition education policy with a timeline that allows us to meet or exceed state requirements will assist the district in decreasing the achievement gap of our students by providing them with the knowledge and skill base to make healthy choices and increase their opportunities for success.

Procedure

A minimum of 10 hours per year of nutrition education shall be allocated for nutrition education lessons. Nutrition education shall be a component of a sequential Health Education Curriculum in all grades from Pre-K to 12. In addition, nutrition education shall be integrated into the curricula of Health Education, Health & Fitness, Science, Family & Consumer Sciences Education core subject areas as appropriate. Nutrition education lessons will support the WA State Essential Academic Learning Requirements, Grade Level Expectations (GLE’s) and Classroom Based Assessments (CBA’s)

Nutrition education at all levels of the district’s integrated curriculum should include, but not be limited to, the following essential components designed to help students learn:

1. Age appropriate nutritional knowledge, including understanding the relationship of nutrition and food nutrients to physical performance and body composition; recognizing patterns of growth and development; understanding the concept of control and prevention of disease; acquiring skills to live safely and reduce health risks; learning how to use USDA food guidance systems; understanding how environmental factors affect health; recognizing appropriate food portions; understanding the benefits of healthy eating and the role of essential nutrients; learn about nutritional deficiencies, special diets and food allergies; understand the principles of healthy weight management/eating disorders and where to obtain support and resources for these concerns; learn safe food preparation, handling, and storage; and appreciate cultural diversity related to food and eating.
2. Age appropriate nutrition-related skills, including gathering and analyzing health information; using social skills to promote health and safety; understand how emotions influence decision making; analyze health and safety information; to plan and prepare a healthy meal, how to plant a garden and understand plant growth cycles, understand and use food labels, and to critically evaluate nutrition information, misinformation, and commercial advertising as it relates to food choices, body/self image AND
3. How to assess one’s personal eating habits, set goals for improvement, and achieve those goals.

Teacher trainings will be offered for continuing education credits that focus on integrating nutrition topic areas within current district curricula consistent with the GLEs. Nutrition Services and/or Instruction, Curriculum, & Assessment Department will provide these courses. The Seattle School District Nutrition Advisory Council will review and recommend nutrition topic areas and materials on an ongoing basis to the Instruction, Curriculum & Assessment Department.

The District will support the development of partnerships/link between classrooms and the school cafeteria in order to support critical thinking skills taught in the classroom and experiential learning of students.

The District will encourage the development of school nutrition councils and policies supporting healthful eating, providing nutrition education through school communications (i.e. newsletters), promoting school gardens and community supported agriculture, encouraging staff to act as role models for healthy eating and developing school wide policies for food allergies. Enrollment of schools as “USDA Team Nutrition Schools” will provide additional opportunity to affirm their commitment in making positive nutrition changes, conducting evidence-based nutrition education activities/events, and using innovative materials.

The Seattle School District will explore a Marketing Campaign designed to encourage healthful eating by students. This includes education on the benefits of school meal consumption and menu changes that have occurred within the district. Implementation of this component will be initiated when economically feasible.

It is recommended that implementation begin with the 2006-2007 school year with full implementation completed by the beginning of the 2007-2008 school year.  Services of the STEPS Nutrition Coordinator will be maximized to support successful planning and implementation.

In order to accomplish the goal of a nutrition education program that is aligned with the essential academic learning requirements, grade level expectations, and classroom-based assessments, the Chief Academic Officer or her designee will work with the Nutrition Advisory Committee to develop a financially sustainable implementation and evaluation plan for this program.  The draft plan will come to the Student Learning Committee for review and adoption as an amendment to this procedure, no later than October 31, 2006.

The Plan will summarize implementation steps and timeline for the following components and any additional actions deemed advisable by staff:

1. Recommendation for adoption of an elementary wellness curriculum.
2. Identification of components of the High School and Middle School integration strategy for wellness and nutrition education.
3. Staff development plan for K-12 wellness and nutrition education.
4. Design for a budget neutral marketing strategy to support program growth.
5. Evaluation model for the program, as required by Federal mandates.
6. Budget for the program utilizing existing nutrition budget resources.

Policy Cross References

• 2180 – Nutrition Education and Nutrition Promotion

Adopted

• August 20, 2012