The Ankeny Community School District believes students need a positive, safe, and health-promoting environment at every level, in every setting, to achieve personal, academic, developmental, and social success. The District provides a comprehensive learning environment for developing and practicing lifelong wellness behaviors and sets goals to influence a student’s understanding, beliefs and habits as they relate to good nutrition and regular physical activity.

The District will identify at least one goal in each of the following areas:

• Nutrition Education and Promotion: Schools will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that helps students develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors
• Physical Activity: Schools will provide students with age and grade appropriate opportunities to engage in physical activity that meet the Iowa Healthy Kids Act
• Other School Based Activities that Promote Wellness: As appropriate, schools will support students, staff, and parents’ efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle

The District will adhere to the following nutritional guidelines for food available on school campuses:

•  Meals served through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program will meet or exceed the nutrition requirements established by state and federal law and served with consideration toward nutritional integrity, variety, appeal, taste, safety and packaging to ensure high-quality meals;
• Schools providing access to healthy foods outside the reimbursable meal programs before school, during school and thirty minutes after school shall meet or exceed relevant USDA nutrition standards. This includes items sold through a la carte lines, vending machines, student run stores, and/or fundraising activities;
• Snacks provided to students during the school day without charge (e.g., class parties) will meet District standards and align to relevant law. The district will provide parents a list of foods and beverages that meet nutrition standards for classroom snacks and celebrations; and
• Schools will only allow marketing and advertising of foods and beverages that meet the Smart Snacks in school nutritional standards on campus during the school day.

The District will make every reasonable effort to promote the availability of meals to all students.

The Superintendent/designee shall implement and ensure compliance with the policy by:

• Reviewing the policy at least every three years and recommending updates as appropriate;
• Implementing a process for permitting parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, administrators and the public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the policy;
• Making the policy and updated assessment of the implementation available to the public. This shall include the extent to which the schools are in compliance with policy and a description of the progress being made in attaining the goals; and
• Developing administrative regulations, including specific wellness goals and indicators for measurement of progress consistent with law and policy.

Legal Reference:
Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq. (2007)
Child Nutrition Act of 1966, 42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.,
The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 201. Public Law 111-296

42 U.S.C. §§ 1751 et seq.
42 U.S.C. §§ 1771 et seq.
Iowa Code §§ 256.7(29); 256.11(6)
281 I.A.C. 12.5; 58.11

Cross Reference:
701.10-701.60  School Lunch Program

Approved:
December 18, 2006

Reviewed:
July 10, 2009
December 3, 2013
June 15, 2015

February 15, 2021

Revised:
July 20, 2009
December 3, 2012
June 15, 2015

February 15, 2021

R&R 504.11

To implement the Wellness Policy, the District has established the following goals:
Goal 1 – Nutrition Education and Promotion: Schools will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that help students develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors. The goal(s) for addressing nutrition education and nutrition promotion include the following:

• is offered at each grade level as part of a sequential, comprehensive, standards-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;
• is part of not only health education classes, but also classroom instruction in subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences and elective subjects;
• includes enjoyable, developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant participatory activities;
• promotes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and health-enhancing nutrition practices;
• emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and physical activity;
• links with meal programs, other foods and nutrition-related community services; and,
• includes training for teachers and other staff.

Goal 2 – Physical Activity: Schools will provide students and staff with age and grade appropriate opportunities to engage in physical activity that meet federal and state guidelines, including the Iowa Healthy Kids Act. The goal(s) for addressing physical activity include the following:

• The District will provide physical education that:
  • is for all students in grades K-12 for the entire school year;
  • is taught by a certified physical education teacher;
  • includes students with disabilities, students with special health-care needs may be provided in alternative educational settings; and
  • engages students in moderate to vigorous activity during at least 50 percent of physical education class time. (waivers will be consistent with Board Policy)
• Elementary schools will provide recess for students that:
  • is at least 30 minutes a day;
  • is preferably outdoors;
  • encourages physical activity; and,
  • discourages extended periods (i.e., periods of two or more hours) of inactivity.
• When activities make it necessary for students to remain indoors for long periods of time, schools will aim to give students periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.
• The District will offer classroom health education that complements physical education by reinforcing the knowledge and skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle and reduce time on sedentary activities.
• The District will aim to discourage sedentary activities, such as watching television, playing computer games, etc.
• The District will encourage incorporation of physical activity into other subject lessons and encourage classroom teachers to provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate.
• The District will discourage employees from using physical activity (e.g., running laps, pushups) or removal of opportunities for physical activity (e.g., recess, physical education) as punishment.

Goal 3 – Other School-Based Activities that Promote Student Wellness: The District will support student, staff, and parent efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The goal(s) for addressing other school-based activities that promote student wellness include the following:

• The District will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children by:
  • sending home nutrition information, posting nutrition tips on school web sites, providing nutrient analyses of school menus, and/or offering healthy eating seminars for parents;
  • encouraging parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks and to refrain from including beverages and foods that do not meet the established nutrition standards for individual foods and beverages;
  • encouraging parents to send a water bottle for their children to use during the school day;
  • providing opportunities for PTOs to share their school’s healthy practices;
    providing information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities before, during, and after the school day;
  • supporting parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school; and,
  • sharing information about physical activity and physical education through a web site, newsletter, other take-home materials, special events or physical education homework.
• School-based marketing will be consistent with state/federal guidelines, nutrition education, and health promotion. The District will:
  • Limit food and beverage marketing to the promotion of foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards for meals or for foods and beverages sold individually;
  • Prohibit school-based marketing of brands promoting predominantly low-nutrition foods and beverages;
  • Promote healthy foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products; and
  • Market activities that promote healthful behaviors including, but not limited to, vending machine covers promoting water; pricing structures that promote healthy options in a la carte lines or vending machines; and coupons for discount gym memberships.
• The District values the health and well-being of every employee and will plan and implement activities that support efforts by employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The District will strive to provide opportunities for students to be involved in the promotion and education of wellness to the student body and faculty.

Public Involvement: There is a process for parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, administrators and the public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the policy. Every three years a committee will review policy compliance, assess progress; and determine areas in need of improvement. As part of that review, the District will review the nutrition and physical activity policies and practices and the environment to determine if it supports healthy eating and physical activity. The District will revise wellness policies and develop plans to facilitate their implementation.