Introduction and Preamble

HEALTHY SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT POLICY

TAOS MUNICIPAL SCHOOLS

310 Camino Del La PLacita

Taos, NM 87571

Phone: 505-758-5200 Fax: 505-758-5298

INTRODUCTION AND PREAMBLE

The Board of Education recognizes that there is a link between a healthy school environment and a student’s ability to learn affectively and achieve high standards in school. Schools cannot achieve their primary mission of educating students for lifelong learning and success if students and staff are not physically, mentally and socially healthy. The Board supports a comprehensive, coordinated healthy school environment as modeled in the following eight components: Nutrition, Physical Education, Health Education, Health Services, Social and Emotional Wellbeing, Healthy and Safe Environment, Staff Wellness, and Family, School and Community Involvement.

The Board recognizes that it is the District’s role, as part of the larger community, to model and actively practice through policies and procedures: the promotion of family health, physical activity, good nutrition, sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration.

The Board of Education further recognizes that the sharing and enjoyment of food, participation in physical activities, are fundamental experiences for all people and are a primary way to nurture and celebrate our cultural diversity. These fundamental human experiences are vital bridges for building friendships, forming inter-generational bonds, and strengthening communities.

§ Whereas, children need access to healthful foods and opportunities to be physically active and mentally healthy in order to grow, learn and thrive;

§ Whereas, heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes are responsible for two-thirds of deaths in the United States, and major risk factors for those diseases, including unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and obesity, often are established in childhood;

§ Whereas good health fosters student attendance and education;

§ Whereas, a healthy diet is connected to a student’s ability to learn effectively and achieve high standards in school;

§ Whereas, each day, students and their parents trust that the foods offered at school are wholesome and safe;

§ Whereas, fresh, seasonal, local, sustainably grown foods are a primary and recommended source of nutrition for growing children, and pre-packaged, highly processed foods create a solid waste packaging management problem and expense for school districts;

§ Whereas, public school is an excellent place to nurture and preserve local food traditions through storytelling, recipe swapping, cooking classes, garden and farm-based learning experiences, food prepared and served in the cafeteria and connections to the core curriculum of science, math, language arts, history, geography and social studies.

FAMILY, SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

District Policy

The Board shall establish a district School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) to make recommendations to the local school board in the development or revision, implementation, and evaluation of the district Healthy School Environment Policy. The district council shall consist of parent(s), school nutrition supervisor, school nutrition manager, school board member(s) school administrator(s), health services coordinator, school nurse(s), local health practitioner (pediatrician, dentist, doctor), public health staff member(s), registered dietician/diabetes educator, school teacher(s), school faculty/staff, school council members, elementary and secondary students, community partners, NM Department of Agriculture/local farmer(s).

Definitions

Family, school and community involvement means an integrated family, school and community approach for enhancing the health and well-being of students by establishing a district healthy school advisory council that has the responsibility to make recommendations to the local school board in the development or revision, implementation and evaluation of the wellness policy.

The family, school and community involvement component promotes long term effective partnerships between families, schools and communities in the planning and implementation of health promotion projects and events both within the school and throughout the community. The partnership can encourage and sustain environmental changes that support healthy lifestyles for children and their families.

Requirements:

· Parent(s)

o Erin Sanborn

· School Nutrition Supervisor

o Mary Ann McCann

· School Nutrition Manager

o Consuelo Martinez

o Geralyn Marquez, Alternate

o Antonia Mares, Alternate

· School board member(s)

o Wanda Quintana

· School administrator(s)

o Jeanelle Livingston, Special Education Coordinator

o Quinton Wood, Facilities and Maintenance Supervisor

o Catherine Collins, Federal Programs Coordinator

· Health services coordinator

o Maria Medina

· School nurse(s)

o Debra Wright

o Carmelita Martinez

· Local health practitioner (pediatrician, dentist, doctor)

o Mary Harrison, PC, Taos Clinic for Children and Youth

o Dr. Charlie Anderson

· Public health staff member(s)

o Barbara Arnold, DOH

o Betsy Martinez, Alternate, DOH

· Registered dietician/diabetes educator

o Molly Beardon, RD

· School teacher(s)

o Bruce Gomez, THS Health

o Flavio Lopez, TMS Health

o Trish Curren, Elementary Health and PE

o Marcia Martinez, Elementary Health and PE

o Marshall Bailon, Elementary Health and PE

o Anthony Gutiererez, THS Health and PE

· School faculty/staff

o Esther Winter, Director of HR

o Joan Malone, Elementary Teacher

o Katherine Duran, Middle School Teacher

o Angela Tafoya, TMS Administrative Staff

o Rick Apodaca, High School Teacher

· School Council Members

o Joseph Quintana

o Irene Cordova

· Elementary and Secondary Students

o Zoe Riblie

o Christina Martinez

o Jasmine Peralta

o Jamie Pacheco

· Community Partners

o Michelle Hunt

o Rudy Martinez

· Bob Pederson, Community Gardener

· Ed Lopez, Farmer, Velarde, NM/NM Apple Council

· Craig Mapel, NM Department of Agriculture

School Health Advisory Council will be established at each school/building to make recommendations to the district HSEAC.

The School Health Advisory Council shall have the responsibility to make recommendations to the local school board in the development or revision, implementation, and evaluation of the school district wellness policy.

Goal:

The goal of family, school and community involvement within a coordinated school health approach is to create a total school environment that is conducive to student health and academic achievement, including social and emotional well-being. This inclusive atmosphere features a shared responsibility that supports healthy children and families. Effective partnerships between families, schools and communities support the development and the maintenance of this comprehensive learning environment.

Activities:

Education Department required activities:

· The District School Health Advisory Council will develop policy and procedures and each school HSEAC will implement, monitor and evaluate the policy. School Councils may serve as the HSEAC with expanded membership. The principal and/or assistant principal will be responsible for insuring the Healthy School Environment Policy is implemented and followed according to District Policy and Procedures.

· Physical Activity Guidelines

o Taos Municipal Schools students shall have priority in use of school facilities for intramural and extracurricular activities with proper supervision approved by school administration.

o Non-instructional, intramural, extracurricular physical activates shall literacy promote positive experience with physical activity at a young age that help lay the basis for being regularly active throughout life.

o Create opportunities for physical activity will be incorporated into other subject lessons lessons and curriculum. Physical activity will be integrated across curriculum and throughout the school day when possible. In collaboration with the physical educator, classroom teachers will link physical activity to math, science, social studies and.

o Classroom teachers will provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classrooms, appropriate.

o Schools will encourage staff to be physically active.

o Schools will provide opportunities to involve family members in activity decisions.

o Through communications with parents, the schools will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children. The schools will provide information about physical activity and other school-based physical activity opportunities before, during and after the school day; and support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school.

o Schools will provide facilities and equipment that encourage educational movement experiences.

o Schools will seek to partner with recreation agencies and other community organizations to coordinate and enhance opportunities available to students and staff for physical activity during, before and after school.

o Schools will encourage the basic physical activities of walking and biking as transportation modes to and from school when and where determined safe.

o Schools will encourage after-school program to provide developmentally appropriate physical activity for participating children and reduce or eliminate the time spent in sedentary activities.

o Schools will provide every student, at the elementary and secondary level with opportunities to participate in physical education, including students with disabling conditions, students not athletically inclined, and those in alternative education programs.

o Schools will provide an adequate time for physical education classes. In elementary schools, physical education will be offered to all students at elementary level a minimum of once a week in a formal Physical Education setting. In middle and high schools, physical education classes should be available at all grade levels for one class period per day.

o Schools will provide physical education classes that meet NMAC 6.30.2.20 Physical Education Performance Standards, using the NM Physical Education Standards and Benchmarks as the guiding tools. Furthermore, lesson plans at all levels shall reflect the Standards and Benchmarks being met in the lessons. Thus Physical Education curriculum will be sequential, developmentally appropriate, and designed, implemented, and evaluated to help students develop the knowledge, motor skills, self-management skills, attitudes, and confidence needed to adopt and maintain physical activity throughout their lives.

o The district will consider hiring a Physical Education Coordinator to aid in alignment of curriculum throughout all levels of Physical Education instruction in the district; to oversee the implementation of Physical Education instruction and components that meet development needs at each level, and see that the NM Physical Education Standards and Benchmarks are being applied and met; and to encourage collaboration among the Physical Educators at each level, and across levels to ensure the sequential and development needs of students are being consistently met district wide.

o In addition to regular Physical Education Curriculum, established supplemental programs will be incorporated into regular P.E. classes, which will provide students with feedback on fitness components, incentives for physical activity and stimulating supplemental activities that involve students in more and different ways than those geared toward future athletic opportunities.

o Well-prepared specialists who are certified by the state to each physical education will teach Physical Education.

o Physical Education teacher will regularly participate in professional development activities related to physical education instruction. Training opportunities will be provided during in-service days.

o The district will support schools in providing adequate facilities and equipment, as well as budget allowances strictly for physical education.

o Schools will minimize the extent that physical education facilities are used for other events during Physical Educational instructional days that interfere with effective P.E. instruction.

o Physical Education classes will provide a variety of different physical activity choices that take into account gender and cultural differences, and that feature cooperative as well as competitive physical activity choices.

o Physical Education classes will devote at least 50%-70% of class time to actual moderate to vigorous physical activity, and/or to addressing fitness components and fitness levels.

o Physical Education grades will be based on students’ attainment of physical performance objectives, as much as possible in the same ways that grades are awarded in other subject areas. Secondary physical education grades will be included in the calculations of grade point averages used for academic recognition programs.

o Physical education will develop students’ self-confidence, and will maintain a safe, psychological environment free of embarrassment, humiliation, shaming, taunting or harassment. Furthermore, physical education shall provide and nurture body awareness, a live of physical activity, and a lifelong desire to participate in a variety of physical activities.

o Physical educators will promote the subject area in such a way as to educate teachers, parents and community members about physical education and physical activity programs available to students, and will encourage parent involvement in shifting families toward physically active lifestyles.

o All elementary school students will have at least 20 minutes per day of supervised recess, preferable outdoors, during which school should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity and through the provision of space and equipment for play. Extended periods (two or more hours) per day of inactivity should be discouraged; school should give periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active. Thus the connection between physical activity and brain stimulation and efficacy in function are established and reinforced.

§ School leaders shall encourage the development of a school’s schedule so that it provides time within every elementary school day for supervised recess.

§ Recess will compliment, not substitute for, physical education classes.

§ Recess will not be denied to a student as punishment.

§ The total daily recess times should include a lunch recess, if possible, preferable to be scheduled before lunch.

· Nutrition Guidelines for All Foods on Campus

o Elementary Schools (K-5) may not serve, sell or provide access to purchase competitive foods at anytime during the normal school day.

o Taos Middle Schools (6-8) may not serve, sell or provide access to purchase competitive foods outside the School Nutrition Program during the normal school day.

o Taos High School may not serve, sell or provide access to purchase competitive foods outside the School Nutrition Program during the normal school day. The THS Culinary Arts class is grand fathered and exempt from this policy.

o Staff is encouraged to serve healthy food choices at any staff and parent-teacher meetings, during school hours and after the academic days ends.

· Nutrition Guidelines for A la Carte Foods Sold Student Nutrition Program Operations

o Elementary schools SNP will not sell or provide access to any foods or beverages, except bottled water, during the normal school day.

o Taos Middle School SNP may sell or provide access to any foods or beverages as long as they meet the following standards: