Accomack County Wellness Policy Updates for Teachers: Fundraisers and Celebrations 2018-2019

Wellness Policy Adopted 1/02/2018 The policy was established to provide goals and procedures to ensure that students: Have access to healthy foods throughout the school day Receive quality nutrition education that helps them develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors Have opportunities to be physically active before, during, and after school

Staff, Community, Districts Goals and Procedures School staff are encouraged and supported to practice healthy nutrition and physical activity behaviors in and out of school. Community is engaged in supporting the work of the district in creating continuity between the school and other settings for students and staff to practice lifelong healthy habits. District establishes and maintains an infrastructure for management, oversight, implementation, communication about and monitoring of the policy and its established goals and objectives.

School Health Advisory Board (SHAB) Assisted with the development of the Wellness Policy. The SHAB team is charged to act collectively to advise the school division on broad topics or on specific aspects of the coordinated school health program. Areas of concern include, but are not limited to, mental health, school nutrition, health education, health services, physical education, staff wellness, school climate, dropout prevention, school safety, violence prevention, drug and alcohol prevention, and family life education. Any questions or concerns you may have on either of these topics you can contact Tonya Martin, School Health Coordinator and she will present it to the SHAB team.

Fundraisers

Fundraisers Code of Virginia VDOE fundraiser website Fundraisers 101 and Smart Snacks Guidelines USDA Healthy Fundraiser Resources Exempt Fundraiser Tracking Tool Sample Exempt Fundraiser Permit Sample Fundraiser Resources Smart Snacks Compliance Calculator Smart Snacks Compliant Product List Healthier Generation Smart Snacks Online Store

Code of Virginia Code of Virginia, Section 22.1-207.4 Each school is permitted to conduct on the school campus during regular school hours, no more than 30 school-sponsored fundraisers per school year during which food or beverages that do not meet the nutrition guidelines for competitive foods may be sold to students. One fundraiser is defined as one or more fundraising activities that last one school day. If multiple-school sponsored organizations conduct fundraisers on the same day, the combined activities shall be counted as one fundraiser.

Code of Virginia cont... If a fundraising activity lasts more than one school day, each subsequent day’s activity shall be considered as one fundraiser and shall count toward the 30 exempt fundraisers total per year. Any fundraiser that sells food or beverages, whether the items meet the nutrition standards or are exempt from the nutrition standards, may not be conducted during school meal service times as defined as 6 am until the close of the last breakfast period and from the beginning of the first lunch period to the end of last lunch period (8VAC20-590-10 et seq.) and (8VAC20-290-10.) The district shall be responsible for maintaining records each school year documenting the number of exempt fundraisers at each school within the district.

Virginia Department of Education Fundraiser Website http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/nutrition/training/index.shtml

Fundraisers 101 and Smart Snacks Fundraiser means a school-sponsored activity where food or nonfood items are sold on the school campus during regular school hours by the school-sponsored organization to raise money for a school-related program or activity. With child obesity on the rise, schools are incorporating more nutritious foods at school to promote healthy eating habits. Research has shown that when students eat healthy, balanced meals at school they are more-likely to have better grades, focus more in school and have a decreased risk of developing chronic diseases. Federal and state policies are requiring that any school-sponsored fundraiser in which food or beverages are sold to students shall follow the Smart Snacks in School guidelines.

Healthy Fundraising Schools will encourage fundraising activities that do not involve the sale of food and beverages first. Non-food fundraisers, such as a 5 K walk/run, dance marathon, or a read-a-thon, can support healthy lifestyles and academics while generating higher profits for the organization. Healthy fundraising ideas are available to parents and teachers from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the USDA. https://healthymeals.fns.usda.gov/local-wellness-policy-resources/wellness- policy-elements/healthy-fundraising

Exempt Fundraising Tracking Tool

Celebrations

Celebrations and Rewards Schools must limit celebrations that involve food during the school day to no more than one party per class per month. If a party does include food, then only one food or beverage item that does not meet the USDA Smart Snacks in school nutrition standards are permissible. Such parties will be scheduled as not to interfere or interrupt the class’s regularly scheduled School Breakfast program or School Lunch Program. Due to food safety and allergy concerns, homemade foods will not be permitted; caregivers are only allowed to provide store-bought food for class celebrations. (it is highly recommended that the foods brought into school for celebrations be nut-free.)

Celebrations and Rewards cont... The district will provide a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers, including non-food celebration ideas. Foods and beverages, regardless of whether they are healthy or not, will not be used as a reward, or withheld as punishment for any reason. However, providing extra time to engage in physical activity is permissible as a reward as long as it is a reward for an entire class and not just a select students.

Celebrations and Rewards Websites Alliance for a healthier generation: https://www.healthiergeneration.org/assest/nvgd8g/14-6161HSPHealthyCelebration.pdf USDA: https://healthymeals.fns.usda.gov/local-wellness-policy-resources/wellness-policy-elements/healthy-celebrations List of foods and beverages that meet Smart Snacks Guidelines https://foodplanner.healthiergeneration.org/.products/ List of alternative ways to reward children https://www.healthiergeneration.org/assest/tljc7f/12-5933NonFoodRewards.pdf

Resources Virginia Department of Education. (n.d.). Professional Development. Retrieved August 20, 2018, from http://www.doe.virginia.gov/support/nutrition/training/index.shtml

Questions?