Date: 12/19/24
Mabel-Canton Schools will be RELEASING at 1:00pm TODAY, there will be no after school activities (games/practice etc). 


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533 WELLNESS


MSBA/MASA Model Policy 533
Orig. Adopted 2006
Rev. 2018, 2023

533 WELLNESS

[Note: All school districts that participate in the National School Lunch and School
Breakfast Programs are required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Act)
to have a wellness policy that includes standards and nutrition guidelines for foods
and beverages made available to students on campus during the school day, as well
as specific goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity, and other
school-based activities that promote student wellness. The Act requires the
involvement of parents, students, representatives of the school food authority,
teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, school
administrators, and the public in the development, implementation, and periodic
review and update of the wellness policy. The Act also requires a plan for measuring
implementation of the policy and reporting wellness policy content and
implementation issues to the public, as well as the designation of at least one person
charged with responsibility for the implementation and oversight of the wellness
policy to ensure the school district is in compliance with the policy.]
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to set forth methods that promote student wellness, prevent and
reduce childhood obesity, and assure that school meals and other food and beverages sold and
otherwise made available on the school campus during the school day are consistent with
applicable minimum local, state, and federal standards.
II. GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY
A. The school board recognizes that nutrition promotion and education, physical activity,
and other school-based activities that promote student wellness are essential
components of the educational process and that good health fosters student
attendance and learning.
B. The school environment should promote students’ health, well-being, and ability to
learn by encouraging healthy eating and physical activity.
C. The school district encourages the involvement of parents, students, representatives
of the school food authority, teachers, school health professionals, the school board,
school administrators, and the general public in the development, implementation, and
periodic review and update of the school district’s wellness policy.
D. Children need access to healthy foods and opportunities to be physically active in
order to grow, learn, and thrive.
E. All students in grades K-12 will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be
physically active on a regular basis.
F. Qualified food service personnel will provide students with access to a variety of
affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of
students; try to accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the
student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and
adequate time for students to eat.

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III. WELLNESS GOALS
[Note: The Act requires that wellness policies include goals for nutrition promotion
and education, physical activity, and other school-based activities that promote
student wellness.]
A. Nutrition Promotion and Education
1. The school district will encourage and support healthy eating by students and
engage in nutrition promotion that is:
a. offered as part of a comprehensive program designed to provide
students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and
protect their health;
b. part of health education classes, as well as classroom instruction in
subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences, and
elective subjects, where appropriate; and
c. enjoyable, developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant, and
includes participatory activities, such as contests, promotions, taste
testing, and field trips.
2. The school district will encourage all students to make age appropriate,
healthy selections of foods and beverages, including those sold individually
outside the reimbursable school meal programs, such as through a la
carte/snack lines, vending machines, fundraising events, concession stands,
and student stores.
B. Physical Activity
1. Students need opportunities for physical activity and to fully embrace regular
physical activity as a personal behavior. Toward that end, health and physical
education will reinforce the knowledge and self-management skills needed to
maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce sedentary activities, such as watching
television;
2. Opportunities for physical activity will be incorporated into other subject
lessons, where appropriate; and
3. Classroom teachers will provide short physical activity breaks between lessons
or classes, as appropriate.
C. Communications with Parents
1. The school district recognizes that parents and guardians have a primary role
in promoting their children’s health and well-being.
2. The school district will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and
daily physical activity for their children.
3. The school district encourages parents to pack healthy lunches and snacks and
refrain from including beverages and foods without nutritional value.
4. The school district will provide information about physical education and other
school-based physical activity opportunities and will support parents’ efforts to
provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of
school.

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IV. STANDARDS AND NUTRITION GUIDELINES
[Note: The Act requires that school districts have standards, selected by the school
district, for all foods available on the school campus during the school day with the
objective of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity. For foods and
beverages sold to students during the school day on school campus, the Act requires
that school districts also have nutrition guidelines.]
A. School Meals
[Note: The Act specifically requires that the wellness policy contain
standards and nutrition guidelines for all foods and beverages sold to
students during the school day that are consistent with the meal
requirements for lunches and after-school snacks set forth in 7 Code of
Federal Regulations section 210.10 and the meal requirements for breakfasts
set forth in Code of Federal Regulations section 220.8.]
1. The school district will provide healthy and safe school meal programs that
comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
2. Food service personnel will provide students with access to a variety of
affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition
needs of students.
3. Food service personnel will try to accommodate the religious, ethnic, and
cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning.
4. Food service personnel will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and
adequate time for students to eat.
5. Food service personnel will take every measure to ensure that student access
to foods and beverages meets or exceeds all applicable federal, state, and
local laws, rules, and regulations and that reimbursable school meals meet
USDA nutrition standards.
6. Food service personnel shall adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local
food safety and security guidelines.
7. The school district will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma
attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible
for free and reduced-price school meals.
8. The school district will provide students access to hand washing or hand
sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks.
9. The school district will make every effort to provide students with sufficient
time to eat after sitting down for school meals and will schedule meal periods
at appropriate times during the school day.
10. The school district will discourage tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or
activities during mealtimes unless students may eat during such activities.
B. School Food Service Program/Personnel
1. The school district shall designate an appropriate person to be responsible for
the school district’s food service program, whose duties shall include the
creation of nutrition guidelines and procedures for the selection of foods and
beverages made available on campus to ensure food and beverage choices are
consistent with current USDA guidelines.

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2. As part of the school district’s responsibility to operate a food service program,
the school district will provide continuing professional development for all food
service personnel in schools.
C. Competitive Foods and Beverages
1. All foods and beverages sold on school grounds to students, outside of
reimbursable meals, are considered “competitive foods.” Competitive foods
include items sold a la carte in the cafeteria, from vending machines, school
stores, and for in-school fundraisers.
2. All competitive foods will meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School (Smart
Snacks) nutrition standards and any applicable state nutrition standards, at a
minimum. Smart Snacks aim to improve student health and well-being,
increase consumption of healthful foods during the school day, and create an
environment that reinforces the development of healthy eating habits.
3. Before and Aftercare (child care) programs must also comply with the school
district’s nutrition standards unless they are reimbursable under USDA school
meals program, in which case they must comply with all applicable USDA
standards.
D. Other Foods and Beverages Made Available to Students
1. Student wellness will be a consideration for all foods offered, but not sold, to
students on the school campus, including those foods provided through:
a. Celebrations and parties. The school district will provide a list of
healthy party ideas to parents and teachers, including non-food
celebration ideas.
[Note: Healthy party ideas are available from the USDA.]
b. Classroom snacks brought by parents. The school district will provide
to parents a list of suggested foods and beverages that meet Smart
Snacks nutrition standards.
2. Rewards and incentives. Schools will not use foods or beverages as rewards
for academic performance or good behavior (unless this practice is allowed by
a student’s individual education plan or behavior intervention plan) and will
not withhold food or beverages as punishment.
3. Fundraising. The school district will make available to parents and teachers a
list of suggested healthy fundraising ideas.
E. Food and Beverage Marketing in Schools
1. School-based marketing will be consistent with nutrition education and health
promotion.
2. Schools will restrict food and beverages marketing to the promotion of only
those foods and beverages that meet the Smart Snacks nutrition standards.
V. WELLNESS LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
A. Wellness Coordinator

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[Note: The Act requires that local school wellness policies identify the
position of the local education agency or school official(s) responsible for the
implementation and oversight of the local school wellness policy.]
1. The superintendent will designate a school district official to oversee the school
district’s wellness-related activities (Wellness Coordinator). The Wellness
Coordinator will ensure that each school implements the policy.
2. The principal of each school, or a designated school official, will ensure
compliance within the school and will report to the Wellness Coordinator
regarding compliance matters upon request.
B. Public Involvement
[Note: The Act requires a description of the manner in which parents,
students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical
education, school health professionals, the school board, school
administrators, and the general public are provided an opportunity to
participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and
update of the local school wellness policy.]
1. The Wellness Coordinator will permit parents, students, representatives of the
school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health
professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the general public
to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and
update of the wellness policy.
2. The Wellness Coordinator will hold meetings, from time to time, for the
purpose of discussing the development, implementation, and periodic review
and update of the wellness policy. All meeting dates and times will be posted
on the school district’s website and will be open to the public.
VI. POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING
A. Implementation and Publication
[Note: The Act requires a description of the plan for measuring the
implementation of the local school wellness policy.]
1. After approval by the school board, the wellness policy will be implemented
throughout the school district.
2. The school district will post its wellness policy on its website, to the extent it
maintains a website.
[Note: Per Minnesota Statutes section 121A.215, when available, a
school district must post its current local school wellness policy on its
website.]
B. Annual Reporting
[Note: The Act requires that school districts inform the public about the
content and implementation of the local wellness policy and make the policy
and any updates to the policy available to the public on an annual basis.]
The Wellness Coordinator will annually inform the public about the content and
implementation of the wellness policy and make the policy and any updates to the
policy available to the public.
C. Triennial Assessment

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[Note: The Act requires a triennial assessment of schools’ compliance with
the wellness policy. The Act also requires school districts to inform the public
about progress toward meeting the goals of the wellness policy by making
the triennial assessment available to the public in an accessible and easily
understood manner.]
1. At least once every three years, the school district will evaluate compliance
with the wellness policy to assess the implementation of the policy and create
a report that includes the following information:
a. the extent to which schools under the jurisdiction of the school district
are in compliance with the wellness policy;
b. the extent to which the school district’s wellness policy compares to
model local wellness policies; and
c. a description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the school
district’s wellness policy.
2. The Wellness Coordinator will be responsible for conducting the triennial
assessment.
3. The triennial assessment report shall be posted on the school district’s website
or otherwise made available to the public.
D. Recordkeeping
[Note: The Act requires school districts to retain records to document
compliance with the requirements of 7 Code of Federal Regulations section
210.30.]
The school district will retain records to document compliance with the requirements of
the wellness policy. The records to be retained include, but are not limited to:
1. The school district’s written wellness policy.
2. Documentation demonstrating compliance with community involvement
requirements, including requirements to make the local school wellness policy
and triennial assessments available to the public.
3. Documentation of the triennial assessment of the local school wellness policy
for each school under the school district’s jurisdiction efforts to review and
update the wellness policy (including an indication of who is involved in the
update and methods the school district uses to make stakeholders aware of
their ability to participate on the Wellness Committee).
Legal References: Minn. Stat. § 121A.215 (Local School District Wellness Policy; Website)
42 U.S.C. § 1751 et seq. (Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act)
42 U.S.C. § 1758b (Local School Wellness Policy)
42 U.S.C. § 1771 et seq. (Child Nutrition Act)
7 U.S.C. § 5341 (Establishment of Dietary Guidelines)
7 C.F.R. § 210.10 (School Lunch Program Regulations)
7 C.F.R. § 220.8 (School Breakfast Program Regulations)
Local Resources: Minnesota Department of Education, www.education.state.mn.us
Minnesota Department of Health, www.health.state.mn.us
County Health Departments
Action for Healthy Kids Minnesota, www.actionforhealthykids.org
 
 
 


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United States Department of Agriculture, www.fns.usda.gov
 


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