top of page

OUR ELAPS WELLNESS POLICY 1798

Excellence Learning Academy Prep School

Bylaws & Policies

​  

1768- WELLNESS  

The Board recognizes that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well-being of the District's students. Furthermore, research suggests a positive correlation between a student's health, well-being, and learning ability. Moreover, schools can play an essential role in the developmental process by which students establish their health and nutrition habits by providing nutritious meals and snacks through the schools' meal programs, supporting the development of good eating habits, and promoting increased physical activity both in and out of school.

 

The Board, however, believes this effort to support the students' development of healthy behaviors and habits about eating and exercise cannot be accomplished by the schools alone. It will be necessary for the staff, parents, and the public at large to be involved in a communitywide effort to promote, support, and model such healthy behaviors and habits.  

Excellence Learning Academy shall set the following goals to enable students to establish good health and nutrition habits:

 

A. About nutrition education, Excellence Learning Academy shall:

 

1. include nutrition education in the health curriculum so that instruction is sequential and standards-based and provides students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to lead healthy lives.  

2. include nutrition education in enjoyable, developmentally appropriate activities integrated throughout the school year;    

3. extend nutrition education beyond the classroom by engaging and involving the school's food service staff and using the school cafeteria as a "learning lab," allowing students to apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills taught in the classroom when making choices at mealtime. 

4. extend nutrition education beyond the school by engaging and involving families and the community.  

5. promote nutrition education standards and benchmarks through a variety of media.  

6. inform all staff and provide nutrition education and appropriate training to selected staff.

 

B. About physical activity, Excellence Learning Academy shall:

 

1. provide a physical education curriculum that is aligned with the State and National standards (NASPE), inclusive and sequentially planned to teach the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to live an active, healthy life; the term "physical education" is defined in Florida statutes.  

2. provide 150 minutes of physical education per week for kindergarten through grade 5   

3. provide physical activity for days when physical education is not scheduled;  fifteen (15) - thirty (30) minutes on the day's physical activity is not scheduled 

4. offer opportunities in grades K- 5 for extra-curricular activities and intramural programs emphasize physical activities.  

5. encourage moderate to vigorous daily physical activity in grades K-5 beyond the school days 

6. provide families with information to encourage and assist them in their efforts to incorporate physical activity into their children's daily lives;   ​   â€‹

7. Encourage establishing community and business partnerships to institute programs that support physical activity programs.  

 

C. About other school-based activities and Nutrition Promotion, Excellence Learning Academy Prep School shall:

 

1. establish a Healthy School Team that will help coordinate physical activity, nutrition, and other aspects of student/staff wellness with suggested members to include, but not be limited to, parents, students, school food service representatives, school administrators; school health professionals; physical education teachers; and a support staff representative.  The Health School Team shall be responsible for:  

• ensuring compliance with competitive food and beverage items sold on the school campus; 7 C.F.R. 210.11 as it relates to   

• maintaining a school calendar that identifies the dates when exempted competitive food fund-raisers will occur by 7 C.F.R. 210.11 and

• reporting the school's compliance to the Superintendent.  

2. encourage staff to improve their health and wellness and to help them to promote student wellness.  

3. communicate information to parents on nutrition education, the benefits of physical activity, and specific information on children's health, including Body Mass Index (BMI);  

4. offer healthy options for food or beverages at school fundraisers, school and field trips, sponsored events,  

5. encourage parents and students to use food or beverages that meet the recommended nutrition standards for snacks, celebrations, and rewards.  

6. encourage teachers to use non-food incentives as rewards; when food is used, candy should not be included in the food choices.  

7. encourage teachers to look for alternatives to discipline practices that deny student participation in recess or other physical activities or for classroom make-up time;  

8. provide and encourage daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants in the after-school enrichment program.  

9. achieve the school goal of at least ten (10) minutes for breakfast and at least twenty (20) minutes for lunch from when the students receive their food.  

 

D. About nutrition guidelines for all foods available on campus during the school day. Excellence Learning Academy Prep School shall: 

​

1. Provide through the food service program affordable access for all students to the varied and nutritious foods they need to be healthy and to learn well;  guidelines for reimbursable school meals shall not be less restrictive than regulations and guidance issued by the USDA.

2. Ensure all food and beverages sold outside the reimbursable school meals meet the Smart Snacks in School Nutrition Standards in 7 C.F.R. 210.11. Products will be assessed for compliance using the Smart Product Calculator.

All food items and beverages available for sale to students on campus between midnight and thirty (30) minutes after the close of the regular school day shall comply with the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools regulations and applicable State law and Florida Administrative Code rule, including, but not limited to, competitive foods that are available to students a la carte in the dining area, as well as food items and beverages from vending machines, from school stores, or as fund-raisers by student clubs and organizations, parent groups, or boosters clubs.

 

No school-sponsored fundraisers that include the sale of food items will be permitted until thirty (30) minutes after the conclusion of the last designated meal service period (FAC 5P-2.002). 

 

Unless being sold by the food service program, it is impermissible for any competitive food items sold to students during the school day consist of ready-to-eat combination foods of meat or meat alternate and grain products, as defined in 7 CFR 210.19 and 210.11 (FAC 5P-2.002).  

3. Only food and beverages that meet or exceed the Smart Snacks in School Nutrition Standards should be marketed and advertised to students.

4. Prepare and distribute, through the food service division, to staff, parents, and after-school program personnel a list of snack items that comply with the Smart Snacks in School Nutrition Standards in 7 C.F.R. 210.11.  

5. Prohibit the sale of foods with minimal nutritional value. 

 

E. Leadership and Oversight

​

The Board designates the Superintendent as the individual charged with operational responsibility for measuring and evaluating the District's implementation and progress under this policy. The Superintendent shall develop administrative procedures necessary to implement this policy.

 

F. Evaluation and Updates

​

Triennial Progress Assessments:  

The Healthy School Team will Assess the local school wellness policy to measure wellness policy compliance at least once every three years.  This assessment will measure the implementation of the local school wellness policy and include:

• The extent to which (The LEA) complies with the local school wellness policy:

• The extent to which the local school wellness policy compares to model local school wellness policies; and Evidence-based

• A description of the progress made in attaining local school wellness policy goals.

The wellness policy will be reviewed annually and updated as needed based on the results of the annual review and triennial progress assessments and as local priorities change, community needs change, wellness goals are met, new health information and technology emerge, and new federal or state guidance or standards are issued. Evidence-based strategies and techniques will be considered in establishing nutrition promotion and education goals, as well as physical activity and other school-based activities that promote student wellness.

The Superintendent will report to the Board on the effectiveness of the wellness policy, any recommended revisions if necessary, and progress toward achieving the goals set forth herein when requested.  

The Board shall review this policy every year.  

 

G. Public Involvement

​

Wellness updates and the results of the most recent triennial progress assessment will be provided to students, parents/guardians, and staff, as applicable, in the form of handouts, the school website, emails and/or newsletters, to ensure that the community is informed. Additionally, in the same manner, the school will actively communicate ways in which parents/guardians, students, representatives of the school food authority, school health professionals, staff, representatives from the local agriculture community, food and nutrition professionals and the public can participate in the development, implementation, and annual review of the local school wellness policy

42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.  

42 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.  

F.S. 595.405, 595.406, 595.407, 1001.41, 1001.42, 1001.43, 1003.453  

F.A.C. 5P-2.002  

Adopted 10/11/2023  

bottom of page