School Wellness Committee
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation defines a School Wellness Committee as an action-oriented advisory group that focus on the health and well-being of students, staff and families in a school community. The school wellness committee implements the district wellness policy and leads other health-related initiatives. Healthier Generation recommends every school form a wellness committee to ensure a healthy school environment for all. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE): Healthy Students states School Wellness Committees may also be called school health councils or advisory groups.
School Wellness Committees
- Serve as an advocate and champion for creating health equity within the school setting so that all students thrive, learn, and grow.
- Complete a district or school needs assessment to recommend policy and practices for all 10 areas of the WSCC model.
- Review local, state, and federal laws and best practice recommendations or guidelines around school health and ensuring their implementation.
- Regularly review school and community health data to evaluate the effectiveness, outcomes, and gaps in school health and wellness programing.
- Identify resources, services, and developing partnerships to improve school health for all students.
Membership
Members should represent the diversity of the community and the school. The committee's collective knowledge, expertise, and influence can be a powerful force to understand the many factors that affect health and learning. Consider inviting:
- District leaders and school board members
- Classroom, physical education, health education teachers
- School nurses, social workers, counselors
- Nutrition services, health, and safety personnel
- Students
- Parents/Guardians
- Community members, local public health
- Health care providers
The AAP: Role of the School Physician specifically addresses the contributions that a physician can make to the overall well-being of a child in the school setting through advocacy, partnership, and expertise to help develop sound school health policies, practices and programs.
Wellness Policies
The Child Nutrition and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires all educational entities participating in the National School Lunch Program to establish local school wellness policies. In 2010, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (the Act) regulations added Section 9A to expand upon the previous local wellness policy requirement from the Reauthorization.
The Minnesota Department of Education offers several helpful wellness resources. The Wellness Policy in Action Tool (WPAT) help schools to examine the relationship between school wellness policy and school-level practices. It can also be used to help schools meet the US Department of Agriculture’s triennial assessment requirements.
Minnesota Department of Health's State Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP)
Schools are an important partner in the Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP). SHIP focuses on increasing physical activity, improving nutrition, and reducing the number of people who use tobacco or are exposed to it. Since young people are acquiring lifestyle habits in these early years it is important the school settings model an environment that supports healthy choices. To get connected with local health departments and local SHIP school contacts, please visit SHIP Communities.
The SHIP model provides support through local and tribal public health in working with schools primarily on healthy eating and Active School initiatives. In addition, SHIP can be an excellent resource in evaluating health and wellness policies that are currently in place and looking at model policies to aid with revisions. SHIP also has research and information about how wellness impacts education.
Employee Wellness
One of the components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model is employee wellness. Not only are schools a place for learning, but it is also a workplace. Fostering school employees’ physical and mental health supports school staff which ultimately impacts students’ health and academic success. MDH Workplace Wellness: Making Good Health a Priority at Work is also part of SHIP’s work and support to school communities.