Jerome Joint School District No. 261

NONINSTRUCTIONAL OPERATIONS 8200

Local School Wellness

It is the goal of Jerome School District to strive to make a significant contribution to the general well being, mental and physical capacity, and learning ability of each student and afford them the opportunity to fully participate in the education process. Jerome School District promotes healthy schools by supporting wellness, good nutrition, and regular physical activity as a part of the total learning environment. The District supports a healthy environment where children learn and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices. By facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity, our school contributes to the basic health status of children. Improved health optimizes student performance potential.

Healthy eating is demonstrably linked to reduced morbidity and risk of mortality from many chronic diseases.

The Board directs the Superintendent to inform and update the public, including parents, students, and others in the community, about the content and implementation of the wellness policy. Such information may be provided on the District website, through dissemination of student handbooks, or in any other manner the Superintendent may deem appropriate.

Definition

For the purposes of this policy the school day is defined as midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the instructional school day.

Goals for Wellness Promotion

The District shall review and consider evidence-based approaches in establishing goals for school based activities to promote student wellness. This may include review of the “Smarter Lunchroom” tools and strategies. To ensure the health and well being of all students, it is the policy of the District to:

1. Ensure that foods sold at school during the school day meet or exceed the nutritional standards required by the USDA’s National School Lunch Program, the National School Breakfast Program, and the Smart Snacks in Schools regulations. Exceptions can be made for infrequent food sales fundraisers that occur no more than the number of times determined appropriate by the Idaho State Department of Education during the school year and are not held during school meal times. Fundraisers will be tracked at each school site by a designee of the Superintendent in charge of compliance at that site; 

2. Ensure that non-compliant and non-exempt fundraising food sales will not occur on school grounds during the school day. The District operates under United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) program regulations of the National School Lunch Program, National School Breakfast Program, and the Smart Snacks in Schools regulations. These regulations apply to food sold during the school day in school stores, vending machines, and other venues. (Note: There are many healthy fundraising options available to schools including selling books, fresh produce, school spirit merchandise, or other non-food items during the school day. Fundraising activities involving the sale of food consumed outside of school, such as frozen pizza sales, are exempt from the nutrition standards.); 

3. Ensure that celebrations that involve food during the school day be limited to no more than one party per class per month and that each party include no more than one food or beverage that does not meet nutrition standards for Smart Snacks in Schools. The District will disseminate a list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers. 

[Note: The USDA has no role in regulating foods brought from home, but school districts are required to set nutrition guidelines for foods served at school other than those that are sold. The Smart Snacks in Schools regulations only affect foods that are sold on school grounds during the school day. Time honored traditions like treats for birthdays, or foods at an afterschool sporting event, are not subject to those standards.]

The District shall also take measures to promote nutrition and physical activity, engage in nutrition education, and conduct wellness activities. For this purpose, the District may:

1. Host at least one health fair each year;

2. Draft and regularly distribute a wellness newsletter for students and parents;

3. Review Smarter Lunchroom Movement best practices and evaluate each school’s ability to implement them;

4. Promote healthy eating patterns through classroom nutrition education coordinated with the comprehensive health education program including education, health, and food services;

5. Provide physical education weekly for elementary and middle school students;

6. Offer a recognition or reward program for students who exhibit healthy behaviors.

7. Start a walking or physical activity club at each school;

8. Offer after school physical activity programs;

9. Ensure students have access to hand-washing facilities prior to meals;

10. Annually evaluate the marketing and promotion of the school meal program;

11. Share school meal nutrition information with students and families;

12. Offer students taste-testing or menu planning opportunities;

13. Participate in Farm to School activities and/or have a school garden;

14. Advertise and promote nutritious foods and beverages on school grounds;

15. Offer nutritious foods and beverages at lower prices than other foods and beverages;

16. Use student feedback to improve the quality of the school meal programs;

17. Offer a staff wellness program;

18. Participate in community partnerships to support wellness programs, projects, events, or activities.

Nutrition Standards

To promote student health and reduce childhood obesity, the District requires all schools within the District to comply with the nutrition standards established by the USDA with respect to all food that is available on school grounds during the school day.

Water Consumption

Water Consumption will be encouraged.  Every school will have a water bottle filling station

Community Participation

The District shall invite parents, students, representative food service staff of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the Board, school administrators, and the general public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review of this policy.

The Superintendent shall annually make available to the public the content of the policy and an assessment of the implementation of this policy including:

1. The extent to which schools under the jurisdiction of the District are in compliance with the wellness policy;

2. The extent to which the District’s wellness policy compares to model local school wellness policies; and

3. A description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy.

Methods of providing this information to the public may include developing or disseminating printed or electronic materials to families of school children and other members of the school community at the beginning of the school year, or posting the local wellness policies and an assessment of their implementation on the District or school website. The assessment of the implementation of the policy shall be conducted at least once every three years.

Record Retention

The District shall retain the following records relating to the wellness policy:

1. The written local school wellness policy;

2. Documentation demonstrating the community was involved in the development, implementation, and periodic review of the wellness policy;

3. Documentation of the assessment of the wellness policy; and

4. Documentation to demonstrate the public was notified annually as required by this policy.

Monitoring Compliance

The Superintendent shall designate one or more District officials or school officials to ensure that each school complies with this policy.

Legal References Description

42 USC § 1751 et seq. National School Lunch Act 

42 USC § 1758b Local School Wellness Policy 

42 USC § 1771 et seq. Child Nutrition Act of 1966

7 CFR § 210.30 School Nutrition Professional Standards 

7 CFR §§ 210 & 220 Nutrition School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs: Final Rule

Pub. L. 108-265 The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 

Other References Description

Idaho State Department of Education Smart Snacks

Idaho State Department of Education Wellness Policy Guidelines - Elements of Implementation for Final Rule

Idaho State Department of Education Implementation and Monitoring Plan

Idaho State Department of Education Idaho Wellness Policy Progress Report

Cross Reference Description

2310 Nutrition Services

8230 Nutrition Standards

Policy History:

Adopted on: 12/19/2006

Revised on: 02/28/2017

Revised on: 01/26/2021

Revised on: 06/23/2026