OLUSTEE-ELDORADO SCHOOL WELLNESS POLICY

UPDATED MARCH 2025

The Olustee-Eldorado Board of Education declares its concern for the safety and health of District employees and students. Olustee-Eldorado Public Schools recognizes the link between academic achievement and student health and wellness, and it is the intent of this policy that staff, students, and parents/guardians work together to provide a safe, secure, and healthy learning environment.  The district recognizes the important role that the school plays in the development of children’s lifelong habits, their ability to learn, and their overall well-being.  Schools can improve the health of students not only by educating them about the importance of healthy behaviors, but also by implementing policies that promote those behaviors. Therefore, the District establishes the following policy to promote the health and wellness of students and staff to ensure the school complies with those standards established by the federal and state law.  The District encourages the following:

• Allow parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, physical education teachers, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the general public to participate in the development, implementation, review and update of the school wellness policy.
• Establish nutrition guidelines that meet or exceed the USDA school meal requirements and the nutrition standards for competitive foods and beverages.
• Create goals for nutrition promotion and education, physical activity and physical education, and other activities that promote students as well as staff health.
• Adopt a plan to ensure the policy is properly implemented, regularly assessed, and periodically updated.

Definitions

School campus- All areas of the property under the jurisdiction of the school that are accessible to students during the school day.

School day- The period of time from midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the instruction day.

Competitive foods and beverages- Foods and beverages that are sold on campus outside of the federal reimbursable school meal programs during th school day. (vending machines, school stores)

Smart Snack Standards- Nutrition standards issued by the USDA, that set limits on the amount of calories, salt, sugar, and fat in competitive foods and beverages.

 

School Practices 

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 1627, each school site will establish a Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee that meets and makes recommendations to the school principal. The school principal shall give consideration to recommendations made by the Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee. 

• Per the school district's Child Nutrition Programs Agreement, school meals may not be used as a reward or punishment. 

• Per USDA Regulations $210.12 and $227, students and parents will be involved in the NSLP. Parent and student involvement will include menu-planning suggestions, cafeteria enhancement, program promotion, and other related student-community support activities.

 

Nutrition Education & Training

 

Nutrition education occurs in the classroom as well as in the larger school community.  The school will integrate into the core curriculum, nutrition education to all grades (k-12), providing students the knowledge and skills necessary for lifelong healthy eating behaviors, including the following:

 

• What it means to eat healthfully, consume the proper nutrients, and maintain a wholesome and balanced diet.
• How to read labels and understand the problems associated with unhealthy food and marketing to children.
• Complies with state learning objectives and standards.
• Provides opportunities for students to practice and apply the skills and knowledge taught in the classroom (using the cafeteria as a learning lab, visiting local farms, etc.)
• Is made available for staff.
• Is promoted to families in the community.

 

The District will follow USDA’s Professional Standards for State and Local Nutrition Programs in selecting local school nutrition program directors.  Also, the District will require all personnel in the school nutrition program to complete annual training and continuing education.  In addition, the Child Nutrition Staff will do the following:

• Receive training in basic nutrition, nutrition education, safe food preparation and nutrition standards for healthy meals and snacks.
• Organize and participate in educational activities that support healthy eating behaviors and food safety.

Olustee-Eldorado Public School will use the following guidelines in nutrition education. These are minimum guidelines and may include other educational resources that become available to the staff. 

• Per USDA Regulations 210.12 and 227, nutrition education is offered in the school cafeteria as well as the classroom. 

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 1627, the Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee at each school site will study and make recommendations regarding health education, nutrition, and health services.

The District utilizes multiple channels (e.g. classroom, cafeteria, and communications with parents) to promote healthy nutritional and physical behaviors.

 

Farm to School/School Gardens

 The District will allow school gardens on district property and is ready to dedicate related resources (e.g. land, water) for their implementation.  The District will take field trips to local farms when available to educate students about agriculture and nutrition.  The District will incorporate local/ regional foods into school meal program as available.

 

School Celebrations

The District encourages parents to provide healthy lunches and snacks when sending food from home for classroom parties, celebrations, and after school programs.  The District will provide parents a list of ideas for healthy snack ideas and non- food alternatives (USDA’s resources on Healthy Celebrations).   

 

 

 

Community Involvement & Active Transportation

The District will encourage school staff, students and their families to participate in physical activity outside of the school day in the following:

• School follows the shared or joint use policy to allow access to the school grounds for physical activity outside the school day.
• The District encourages students to walk/bike to school as well as promote Walk and Bike to School Day.
• Working with the City of Olustee- Eldorado, a designated walk/bike route will be established each year for safe routes to and from school. 
• The district will provide bike racks for students, staff and faculty who wish to ride their bikes.
• Encourage parents to supervise groups of children who walk or bike to and from school.

 

 

Food and Beverage Marketing

Only foods and beverages that meet the USDA’s smart snack standards may be marketed by the school.  The marketing of any brand, without reference to a specific product, is prohibited unless every food and beverage product manufactured, sold, or distributed under the corporate brand name meets the Smart Snack standards.

Marketing includes:

• Advertising on any property or facility owned or leased by the school district or school and used at school related activities (including school buildings, athletic fields, parking lots, school buses, vending machines, scoreboards, uniforms, educational materials and supplies).
• Coupons, discounts, and corporate incentive programs that reward students (e.g., when they reach certain academic goals) with free or discounted items.Such rewards may not include foods or beverages that fail to satisfy the USDA’s Smart Snack standards.
• Corporate-Sponsored programs that provide funds to schools in exchange for consumer purchases of certain items.Programs involving purchase of foods and beverages that do not meet the USDA’s Smart Snacks standards are not permitted.

 

Nutrition and Healthy Food Promotion

The District will promote healthy food and beverage choices and appropriate portion sizes by doing the following:

• Exhibiting posters, signs, or other displays on the school campus that promote healthy nutrition choices.
• Providing age-appropriate activities, such as contests, food demonstrations, and taste-testing, that promote healthy eating habits.
• Offering information to families (communication with parents, educational workshops, screening services, and health related exhibitions and fairs, partnering with TSET HLP, shape your future, etc.)
• Encouraging school staff to display healthy eating habits and physical activity choices to students (e.g., by eating with students during meal times, consuming healthy snacks, meals, beverages in front of students, sharing positive experiences with physical activity with students, etc.)

 

Nutritional Guidelines 

To promote student health, students will not be provided with foods outside the USDA Nutrition Standards with the exception of two events per school year in which healthy options are also available.

School Meals Service through the National Lunch- Breakfast Program 

The District will make nutritious foods available on campus during the school day to promote student and staff health.  Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are free to all students through the CEP program and will meet the following United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) requirements. 

 

 

The District will promote activities to involve students, and parents in the School Lunch Program.  In addition, the school will do the following:

• Inform families about the availability of breakfasts for students.
• Distribute materials to inform families of location of free Summer Food programs when school is not in session, when programs are available.
• Post information on the nutritional content and ingredients of school meals on menus in the cafeteria, website or school newsletter.
• Send applications for reimbursable meal programs to families at the beginning of the school year and make applications available on the District Website. (currently all students are receiving free breakfast and lunch as part of the CEP program)

Per USDA Regulations $210.10 and $220.8, school lunches and breakfasts will meet menu-planning system guidelines as required by USDA. 

• Per USDA Regulation $210.10, school lunches will provide 1/3 of the recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for calories, protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C as required by USDA. 

• Per USDA Regulation $220.8, school breakfasts will provide 1/4 of the RDA for calories, protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, and vitamin C as required by UŞDA. 

• Per USDA Regulations $210.10 and $220.8, the total calories from fat in school meals will be limited to 30 percent when averaged over one week. 

• Per USDA Regulations $210.10 and $220.8, the total calories from saturated fat in school meals will be less than 10 percent when averaged over one week. 

• Per USDA Regulations $210.10 and $220.8, school meals will meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 

In addition, all meals will: 

• Be appealing and attractive to children, young adults and staff of various ages and diverse backgrounds.
• Be respectful of cultural diversity and religious preferences.

• Be served in clean and pleasant settings.
• Be accessible to all children and young adults.
• Be designed to feature fresh fruits and vegetables from local sources whenever possible, including the Farm to School Program.
• Include cool drinking water throughout the school day at no cost to students.Students will be provided drinking cups or glasses where all meals and snacks are served.
• Include food high in fiber, free of added trans-fat, low in added fats, sugar, and sodium, and served in appropriate portion sizes consistent with the USDA standards. 
• Reviewed by a registered dietician or other certified nutrition professional or based on a meal plan provided by a professional resource such as USDA, State Department of Education, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the Lunch Box, etc.

 

The District will also ensure the following:

• Encourage students to start the day with a healthy breakfast
• Provide breakfast through the USDA School Breakfast Program
• Students be allowed adequate time to consume meals, at least 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch from the time they are seated.
• Students will be allowed to bring drinking water from home and take water into the classroom, provided that the water is in a capped container, such as a bottle to prevent spills.
• All water sources and containers will be maintained on a regular basis to ensure good hygiene standards (including drinking fountains, water jugs, hydration stations, and other methods of delivering drinking water).
• Foods and beverages will not be used as rewards or punishment.
• Provide training to food service and other relevant staff to meet nutrition standards for preparing healthy meals.
• During the school day, the District only permits school-sponsored fundraisers which are health promoting and will not promote any particular brands.Such fundraisers include non-food items, physical activity-related options, community service options, or healthy foods and beverage options which follow USDA Nutrition Standards (see Olustee-Eldorado Public Schools Administrative Regulation-Nutritional Guidelines)
• The District will encourage school gardens on district property and is ready to dedicate related resources (e.g. land, water) for their implementation

 

 

Competitive Foods and Beverages & Fundraising

During the school day, the District only permits school-sponsored fundraisers which are health promoting and meet or exceed the USDA’s Smart Snack Standards.   Such fundraisers include non-food items, physical activity-related options, community service options, or healthy foods and beverage options which follow USDA Nutrition Standards (see Olustee-Eldorado Public Schools Administrative Regulation-Nutritional Guidelines).  Fundraising will not promote any particular food brands (fundraisers by fast food chains).  After school concessions and fundraisers will offer foods and beverages that comply with USDA Smart Snack Standards as well.  The district, however may allow exemptions for up to two fundraisers during the school year, during which the foods and beverages sold are not required to meet the Smart Snack Standards and are not held during normal meal service times.

 

 

Other Food Items Sold on School Campuses will adhere to the following guidelines: 

• Per USDA Regulation $210, Appendix B, foods of minimal nutritional value (FMNV) are prohibited from being sold or served during student meal services in the food service area where USDA reimbursable meals are served or eaten. 

• Per the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, beverage contracts will not restrict the sale of fluid milk products at any time during the school day or at any place on the school premises. 

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 265 (effective school year 2007-2008), students in elementary schools will not have access to FMNV except on special occasions. 

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 265 (effective school year 2007-2008), students in middle and junior high schools will not have access to FMNV except after school, at events which take place in the evening, and on special occasions. 

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 265 (effective school year 2007-2008), diet soda, an FMNV, will be available for sale at the junior high only in vending areas outside of the cafeteria. 

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 265 (effective school year 2007-2008), healthy food options will be provided at the high school and priced lower than FMNV in order to encourage students and staff to make healthier food choices. 

Physical Education 

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 1627, the Healthy and Fit School Advisory Committee at each school site will study and make recommendations regarding physical education and physical activity. 

• Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 312 (effective school year 2006-2007), students in Grades K through 5 will participate in 60 minutes of physical activity each week. 

The aim of the Olustee-Eldorado Public Schools pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade physical education curriculum is to enhance quality of life by fostering physical dexterity and life-long health and well-being in an environment that promotes participation and the development of the whole person. The District supports quality physical activity throughout the school day. Practices which support the accomplishment of this aim include: 

• The District will offer students k-12 the opportunity to participate in a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity each day, whether through physical education, exercise programs, after school athletics, fitness breaks, recess, classroom activities, or wellness education.
• The district will establish a comprehensive, standards-based PE curriculum for each grade (k-12).Schools will ensure that PE equipment and classes afford all students an equal opportunity to participate in PE.
• Develop indoor recess guidelines to ensure students can have adequate physical activity on days when recess must be held indoors.
• Require recess to be held before lunch, in order to increase food consumption, reduce waste, and improve classroom attentiveness when students return from lunch.
• Provide Elementary students, K-5, at least 20 minutes per day of recess in addition to physical education requirements.

• Elementary Students in grades pre-Kindergarten through five will participate in at least a 150 minutes of PE per week throughout the entire school year.The Coordinated Approach to Child Health, an evidence-based program that employs a holistic approach to child health promotion by targeting multiple aspects of the school environment: the classroom, Child Nutrition Services, physical education (PE), parents, and the broader school community will be utilized. Time spent in these activities, per state law, will meet the requirements for accreditation by the Oklahoma State Board of Education.
• During PE, students will be given the opportunity to participate in many types of physical activity, including both cooperative and competitive games.
• In addition, teachers and other school personnel at all grade levels may provide opportunities to students for additional physical activity by integrating physical activity into the academic curriculum, including adaptive physical education, movement breaks (3-5 minutes), and other activities to promote movement and to allow students to stretch, move around and break from sitting.These breaks may take place during, and or between class times.
• Students will engage in moderate to vigorous activity more than 50 percent of the class time during physical education.
• Physical Education classes will have a teacher/student ratio comparable to core subject in the classroom size.
• Physical Education classes will be taught by licensed teachers who are certified to teach PE.
• Physical activity, or the withholding thereof, will not be used to punish academic performance or student behavior in the classroom.
• The district will provide teachers a list of alternative ways to discipline students.
• Teachers will be strongly encouraged to use physical activity as a reward. (extra recess)
• The District will ensure the availability of proper equipment and facilities that meet safety standards and conduct inspections and repairs as needed.
• The District provides proper equipment and facilities to support physical education classes and other school-sponsored physical activities.
• The District provides training for teachers for integrating physical activity into the curriculum. Some portion of this training will be incorporated into annual professional development.
• District will allow teachers the opportunity to participate in or lead physical activity before, after, or during school.
• The District will encourage school staff, students, and their families to participate in physical activity outside of the school day.Students, parents, and other community members will have access to the District's physical activity facilities outside the normal school day (see Facility Usage and Rental policy).
• Physical activity opportunities are available to students of all physical and mental abilities to help develop the skills needed to participate in lifetime physical activities.
• The District encourages students to walk/bike to school. A designated walk/bike route will be established each year for safe mobility to and from school.

Staff Wellness

The District recognizes that employee health is essential to student health and to creating healthy school environments. Accordingly, the District will implement an employee wellness program that promotes healthy eating, physical activity, and overall health. The District may partner with community agencies and organizations (e.g., local health departments, hospitals, health insurance companies, and local chapters of national organizations, such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Red Cross, and YMCA) to assist in providing education, services, and resources for staff.

The District will do the following to support staff wellness:

Nutrition

• Serve foods and beverages that meet Smart Snacks standards at all staff meetings, trainings, special occasions (e.g., birthdays and retirement parties), and other workplace gatherings.

• Provide employees with access to a refrigerator, microwave, and sink with a water faucet.

 • Provide or partner with community organizations or agencies to offer nutrition education through activities such as seminars, workshops, classes, meetings, and newsletters.

• Partner with community organizations or agencies to offer staff accessible and free or low-cost healthy eating/weight management programs.

 

 

 

Physical Activity

 • Promote walking meetings.

• Incorporate 10-minute physical activity breaks into every hour of sedentary meetings, trainings, and other workplace gatherings.

• Provide access to on-campus athletic facilities, such as gyms, running tracks, basketball courts, tennis courts, and swimming pools.

• Promote employee participation in physical activity by creating exercise clubs or groups and/or sponsoring employee sports teams.

 • Use posters, pamphlets, and other forms of communication to promote physical activity (including stairwell use, if applicable).

• Provide information about local physical activity resources and facilities, such as walking trails, community parks, and recreation facilities.

 General Wellness

 • Partner with community organizations or agencies to offer voluntary health screenings annually to staff, including free or low-cost health assessments.

 • Partner with community organizations or agencies to provide stress management programs annually to staff.

 • Promote tobacco prevention and provide referral information on cessation services through the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline.

• Ensure access to a private space (other than a restroom) that has an electrical outlet, and provide flexible paid or unpaid break times to allow mothers to express breast milk and/or breastfeed.

• Partner with community organizations or agencies to offer immunization clinics (e.g., flu, Tdap, etc.) to staff.

• Provide or partner with community organizations or agencies to offer free or low-cost first aid and CPR training.

 Professional Development

The District will provide staff with educational resources and annual training in health and health-related topics.

 Health Education

Where applicable, schools’ health education curriculums will follow the Oklahoma Academic Standards.

Community Involvement

The District will permit parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, physical education teachers, school health professionals, the school board, school administrators, and the general public to participate in the development, implementation, review, and update of the local school wellness policy. To encourage broad public participation in the process, the District will do the following:

• Actively notify parents and the broader community about the content and implementation of as well as any changes to the wellness policy, whether through electronic communications (e.g., email, District website, etc.), non-electronic means (e.g., mailings, presentations, etc.), or both.

 • Ensure that all outreach and communication is culturally appropriate and translated as needed.

• Educate community stakeholders on how they can participate in the development, implementation, review, and update of the wellness policy and let them know why their participation is important to the health and wellness of students and the broader community.

Monitoring and Policy Review Each school site's Healthy and Fit School Committee will use the School Health Index to develop an action plan unique to that site as part of the Coordinated School Health Framework. Each plan will be evaluated and updated annually.  The District will measure the extent to which school is in compliance with the local wellness policy, as well as the progress made in attaining the policy’s goals. The District will assess how its policy compares with the latest national recommendations on school health and will update accordingly.  The District will inform and update the public about the content and implementation of the local wellness policy (via website, handouts, newsletters).  Parents, students, physical education teachers, school health professionals, school board, school administrators, and the general public will be allowed to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and updates of the local wellness policy.  Additionally, with input from the Healthy and Fit School Committee, each site will use the annual Comprehensive Local Education Plan (CLEP) and the Comprehensive District Plan (CDAP) process to set and measure goals related to student’s wellness. Curricula for the health and physical education programs in the District, using current Oklahoma State Health and Wellness standards, are reviewed according to the textbook adoption schedule for the State of Oklahoma. These processes provide for public input by involving stakeholders from all District school sites as well as the community. Oversight for the district Wellness Policy will be maintained by the principals and school superintendent and the Wellness Committee. 

 

The Wellness Committee shall consist of the following members until deemed necessary to change/replace these members:

Chairman/Superintendent, Administration, Parent, Student, School Nutritionist, PE Teacher, Health Ed Teacher, School Employee, School Counselor, School Board member, General Public /City Clerk.

Melvin Hazel

Chasdity Tartsah

Millie Banks

Jayla Lopez (until May 2025, then Jackie Ramirez)

Debbie Brown

Sandie Roberts

Jason Gorman

Leslie Brown

Jason Drury

Kim Keller

 

This School Wellness Policy adopted by the Board of the Olustee-Eldorado Public School at the regularly scheduled meeting on March 11, 2025 

 

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Signature_________________________  Title_________________________ Date______