Students desiring to participate in athletic activities or enrolling in pre-pre-kindergarten or first grade in the school district shall have a physical examination by a licensed physician and provide proof of such an examination to the school district.  A physical examination and proof of such an examination may be required by the administration for students in other grades enrolling for the first time in the school district.

A certificate of health stating the results of a physical examination and signed by the physician shall be on file at the attendance center.  Each student shall submit an up-to-date certificate of health upon the request of the superintendent.  Failure to provide this information may be grounds for disciplinary action.

Students enrolling for the first time in the school district shall also submit a certificate of immunization against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, poliomyelitis, rubeola, rubella, and other immunizations required by law.  The student may be admitted conditionally to the attendance center if the student has not yet completed the immunization process but is in the process of doing so.  Failure to meet the immunization requirement will be grounds for suspension, expulsion or denial of admission.  Upon recommendation of the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Department of Public Health, students entering the district for the first time may be required to pass a TB test prior to admission.  The district may conduct TB tests of current students.

Exemptions from the immunization requirement in this policy will be allowed only for medical or religious reasons recognized under the law.  The student must provide a valid Iowa State Department of Health Certificate of Immunization Exemption to be exempt from this policy.

 

 

Cross Reference:         
402.2   Child Abuse Reporting
501      Student Attendance
507      Student Health and Well-Being

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016
Revised:     January 2015

 

The board is committed to the inclusion of all students in the education program and recognizes that some students may need prescription and nonprescription medication to participate in their educational program.

Medication shall be administered when the student's parent or guardian (hereafter "parent") provides a signed and dated written statement requesting medication administration and the medication is in the original, labeled container, either as dispensed or in the manufacturer's container.

When administration of the medication requires ongoing professional health judgment, an individual health plan shall be developed by an authorized practitioner with the student and the student's parent.  Students who have demonstrated competence in administering their own medications may self-administer their medication. A written statement by the student's parent shall be on file requesting co-administration of medication, when competence has been demonstrated.   By law, students with asthma or other airway constricting diseases or students at risk of anaphylaxis who use epinephrine auto-injectors may self-administer their medication upon the written approval of the student’s parents and prescribing licensed health care professional regardless of competency.   

Persons administering medication shall include authorized practitioners, such as licensed registered nurses and physician, and persons to whom authorized practitioners have delegated the administration of medication (who have successfully completed a medication administration course).  A medication administration course and periodic update shall be conducted by a registered nurse or licensed pharmacist, and a record of course completion shall be maintained by the school.

A written medication administration record shall be on file including:

• date;
• student’s name;
• prescriber or person authorizing administration;
• medication;
• medication dosage;
• administration time;
• administration method;
• signature and title of the person administering medication; and
• any unusual circumstances, actions, or omissions.

Medication shall be stored in a secured area unless an alternate provision is documented.  Emergency protocols for medication-related reactions shall be posted.  Medication information shall be confidential information as provided by law

Disposal of unused, discontinued/recalled, or expired medication shall be in compliance with federal and state law. Prior to disposal school personnel shall make a reasonable attempt to return medication by providing written notification that expired, discontinued, or unused medications needs to be picked up. If medication is not picked up by the date specified, disposal shall be in accordance with the disposal procedures for the specific category of medication.

 

 

Cross Reference:                
506       Student Records
507       Student Health and Well-Being
603.3    Special Education
607.2    Student Health Services

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016
Revised:     February 2016

 

Students with a communicable disease will be allowed to attend school provided their presence does not create a substantial risk of illness or transmission to other students or employees.  The term "communicable disease" shall mean an infectious or contagious disease spread from person to person, or animal to person, or as defined by law.

Prevention and control of communicable diseases shall be included in the school district's bloodborne pathogens exposure control plan.  The procedures shall include scope and application, definitions, exposure control, methods of compliance, universal precautions, vaccination, post-exposure evaluation, follow-up, communication of hazards to employees and record keeping.  This plan shall be reviewed annually by the superintendent and school nurse.

The health risk to immunodepressed students shall be determined by their personal physician.  The health risk to others in the school district environment from the presence of a student with a communicable disease shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the student's personal physician, a physician chosen by the school district or public health officials.

It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent, in conjunction with the school nurse, to develop administrative regulations stating the procedures for dealing with students with a communicable disease.

 

 

Cross Reference:         
403.3   Communicable Diseases - Employees
506      Student Records
507      Student Health and Well-Being

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016

 

When a student becomes ill or is injured at school, the school district shall attempt to notify the student's parents as soon as possible.

The school district, while not responsible for medical treatment of an ill or injured student, will have employees present administer emergency or minor first aid if possible.  An ill or injured child will be turned over to the care of the parents or qualified medical employees as quickly as possible.

It shall be the responsibility of the principal to file an accident report with the superintendent within twenty-four hours after the student is injured.

Annually, parents shall be required to complete a medical emergency authorization form indicating the procedures to be followed, if possible, in an emergency involving their child.  The authorization form will also include the phone numbers of the parents and alternative numbers to call in case of an injury or illness.

The superintendent shall be responsible, in conjunction with the school nurse, to develop rules and regulations governing the procedure in the event a student should become ill or be injured at school.

 

 

Cross Reference:         
507      Student Health and Well-Being

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016

 

Students will be informed of the appropriate action to take in an emergency.  Emergency drills for fire, weather, and other disasters shall be conducted each school year.  Fire and tornado drills shall be each conducted regularly during the academic school year with a minimum of two before December 31 and two after January 1.

Each attendance center shall develop and maintain a written plan containing emergency and disaster procedures.  The plan will be communicated to and reviewed with employees. Employees shall participate in emergency drills.  Licensed employees shall be responsible for instructing the proper techniques to be followed in the drill.

 

 

Cross Reference:         
507      Student Health and Well-Being
711.10 School Bus Safety Instruction
804      Safety Program

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016

 

Students shall have the opportunity to participate in the health and accident insurance plan selected by the school district.  The cost of the health and accident insurance program shall be borne by the student.  Participation in the insurance health and accident plan is not a contract with the school district, but rather, a contract between the insurance company and the student.

Students participating in intramural or extracurricular athletics shall be required to have health and accident insurance.  The student shall bring written proof of insurance or participate in the health and accident insurance program selected by the school district.

 

 

Cross Reference:         
504      Student Activities
507      Student Health and Well-Being

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016

 

Disagreements between family members are not the responsibility of the school district.  The school district will not take the "side" of one family member over another in a disagreement about custody or parental rights.  Court orders that have been issued shall be followed by the school district.  It shall be the responsibility of the person requesting an action by the school district to inform and provide the school district the court order allowing such action.

This policy does not prohibit an employee from listening to a student's problems and concerns.

It shall be the responsibility of the superintendent to ensure employees remain neutral in a disagreement about custody and parental rights.

 

 

Cross Reference:         
506      Student Records
507      Student Health and Well-Being

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016

 

The board recognizes that some special education students need special health services during the school day.  These students shall receive special health services in conjunction with their individualized education program. 

The superintendent, in conjunction with licensed health personnel, shall establish administrative regulations for the implementation of this policy.

 

 

Cross Reference:         
502      Student Rights and Responsibilities
506      Student Records
603.3   Special Education

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016

 

The board promotes healthy students by supporting wellness, good nutrition and regular physical activity as a part of the total learning environment.  The Webster City School District supports a healthy environment where students learn and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices.  By facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity, schools contribute to the basic health status of students.  Improved health optimizes student performance potential.

The Webster City School District provides a comprehensive learning environment for developing and practicing lifelong wellness behaviors.  The entire school environment, not just the classroom, shall be aligned with healthy school district goals to positively influence a student's understanding, beliefs and habits as they relate to good nutrition and regular physical activity. 

The Webster City School District supports and promotes proper dietary habits contributing to students' health status and academic performance.  All foods available on school grounds and at school-sponsored activities during the instructional day should meet or exceed the school district nutrition standards. Foods should be served with consideration toward nutritional integrity, variety, appeal, taste, safety and packaging to ensure high-quality meals. 

The Webster City 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 meals.  The school district utilizes electronic identification and payment systems. If circumstances warrant, an alternate meal will be provided at no cost to the student.

The Webster City School District will develop a local wellness policy committee comprised of representatives of the board, parents, leaders in food/exercise authority and employees.  The local wellness policy committee will develop a plan to implement and measure the local wellness policy and monitor the effectiveness of the policy.  The committee will designate an individual to monitor implementation and evaluation the implementation of the policy.  The committee will report annually to the board regarding the effectiveness of this policy.

Public Involvement:  There is a process for permitting parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, administrators and the public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the policy.  The superintendent or superintendent’s designee invites suggestions or comments concerning the development, implementation, and improvement of the school wellness policy.  As such, interested persons are encouraged to contact the superintendent or superintendent’s designee.

Specific Wellness Goals:

• specific goals for nutrition education, (see Appendix A)
• physical activity, (see Appendix B)
• other school-based activities that are designed to promote student wellness, (see Appendix C)

The nutrition guidelines for all foods available with the objective of promoting student health and reducing childhood obesity (see Appendix D).

The board will monitor and evaluate this policy. (See Appendix E)

Appendix A

Nutrition Education and Promotion

The school district will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that:

• is offered at each grade level as part of a sequential, comprehensive, standards-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;
• is part of not only health education classes, but also classroom instruction in subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences and elective subjects;
• emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and physical activity;

Appendix B

Physical Activity

Daily Physical Education

The school district will provide physical education that:

• is for elementary, middle and high school students:
  • All kindergarten through fourth grade students participates in physical education class for 60 minutes per six-day cycle, for an average of 10 minutes per day.
  • All fifth and sixth grade students participate in physical education class for 94 minutes per six-day cycle, for an average of 16 minutes per day.
  • All seventh and eighth grade students participate in physical education class 141 minutes per six-day cycle, for an average of 24 minutes per day.
  • All ninth through twelfth grade students participate in physical education class 165 minutes per week during one semester per year for an average of 33 minutes per day.
• Physical education includes students with disabilities.  Some students with special health-care needs are provided physical activity in alternative settings;
• Students are taught by certified physical education teachers;
• Students involved in extra-curricular activities (e.g., interscholastic or intramural sports, music, etc.) are required to participate in the physical education classes; and,
• Students are engaged in moderate to vigorous activity during at least 50 percent of physical education class time.

Daily Recess

Elementary schools should provide recess for students that:

• is at least 40 minutes a day;
• is preferably outdoors; and
• encourages moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through the provision of space and equipment.

Middle School:

• All fifth and sixth grade students have recess after lunch hour each day for twenty minutes per day.
• A few students miss recess each day to make up late work or to serve detentions for poor behavior.
• Recess is played outdoors whenever the weather allows.
• Recess supervisors encourage students to be involved in moderate to vigorous physical activities.

Athletics

• All seventh and eighth grade students can participate in a sport during each athletic season.  Practices are held four days per week and typically last 90 minutes.

Appendix C

Other School-Based Activities that Promote Student Wellness

Integrating Physical Activity into Classroom Settings

For students to receive the nationally recommended amount of daily physical activity and for students to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior, students need opportunities for physical activity beyond the physical education class.  Toward that end, the Webster City School District will:

• offer classroom health education that complements physical education by reinforcing the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities;
• discourage sedentary activities, such as watching television, playing computer games, etc.;
• provide opportunities for physical activity to be incorporated into other subject lessons; and,
• encourage classroom teachers to provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate.

Communication with Parents

The Webster City School District will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children.  The Webster City School District will:

• provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities before, during and after the school day;
• support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school; and,
• include sharing information about physical activity and physical education through a web site, newsletter, other take-home materials, special events or physical education homework.

Staff Wellness

The Webster City School District values the health and well-being of every staff member and will plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Each school should:

• establish and maintain a staff wellness committee;
• develop, promote and oversee a multifaceted plan to promote staff health and wellness developed by the staff wellness committee as allowed by resources provided by insurance carrier;
• base the plan on input solicited from employees and outline ways to encourage healthy eating, physical activity and other elements of a healthy lifestyle among school staff;
• flu shots and blood screening are offered and promoted every year;
• PHA (personal health assessment) is promoted and available online to staff members every year;
• the school nurse is available as a resource for staff; and
• the school nurse does blood pressure checks on staff members at their request.

Appendix D

Nutrition Guidelines for All Foods Available on Campus

School Meals

Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will:

• be appealing and attractive to children;
• be served in clean and pleasant settings;
• meet at a minimum, nutritional requirements established by local, state and federal law;
• offer a variety of fruits and vegetables, legumes and whole grains;
• serve only low fat (1%) and fat free milk and nutritionally equivalent non-dairy alternatives (as defined by the USDA).

Schools should:

• engage students and parents, through taste-tests of new entrees and surveys, in selecting food offered through the meal programs in order to identify new, healthful and appealing food choices; and,

• share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students.  (The information will be made available through the school lunch web site.)

Breakfast

To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn, schools will:

• notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program through the school lunch web site.

Free and Reduced-Priced Meals

The Webster City 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 meals.  

• utilize electronic identification payment systems;
• promote the availability of meals to all students.

Meal Times and Scheduling

The school district:

• will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch;
• should schedule meal periods at appropriate times, 3.g., lunch should be scheduled between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.; should not schedule tutoring, club or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities;
• will schedule lunch periods to follow recess periods (in elementary schools);
• will provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks

Qualification of Food Service Staff

Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the meal programs.  As part of the Webster City School District’s responsibility to operate a food service program, the school district will:

• provide continuing professional development for all nutrition professionals; and,
• provide staff development programs that include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, nutrition managers and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.

Food Safety

All foods made available on campus adhere to food safety and security guidelines.

• all foods made available on campus comply with the state and local food safety and sanitation regulations;
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans and guidelines are implemented to prevent food illness in schools.  http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/servingsafe_chapter6.pdf
• for the safety and security of the food and facility, access to the food service operations are limited to child nutrition staff and authorized personnel.

Ala Carte Sales

The food service department will restrict the sale of “foods of minimal nutritional value” as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture in the food service areas during meal periods.  Ala Carte sales outside the meal periods will be monitored by the Food Service Director to assure that sales of “foods of minimal nutritional value” will be kept to a small amount.

Sharing of Foods

The school district discourages students from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.

Summer Meals

Schools in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals may sponsor the Summer Food Service Program for at least six weeks between the last day of the academic school year and the first day of the following school year, and, preferably, throughout the entire summer vacation.

Vending Sales

Vending machine sales will be monitored to assure they are in compliance with and meet any federal regulations required by law.

Appendix E

Plan for Measuring Implementation

Monitoring

The superintendent will ensure compliance with established school district-wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies.

In each school:

• the Food Service Director will ensure compliance with those policies in the school and will report on the school’s compliance to the superintendent; and,
• the Food Service Director will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within food service areas and will report on this matter to the superintendent or principal.

In the school district:

• the Food Service Director will report on the most recent Administrative review findings and any resulting changes.  If the school district has not received a SMI review from the state agency within the past five years, the school district will request from the state agency that a SMI review be scheduled as soon as possible;
• the Superintendent will develop a summary report every three years on school district-wide compliance with the school district’s established nutrition and physical activity wellness policies, based on input from schools within the school district; and,
• the report will be provided to the school board and also distributed to all school wellness committees, parent/teacher organizations, principals and health services personnel in the school district.

Policy Review

To help with the initial development of the school district’s wellness policies, each school in the school district will conduct a baseline assessment of the school’s existing nutrition and physical activity environments and practices.  The results of those school-by-school assessments will be compiled at the school district level to identify and prioritize needs.

Assessments will be repeated every three years to help review policy compliance, assess progress and determine areas in need of improvement.  As part of that review, the school district will review the nutrition and physical activity policies and practices and the provision of an environment that supports healthy eating and physical activity.  The school district, and individual schools within the school district will, revise the wellness policies and develop work plans to facilitate their implementation. The district assessments will be monitored annually through curriculum standards and benchmarks.

 

 

Approved:  March 2007
Reviewed:  October 2016
Revised:     April 2017