Superintendent and Governing Board Leadership to Create Healthy School Nutrition Environments

Maria Bauman

Leadership to create Healthy School Nutrition Environments

Dr. Jeffery Smith, Balsz Elementary

Dr. Kristen Rex, Seligman Elementary

While most districts focus on improving scores for reading and math, ultimately healthy eating and lifestyle choices will impact learning for students.

As Balsz Elementary Superintendent Dr. Jeffery Smith and Seligman Elementary Superintendent Dr. Kristen Rex pointed out, some of the best lessons in life we can share are how to live a healthy life.

Balsz (an urban high-need district) and Seligman (a rural high-need district) have partnered through a grant to implement stronger policies for healthier food decisions in their schools.

Both superintendents agreed that to make a commitment to healthier alternatives work, you need the support of a superintendent, Governing Board and a “champion” who, in Balsz case, is a PE teacher.

While the 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act states all food and beverages offered or sold in schools will follow nutritional guidelines, fewer than 5% percent of districts nationally currently follow the guidelines. 

Session presenters provided an exhibit for policy manuals regarding student wellness with the intention that instituting policies of this nature can provide the framework to support healthy choices for students and staff.

While students may not experience nutritional foods at home, there are opportunities at school to expose them to alternative choices.  Children eat 30 to 50 percent of their calories at school, so it is important for schools to influence how they feed their brains. But, to be successful, schools must address and limit competitive foods in the school setting. This includes: 

• food rewards in the classroom
• using food as a form of punishment
• vending machines
• class parties with sweets
• fundraisers that focus on high-calorie foods
• concession stands

Ideas for alternatives begin at the school level by giving teachers a chance to have input.  Options being considered in Balsz are trying to incorporate more movement into the day, looking at using activity or games as a rewards versus using food. Creating one 10-minute activity break per day related to math and language arts, having stations set up on playgrounds for more organized full involvement recess and incorporating 30 min of nutritional information incorporated into the curriculum, rich text informational for 7-8 grades and events like teacher pedometer walk-offs or district wide staff tournaments.

Maria Bauman, the Health Schools Program Manager for AZ provided some alarming statistics to help compel us to action.  While nationwide one in three children are obese, in Arizona the childhood obesity rate is at 36.7 percent -- fourth fourth in the nation! 

What can your district do??  Alliance for a Healthier Generation is offering a free training program Jan. 30 from  9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Orange Tree Resort n Scottsdale. For information email: maria.bauman@healthiergeneration.org, or call 707-267-0057

Bauman and her organization will assist at schools that can come into schools and enhance what you do in schools to empower children to make better choices. 

ASPRA Reporter Nancy Dudenhoefer, Kyrene Elemetary