Wellness Policy

  • The Clarke County Board of Education is committed to student wellness as a vital component of the School District's educational program. It is the Board's belief that:

    • Children need healthful foods and need opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn and thrive;
    • Good health is essential to foster better student attendance and achievement;
    • A strong District wellness program will have a positive, lasting effect on students;
    • Community participation is essential to the development and implementation of a successful District wellness program; and,
    • District educators should exercise the same leadership with respect to wellness that they do with respect to academics.

     

    Wellness Plan - School Level

    Each local school is required to have a Wellness Champion. The Wellness Champion will use a coordinated approach to support student health, promote healthy behaviors, and ensure the school's compliance with CCSD's wellness policy. The school-level wellness plan applies to all students, staff, and schools within the district. If you are interested in participating in a particular school’s wellness efforts, please reach out to the school’s Wellness Champion.

    The Wellness Champion in conjunction with their school-level wellness team will focus on ensuring the school environment not only promotes but also provides opportunities for all students (and even staff) to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors throughout the school day.

    Areas of focus may include, but are not limited to the following:

    • Access to healthy foods throughout the school day— both through reimbursable school meals and through other foods available throughout the school campus— in accordance with Smart Snacks in School Nutrition Standards;
    • Receive quality nutrition education that helps promote lifelong healthy eating behaviors;
    • Provide opportunities to be physically active before, during, and after school;
    • Promote nutrition and physical activity through engaging, cross-curricular lessons and activities;
    • Encourage and provide opportunities for school staff to practice balanced nutrition and physical activity behaviors in and out of school;
    • Limit food and beverage marketing and advertising to items that meet USDA’s Smart Snacks in School Nutrition Standards;
    • Support the work of the district by creating continuity between school and other community settings for students and staff to practice lifelong healthy habits; and
    • Establish and maintain an infrastructure for management, oversight, implementation, communication, and evaluation of the school’s compliance with CCSD’s policy and its established goals and objectives as outlined in the district’s strategic plan.

     

    Wellness Plan - District-Level

    The District Wellness Council is comprised of stakeholders representing several departments--school nutrition, nursing, health, and physical education, communications—as well as district administrators, and community members interested in developing, implementing, and reviewing the district wellness policy. 

    *There are no upcoming scheduled meetings at this time.

    Community stakeholders may submit input on CCSD’s Wellness Policy to farmerp@clarke.k12.ga.us.

    If you have questions, comments, or suggestions related to Clarke County School District Wellness Policy, please contact Paula Farmer at farmerp@clarke.k12.ga.us or call the School Nutrition Central Office at 706.354.1138. 

    Important Links

    • To access the entire wellness policy (Board Policy EEE), click here.
    • To access the Smart Snacks Calculator (used for schools fundraising with food), click here.

Wellness Policy: FAQs

  • Are classroom parties and celebrations allowed?

    Posted by:

    Parties and celebrations are fun! And, we want your students to have fun with you during the school day too! When these events involve food, it is important to make parents aware in advance, so they know when these events are happening and what food is going to be served.  The school's administrators should determine ways to highlight seasonal events and birthdays in a way that is age appropriate and provides equal opportunity for each student to be involved.  When food and beverages are provided for such activities, the use of healthy foods in appropriate portion sizes is encouraged.  

    For parents, teachers, and school administrators looking for ways to celebrate without using food, please check with your student's school to get a list of non-food celebration ideas.  This list is especially helpful for parents who want to recognize their child's birthday at school, but they don't want to celebrate with cupcakes or cookies.
    Comments (-1)

  • Should students be given food as a reward?

    Posted by:

    Our wellness regulation (Board Policy EEE-R(1)) discourages the use of food, especially candy, as an individual reward for good behavior or academic performance.  Food rewards undermine children's diet and health while also potentially reinforcing unhealthful eating habits.  Ultimately, it is up to the classroom teacher and/or school administrator to determine whether use of food as a reward is an accpetable practice.

    Because classroom rewards are an effective way to encourage positive behavior, we have developed a list of non-food reward alternatives to help parents, teachers, and school administrators wishing to move away from food-based rewards.
    Comments (-1)

  • My school has asked for healthy snack donations, what would be considered an acceptable snack?

    Posted by:

    Snacks can vary in portion size, calories, and flavor profile making it very difficult to discern what might be "healthy" or not.  Our program supports the notion that "all foods fit," and we encourage families and students to consume a variety of food items in order to have a well-balanced diet.  However, it is important to recognize that for some foods you need to limit how often you eat them and how much you eat at one time.

    To make it easier for parents, we have created a one-page summary that illustrates what we consider to be our '5 Smart Snack Choices.' This summary focuses on "categories" of snacks, rather than trying to generate a comprehensive list that captures all possible snack items that can be served during snack time at school.
    Comments (-1)