Welcome to the Physical and Health Education Departments

The Lynn Public Schools recognize that good nutrition and physical activity are essential for students to maximize their full academic, physical and mental potentials, and achieve lifelong health and well-being. 

A progressive and sequential approach to nutrition and physical activity promotes healthy weight maintenance and reduces the risk of many chronic diseases including hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and asthma.

Our Department Information

Stay Healthy This Month With These Resources! March 2020

Lynn Public Schools Health Curriculum Overview

LPS will continue to use health educators to train teachers in the Second Step Curriculum and act as model teachers. They will also provide the LifeSkills Training Program in the middle Schools. These programs were chosen from the US Department of Education SDFS list of Exemplary and/or Promising Programs. Programs on this list have scientifically based research evidence that shows they are effective at reducing violence and illegal drug use.

The Second Step program integrates academics with social and emotional learning. Students from grades PK-8 learn and practice vital social skills, such as empathy, emotion management, problem solving, and cooperation. These essential skills help students in the classroom, on the playground, and at home. Research has shown implementation of the program to reduce discipline referrals, improve school climate by building feelings of inclusiveness and respect, and increase the sense of confidence and responsibility in students.

The LifeSkills Training middle school program is a substance abuse prevention program based on scientific research. In addition to helping students resist drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, the LifeSkills program also helps to reduce violence and other high-risk behaviors. The program teaches personal self-management skills such as creative problem solving, reducing stress and anxiety, managing anger and avoiding violence. It helps students to build defenses against pressures to use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.

The High school health curriculum is aligned with the MA frameworks using the Glencoe Health 2009 edition book. The district has committed to purchasing 200 new Glencoe Health 2009 edition books, one hundred for each high school. Each health course will run half year.

High School Health Curriculum Units of Instruction

1. Personal Wellness: In this unit, students will become familiar with the dimensions of personal wellness and how it impacts all aspects of their lives. Students will focus on learning, applying, and analyzing skills relating to positive personal wellness. 18 - 45 min. class periods (9 blocks)

Lessons:
1. Dimensions of Wellness ( Ch. 1, Lesson 1)
2. What Affects Your Health? ( Ch. 1, Lesson 2)
3. Your Behavior & Reducing Health Risks ( Ch. 1, Lesson 3)
4. Living / Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle ( Ch. 1, Lesson 4)
5. Building Health Skills ( Ch. 2, Lesson 1)
6. Making Responsible Decisions & Goal Setting ( Ch. 2, Lesson 2)
7. Developing Your Self-Esteem ( Ch. 3, Lesson 1)
8. Developing Personal Identity and Character ( Ch. 3, Lesson 2)
9. Expressing Emotions in Healthful Ways ( Ch. 3, Lesson 3)
10. Stress – Effects of/& how to Manage ( Ch. 4, Lesson 1 & 2)
11. Coping with Loss & Grief ( Ch. 4, Lesson 3)
12. Dealing with Anxiety & Teen Depression ( Ch. 5, Lesson 1)
13.Mental Disorders ( Ch. 5, Lesson 2)
14. Suicide Prevention ( Ch. 5, Lesson 3)
15. Getting Help ( Ch. 5, Lesson 4)

Essential Questions:
1. How does behavior, including the risks you take, affect your health & wellness?
2. How are decision making and goal setting interrelated? And how can they promote a positive personal wellness?
3. How do teens develop skills to promote a positive identity and learn to understand and manage their emotions?
4. How do optimistic, resilient adolescences positively manage stress?
5. How might friends, family, and mental health professionals help an individual cope with common mental health disorders?
6. How can communication skills impact all dimensions of personal wellness?

Goals & Objectives: Students will:
1. Describe the connection between health skills and knowledge and positive personal wellness (physical, mental/emotional, social wellness).
2. Apply positive personal wellness skills into their daily lives.
3. Reflect and analyze on their personal behavior and how it will affect them now and in the future.

GLE's / Assessments:
1. FS2C9-12: Compare and contrast constructive versus destructive defense mechanisms as a means for handling one's emotions. (HPE2, NH4)
2. ME1A9-12: Identify the steps used in the problem solving model to examine daily living situations. (HPE1-4, HPE6, NH1)
3. ME4A9-12: Apply practices that preserve and enhance the safety and health of others (e.g., conflict resolution, peer mediation, seeking adult or professional consultation, stress management, goal setting, decision making, assertive behavior, resisting peer pressure, & asset development). (HPE2, NH5)
4. ME4D9-12: Create a plan using life management skills to address personal and social concerns that are a part of daily living (e.g., learning to manage time and stress, setting goals, dealing with conflicts, working collaboratively). (HPE2, NH5, NH6)
5. ME3A9-12: Analyze the health claims that the media make and their impact on physical, mental/emotional, and social health. (HPE6, NH2)

2. Nutrition: In this unit, students will become familiar with the factors of proper nutrition and how to make healthful food choices. Topics will include the six nutrients, mypyramid.gov, nutrition labels, food borne illnesses, fad diets, eating disorders and healthy weight management. 12 - 45 min. class periods (6 blocks)

Lessons:
1. The Importance of Nutrition during the Teen Years ( Ch. 10, Lesson 1)
2. Nutrients ( Ch. 10, Lesson 2)
3. Guidelines for Healthful Eating ( Ch. 10, Lesson 3)
4. Nutrition Labels and Food Safety ( Ch. 10, Lesson 4)
5. Maintaining a Healthy Weight ( Ch. 11, Lesson 1)
6. Body Image and Eating Disorders ( Ch. 11, Lesson 2)
7. Lifelong Nutrition ( Ch. 11, Lesson 3)
8. Benefits of Physical Activity ( Ch. 12, Lesson 1)

Essential Questions:
1. How do healthy eating habits/decisions affect all aspects of our personal wellness throughout life?
2. Why are all 6 nutrients important to our overall health? What is the relationship between nutrition, quality of life, & disease?
3. Why is healthy weight management important for good personal wellness?
How does weight management differ from individual to individual?
4. Why is it important to recognize the signs and symptoms of different eating disorders?

Goals & Objectives: Students will:
1. Describe the connection between a healthy eating style and positive weight management.
2. Apply positive healthy eating and weight management skills into their daily lives.
3. Reflect and analyze on their personal eating and weight management behavior and how it will affect them now and in the future.

GLE's / Assessments:
1. ME2A9-12: Assess key nutrients and their specific functions and influences on body processes (e.g., disease prevention). (HPE2, NH1)
2. ME2A9-12: Assess how nutritional needs change throughout the life cycle. (HPE2, NH1)
3. ME2B9-12: Prove how a well-balanced diet that is low in fat, high in fiber, vitamins and minerals can reduce the risk of certain disease. (HPE2, NH1-2)
4. ME2B9-12: Investigate and analyze the factors that influence dietary choices (e.g., lifestyle, ethnicity, family, media, & advertising). (HPE2, NH1-2)
5. ME2C9-12: Apply concepts using food labels to meet the dietary needs of individuals for a healthy lifestyle (e.g., diabetes, lactose intolerance, food allergies). (HPE2, HPE6, NH1)
6. ME2D9-12: Discuss the cause and effect relationships that influence a safe food supply (e.g., regulatory agencies, food handling & production, food storage techniques, pesticides, additives, bioterrorism). (HPE2,HPE6, NH7)
7. ME2E9-12: Design a nutritional plan based on the relationship between food intake and activity level with regard to weight management and healthy living (e.g., caloric intake, calorie expenditure, weight gain, weight maintenance, and safe weight loss). (HPE2, NH5)
8. ME3A9-12: Evaluate the role the media can play in influencing young adults' self concept by idealizing body image and elite performance levels of famous people. (HPE6, NH2)

3. Community & Environmental Health: In this unit, students will become familiar with various health services and providers and how to choose the best options for their own personal wellness. Students will also become familiar with how a community's impact on the environment can affect and individual's personal wellness.8 – 45 min. class periods (4 blocks)

Lessons:
1. Being a Health-Literate Consumer ( Ch. 2, Lesson 3)
2. Managing Consumer Problems ( Ch. 2, Lesson 4)
3. Understanding Public Health Services ( Ch. 28, Lesson 1)
4. Choosing Community Health Services ( Ch. 28, Lesson 1)
5. Air Quality and Health ( Ch. 28, Lesson 2)
6. Advocating for a Healthy Environment ( Ch. 28, Lesson 3)

Essential Questions:
1. Why is being an informed health consumer important to making proper decisions concerning your personal wellness, such as when to seek a second medical opinion?
2. How can the environment influence the health and wellness of a community?
3. Why might some health messages delivered through advertising in the media be misleading?
4. What effect is a poor economy likely to have on a community? What effect is a poor economy likely to have on world health?
5. How do the nation's environmental health goals and objectives in Healthy People 2010 relate to individual, family, and community health?

Goals & Objectives:Students will:
1. Describe the connection between positive and/or negative consumer choices and its impact on both the individual and the community.
2. Apply positive health consumer skills, both personally and in the community.
3. Reflect and analyze how health consumer choices affect both the individual and the community.

GLE's / Assessments:
1. ME3B9-12: Analyze the reliability of health care information, services and products that could affect consumer decision making (e.g., finding specialists such as CDC, county health departments, extension centers; insurance carriers; clinics, hospitals, OB/GYN, and emergency rooms). (HPE6, NH8)
2. ME3C9-12: Develop a list of individual and/or governmental agencies and explain their responsibility for providing assistance to people for their health needs (e.g., Al-anon for drug abuse or dermatologist for acne).(HPE6, NH3)
3. RA4A9-12: Compare present environment health problems to past environment health problems and develop strategies to reduce or correct these problems for the future (e.g., destruction of the ozone layer, asbestos, second-hand smoke, nuclear disasters, carpooling). (HPE2, NH1,NH7)
4. RA4B9-12: Compare ways that individuals, communities, state and federal government can cooperate to promote environmental health. (HPE2, NH8)

4. Safety & First Aid: In this unit, students will become familiar with the basic components of First Aid and CPR for the Lay Responder as taught by the American Red Cross (ARC). Students can obtain ARC certification in First Aid and CPR for the Lay Responder if they pass both the skills and written tests as directed by the ARC. 12 – 45 min. class periods (6 blocks)

Lessons:
1. Providing First Aid ( Ch. 27, Lesson 1)
2. CPR & First Aid for Shock and Choking ( Ch. 27, Lesson 2) *Certification for CPR will be taught according to Red Cross Standards
3. Responding to Common Emergencies ( Ch. 27, Lesson 3)
4. Emergency Preparedness ( Ch. 27, Lesson 4)
5. Personal Safety & Protection/Online Safety ( Ch. 26, Lesson 1)
6. Safety on the Road ( Ch. 26, Lesson 4)

Essential Questions:
1. Why is it important to know the basics of CPR and First Aid for your personal wellness? (e.g., universal precautions)
2. How can making the right decision influence an emergency situation?
3. Why is making the right decision in an emergency important?
4. Why is it important to know first aid procedures in order to achieve the goals of Healthy People 2010?

Goals & Objectives: Students will:
1. Determine the skills and knowledge needed to respond appropriately during emergency situations.
2. Apply the appropriate skills in an emergency situation.
3. Reflect and analyze how life saving skills can make a difference in an emergency situation.

GLE's / Assessments:
1. RA2A9-12: Describe & analyze methods that can be effective in preventing societal problems affecting teens (e.g., rape, assault, homicide and other personal safety risks, gangs)
2. RA2B9-12: Identify, from a given list, those situations that are life threatening and perform basic life saving maneuvers (e.g., CPR, abdominal thrust, bleeding control, shock, burns, asthma, bee stings, snake bites, poisoning). (HPE2, HPE7, NH7)
3. RA2C9-12: Recognize activity-related conditions (e.g., bleeding, shock, asthma, low blood sugar, diabetes, dehydration) and perform appropriate first aid procedures and practices for each. (HPE5, NH7)
4. RA2C9-12: Recognize weather-related emergencies (e.g., dehydration, asthma, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hypothermia, frostbite) and perform appropriate first aid procedures and practices. (HPE5, NH7)

5. Substance Abuse & Prevention: In this unit, students will become familiar with the risks and danger of abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD). Students will learn how drugs affect the brain, refusal strategies and how to advocate for a drug free environment. 20 – 45 min. class periods (10 blocks)

Lessons:
1. The Role of Medicines ( Ch. 19, Lesson 1)
2. Using Medicines Safely ( Ch. 19, Lesson 2)
3. The Health Risks of Tobacco Use ( Ch. 20, Lesson 1)
4. Choosing to Live Tobacco Free ( Ch. 20, Lesson 2)
5. Promoting a Smoke-Free Environment ( Ch. 20, Lesson 3)
6. The Health Risks of Alcohol Use ( Ch. 21, Lesson 1)
7. Choosing to be Alcohol Free (Ch. 21, Lesson 2)
8. The Impact of Alcohol Abuse ( Ch. 21, Lesson 3)
9. The Health Risks of Drug Use ( Ch. 22, Lesson 1)
10.Marijuana, Inhalants, and Steroids ( Ch. 22, Lesson 2)
11. Psychoactive Drugs ( Ch. 22, Lesson 3)
12. Living Drug Free ( Ch. 22, Lesson 4)

Essential Questions:
1. What are the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (such as physical, mental, social, and legal consequences)?
2. How are addicts as well as family and friends of addicts affected by the disease? What are the resources available for these addicts and their family and friends?
3. What are the factors that influence a teen's decision about substance abuse? (e.g., family, friends, society, media)
4. Why should teens engage in healthy alternatives instead of substance use? What are some of these healthy alternatives?

Goals & Objectives: Students will:
1. Determine the skills and knowledge necessary to promote healthy decision making regarding ATOD.
2. Apply skills and knowledge that promote healthy decisions regarding ATOD.
3. Reflect and analyze how those decisions impact their overall personal wellness.

GLE's / Assessments:
1. RA3A9-12: Assess the short & long-term effects that performance enhancing aids have on the body processes (e.g., liver damage, heart failure, brain aneurysm, anger, "road rage", acne, violence, memory loss, hepatitis, HIV) and on individuals and society (e.g., body image, obsession with winning, violent behavior, black market/illegal purchases). (HPE5, NH1, NH3)
2. RA3B9-12: Explain why individuals need to follow label guidelines for all substances (e.g., compatibility of ingested substances). (HPE5, NH1,NH3)
3. RA3C9-12: Evaluate the short and long term effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other substances on the body (e.g., changes in mood, thought processes, mental ability, coordination, reaction time) and draw conclusions on the impact of these substances on personal, social, and economic threats to society. (HPE5, NH1, NH3)
4. RA3C9-12: Review healthy alternatives to substance use and investigate effective strategies to promote individual, family, and community health. (HPE5, NH1, NH3)
5. RA3C9-12: Assess the risk of chemical dependency and locate available help if alcohol, tobacco, and other substance use becomes a problem. (HPE5, NH1, NH3)
6. RA3C9-12: Evaluate personal risks for chemical dependency based upon personal, family, and environmental factors. (HPE 5, NH1, NH3)

6. Disease Prevention & Healthy Relationships: In this unit, students will become familiar with what it means to be in a healthy relationship and how to prevent communicable diseases. Abstinence will be the underlying theme of the unit. 12 – 45 min. class periods (6 blocks)

Lessons:
1. Foundations of Healthy Relationships ( Ch. 6, Lesson 1)
2. Respecting Yourself and Others ( Ch. 6, Lesson 2)
3. Communicating Effectively ( Ch. 6, Lesson 3)
4. Healthy Family Relationships ( Ch. 7, Lesson 1)
5. Strengthening Family Relationships ( Ch. 7, Lesson 2)
6. Help for Families ( Ch. 7, Lesson 3)
7. Safe & Healthy Friendships ( Ch. 8, Lesson 1)
8. Peer Pressure & Refusal Skills ( Ch. 8, Lesson 2)
9. Practicing Abstinence ( Ch. 8, Lesson 3)
10. Causes of Conflict ( Ch. 9, Lesson 1)
11. Resolving Conflict ( Ch. 9, Lesson 2)
12. Understanding Violence ( Ch. 9, Lesson 3)
13. Preventing and Overcoming Abuse ( Ch. 9, Lesson 4)
14. The Male & Female Reproductive Systems ( Ch. 16, Lesson 2 & 3)
15. Prenatal Development and Care ( Ch. 17, Lesson 1)
16. Understanding Communicable Diseases ( Ch. 23, Lesson 1)
17. Common Communicable Diseases ( Ch. 23, Lesson 2)
18. Fighting Communicable Diseases ( Ch. 23, Lesson 3)
19. Emerging Diseases and Pandemics ( Ch. 23, Lesson 4)
20.Sexually Transmitted Infections/Diseases ( Ch. 24, Lesson 1)
21. Preventing and Treating STIs ( Ch. 24, Lesson 2)
22.HIV/AIDS ( Ch. 24, Lesson 3)
23.Preventing and Treating HIV/AIDS ( Ch. 24, Lesson 4) ( Ch. 25 – Noncommunicable Diseases ?)

Essential Questions:
1. What does it mean to be in a healthy relationship? How does that impact your personal wellness?
2. What are some communicable diseases? How is the best way to prevent them?
3. How can abstinence positively affect your personal wellness?
4. What role do alcohol and other drugs play in unsafe situations such as the contraction of HIV/STIs.
5. Why is HIV/AIDS considered an epidemic in the teen population? Why are teens at high risk for getting an STI?
6. How is HIV transmitted?

Goals & Objectives: Students will:
1. Describe the connection between healthy relationships and disease prevention.
2. Apply skills and knowledge that promote healthy relationships and disease prevention.
3. Reflect and analyze how those skills impact their overall personal wellness.

GLE's / Assessments:
1. FS2B9-12: Develop a list of attributes needed to live effectively with others. (HPE2, NH2)
2. FS2C9-12: Predict how the dynamics of relationships with family, groups, and community change as the individual matures. (HPE2,NH4)
3. ME4E9-12: Develop a list of intervention skills that can be used to prevent violence and describe when and how to use these skills. (HPE2, HPE5, NH1)
4. RA1A9-12: Describe the effects of positive lifestyles behaviors on the occurrence of communicable disease. (HPE3, NH1, NH3)
5. RA1A9-12: Conduct research to answer questions regarding epidemiological studies and cite evidence about the management and prevention of communicable diseases (e.g., local health department statistics, youth risk behavior survey (YRBS), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), National Institute of Health (NIH). (HPE3, NH1, NH3)
6. RA1A9-12: Analyze past problems related to communicable diseases to develop strategies to predict, prevent, solve or manage present or future disease-related problems. (HPE3, NH1, NH3)
7. RA1B9-12: Describe the primary and secondary defenses for prevention of disease and discuss how they help to maintain or improve them. (HPE3, NH1)
8. RA1C9-12: Formulate and support an interpretation regarding the reoccurrence of resistant strains of pathogens (e.g., strep, herpes, mononucleosis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, HIV, Staph Infection). (HPE3, HPE5, NH1, NH3)
9. RA1D9-12: Compare signs and symptoms of common sexually transmitted infections. (HPE3, HPE5, NH1)
10. RA1D9-12: Explain how sexually transmitted infections can affect an individual's physical, social, mental/emotional, intellectual, professional, and economic well-being (e.g., HIV/AIDS sterility, Kaposi Sarcoma, pneumonia, PCP, stress, oral thrush, yeast infections). (HPE3, HPE5, NH1)
11. RA1F9-12: Analyze and evaluate how teen pregnancy and parenting can impact personal, family and societal perspectives (e.g., dropout, low self-esteem, abandonment, and economics). (HPE3, NH1)
12. RA1F9-12: Investigate and analyze the cause and effect relationship between obtaining prenatal care and the health of the mother and baby (e.g., nutrition, alcohol, and tobacco consumption, physical activity, age, and other drug use) and it's effects on the unborn child (e.g., leg deformities, retardation, learning disabilities, addiction, low birth weight). (HPE3, NH1)
13. RA1F9-12: Evaluate the progression of reliability of various contraceptive methods from most reliable to least reliable (e.g., abstinence, barrier methods, oral methods, surgical methods, injectable methods, implants). (HPE3, NH1)

Wellness Policy For The Lynn Public Schools
(Approved by School Committee 6-8-06)

PURPOSE AND GOALS
The Lynn Public Schools recognize that good nutrition and physical activity are essential for students to maximize their full academic, physical and mental potentials, and achieve lifelong health and well-being. A progressive and sequential approach to nutrition and physical activity promotes healthy weight maintenance and reduces the risk of many chronic diseases including hypertension, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and asthma.

Lynn Public Schools have a responsibility to provide a school environment that helps students learn and maintain lifelong healthy eating and lifestyle habits. Many factors play a role in achieving a healthy school environment including the availability of healthy foods and beverages at school and positive modeling by adults, as well as opportunities to learn about healthy lifestyles through physical activity and nutrition education which follow the Massachusetts Health Curriculum Frameworks to promote student wellness.

The LPS Wellness Policy Committee is responsible for establishing and measuring the implementation of the Wellness Policy. Committee members work collaboratively and offer multiple perspectives to assure the Wellness Policy is consistent with LPS educational and budgetary goals, is designed to optimize the health and well-being of students, and fulfills the requirements of Section 204 of The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-265).

POLICY
1.0 Wellness Policy Committee
1.1 Mission
The LPS maintains a Wellness Policy Committee that serves the following purposes:

Establish standards for all foods and beverages available to students on each school campus during the entire school day

Establish goals for student nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness

Provide oversight and serve as a resource to school sites for the Wellness Policy implementation

Establish a plan for monitoring, measuring, review and evaluating the Wellness Policy standards and implementation.

Recommend all policy-related standards for final approval and report findings of policy implementation evaluation annually to the School Committee.

1.2 Membership
The Wellness Policy Committee membership includes at a minimum:
A school board member
A representative from administrative leadership
A representative of the Coordinated School Health Program
A representative of school food services
A School Nurse
A Student representative
A Parent representative
A Representative of the local community

The Wellness Policy Committee chairperson has the primary responsibility for coordinating committee activities related to standards establishment, policy implementation and monitoring, and reporting to the School Committee.

The Wellness Policy will be distributed to all employees at the beginning of each school year. It can be viewed on the LPS website, on the local CAT and in future informational resource materials.

2.0 Nutrition Guidelines
2.1. School Meals Program
The school meals program will operate in accordance with the National School Lunch Program standards and applicable laws and regulations of Massachusetts. (Code of Federal Regulations 7 Parts 210-299) Schools will offer varied and nutritious food choices that are consistent with the federal government's current Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Students will be encouraged to start each day with a healthy breakfast.

Parents and caregivers will be given educational resources and will be encouraged to support a healthy school environment by providing a variety of nutritious foods if meals or snacks are sent from the home.

2.2 Competitive Foods
Each school will have the capability to access nutritional information for parents and guardians for a la carte snacks and beverages offered in snack bars, meal service lines, vending machines and school stores.

Beverages and foods sold in the Lynn Public schools during the school day must adhere to the following standards: All a la carte snacks and beverages offered for sale to students must comply with USDA regulations prohibiting the sale of "foods of minimal nutritional value." (Federal Register 7 CFR Part 210.11)

Only the John Stalker Institute "A-List" of food items by manufacturer and product will be "acceptable" food items for student's consumption. This list will be updated regularly and become part of the district policy.

Vending machines will not be available to students between 7AM and 2:30PM. Timers will be set on all machines. This will be strictly enforced. Upon expiration of existing vending contracts, the Wellness Committee will reconvene to propose additional guidelines.

2.3 Eating as a Positive Experience
Schools will work towards providing adequate time to eat, at least 10 minutes for breakfast and 15 minutes for lunch from the time the student is seated.

Whenever possible, lunch will be scheduled near the middle of the school day.

Lunch recess for elementary grades will be scheduled before eating when feasible.

Schools will work towards improving serving space. Efficient methods of service will be used to ensure student have access to school meals with a minimum amount of waiting time.

Seating will be available to accommodate all students served during each meal period.

Supervision will be provided in the dining area

The dining area will be clean and orderly.

2.4 Food Safety
In accordance with Section 111 of the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-265), the district will implement a food safety program for the preparation and service of school meals based upon the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles.

All food service equipment and facilities will meet applicable local and state standards for safe food preparation and handling, sanitation, and workplace safety.

Access to hand washing or hand sanitizing will be available before meals.

Cafeteria and classroom modifications will be made for students with food allergies according to the LPS Allergy Guidelines.

3.0 Nutrition Education
The LPS Wellness Policy committee will work with the Director of Coordinated School Health Programs to assess all nutrition education curricula and materials for consistency with the LPS educational and wellness policy goals and the Massachusetts Health Curriculum Frameworks

3.1 Student Nutrition Education
Students will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of classroom nutrition education learning experiences that meet the Massachusetts Health Curriculum Frameworks.

3.2 Staff Nutrition Education
Staff will be encouraged to be positive role models and be committed to help improve school nutrition.

The staff responsible for nutrition education will be adequately prepared and participate regularly in professional development activities to effectively deliver an accurate nutrition education program.

Preparation and professional development activities will provide basic knowledge of nutrition, skill practice in program-specific activities and instructional techniques, and strategies designed to promote healthy eating habits.

3.3 Parent Nutrition Education
The nutrition education program will engage families as partners in their children's education.

Nutrition education may be provided to parents in the form of handouts, website postings, school or district newsletters, and nutrition presentations.

3.4 Cafeteria
The school cafeteria will: a) support school nutrition education by posting attractive and current nutrition education materials in dining areas b) serve as a venue for nutrition education offered by teachers and community nutrition educators.

4.0 Physical Activity/Education
4.1 Physical Education
Physical Education shall be taught as a required subject in grades K-10 and offered to grades 11-12 in the public schools for the purpose of promoting the physical well-being of students.

Physical education classes should be taught by state certified teachers in an environment where students learn, practice and are assessed on developmentally appropriate motor skills, social skills and knowledge in accordance with the MA Health Curriculum Frameworks.

Physical education will include the instruction of individual activities, fitness, team activities and dance to encourage life-long physical activity.

4.2 Physical Activity during the School Day
Students will be given opportunities for physical activity during the school day through daily recess periods, physical education (P.E.) classes, walking programs, and the integration of physical activity into the academic curriculum.

Schools will promote an environment supportive of physical activity through at least 15 minutes a day of recess for students in grades K-5.

Each elementary physical education teacher will teach a recreational unit that provides students with skills and knowledge to organize activities at recess.

Schools will encourage periodic breaks in which students are encouraged to stand, stretch and be active.

Students should not have time periods of more than 2 hours of inactivity.

4.3 Physical Activity Before and After School
Students will be given opportunities for physical activity through a range of after-school programs including intramural and physical activity clubs by SY 2008-2009.

Interscholastic programs will be offered at the high school and middle school level.

After school tutoring/mentoring programs should also encourage physical activity. (standing/stretching)

4.4 Creating a Positive Environment for Physical Activity
Teachers and staff will not use physical activity (e.g. running laps, pushups) as a form of punishment. Opportunities for physical activity (e.g. recess, physical education) will not be withheld as a form of discipline. This guideline does not apply to extracurricular sports teams, clubs or intramural activities.

It is recommended that recess time not be cancelled for instructional make-up time.

All schools in the district will provide a physical and social environment that encourages safe and enjoyable activity for all students, including those who are not athletically inclined. Schools should ensure that students are accepting of individual differences.

Information will be provided to families to help them incorporate physical activity into their children's lives.

5.0 Other School Based Activities to Promote Student Wellness during the School Day
5.1 Food Sold for Fundraising Activities/ School Stores
Only the John Stalker Institute "A-List" of food items by manufacturer and product will be "acceptable" food items for student's consumption. This list will be updated regularly and become part of the district policy.

Traditional baked sales will not be encouraged during the school day. These sales take students "off task"
Food safety issues
Violates competitive food law
Pressure on low income families
Bake sales may be offered after school has ended.

The district will encourage non-food items to be sold as part of school-sponsored fundraising activities.

5.2 Healthy Classroom Parties and Celebrations
School staff and parents are encouraged to include healthy food offerings at school parties and events to support a healthy environment throughout the district. Suggestions include fruits and vegetables, low fat foods, whole grains and foods on the John Stalker Institute "A-List".

5.3 Food Used as a Reward or Punishment
School staff will not use food as a reward or punishment for students.

Exceptions to this rule are only made if written into students IEP or 504 plan.

6.0 District Teacher, Staff and Food Service Staff Role in a Healthy School Environment
6.1 Staff Wellness
Food service staff and faculty will work together as full partners in the district's wellness goals. In support of this goal, nutrition and physical activity educational opportunities will be provided to all staff. These opportunities will address diverse topics related to healthy lifestyles, nutrition and physical activity. Educational and informational materials, presentations and/or workshops will be provided.

Teacher and staff are encouraged to model healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.

7.0 Policy Implementation
7.1 Monitoring
Each School Improvement Council will facilitate implementation and ensure compliance with the standards of the Wellness Policy. Each school principal will appoint one individual to monitor their individual school health and wellness environment. This person will report on compliance with the policy to the chairperson of the Wellness Policy.

The Wellness Committee will aid the School Improvement Council in each school to incorporate the changes into their school improvement plan.

The Director of Food Services will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within the school food service areas and will report on this matter to the chairperson of the Wellness Policy committee.

7.2 Reporting
The chairperson of the Wellness Policy committee will report on the district's compliance with the Wellness Policy to the School Committee.

7.3 Policy Review /Evaluation
The Wellness Policy committee conducted a baseline assessment of the schools' existing nutrition and physical activity environments. The results of the school-by-school assessments were compiled at the district level to identify and prioritize needs.

Assessments will be repeated yearly to help review policy compliance, assess progress, and determine areas of improvement. The Wellness Committee will revise the Wellness Policy, as needed and develop work plans to facilitate its implementation.

Every two years the Coordinated School Health Program will conduct a Lynn Youth Risk Behavior Survey and analyze outcomes in nutrition and physical activity at grades 5-12.