A wellness policy assessment was completed that determined the strengths and weaknesses of the district wellness policy which was adopted in 2006. A Wellness Committee reviewed School Board policies, implemented formal assessment tools and made recommendations to update the district wellness policy.
The committee used the Rudd Center’s Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) to compare the district’s policy to best practices in the areas of nutrition education, nutrition standards for foods, physical education and activity, wellness promotion and marketing, as well as implementation, evaluation and communication.
The committee recommended changes to the policy to create a more comprehensive plan. The policy now includes: defined wellness plan goals; standards and nutrition guidelines for foods and beverages available to students; guidelines for marketing of food and beverages; opportunities for stakeholder involvement; assessment and implementation guidelines; and reporting and communication related to the district wellness plan.
Significant strengths of the district plan were standards for USDA Child Nutrition Program and School Meals, implementation, evaluation and communication. Areas for improvement included links to applicable School Board policies and external resources in the wellness policy and development of a social-emotional wellness component. Those links are provided below:
Questions regarding how interested stakeholders can become involved in the development, implementation, review and updating of the Wellness Plan, may be referred to Food and Nutrition Services Manager and Wellness Plan Coordintor Kira Cerroni King or Superintendent Paul Mielke, Ph.,D. Address mail to W220N6151 Town Line Road, Sussex, WI 53089 or call (262) 246-1973.