Regulation 5505-1

Student Welfare

School Wellness Policy

Reviewed and affirmed by the Board: 
Last Revision: 01/27/2026
Original publish date: 06/27/2017
Related policies & regulations:  Policy 5505
Legal references:  Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, 42 U.S.C. section 1758b; 7 CFR sections 210.11 and 210.30; National School Lunch Program, 42 USC sections 1751-1760, 1770; Regulations and Procedures for Accreditation of Schools, NDE Rule 10 LB 705 § 4 (2023)


 

School Wellness

A. Recordkeeping

Wellness documentation maintained by the District will include but will not be limited to:

• The written wellness policy;
• Documentation demonstrating that the policy has been made available to the public;
• Documentation of efforts to review and update the Local Schools Wellness Policy; including an indication of who is involved in the update and methods the district uses to include diverse stakeholders and make the public aware of their ability to participate on the LPS Wellness Committee (LPSWC);
• Documentation to demonstrate compliance with the annual public notification requirements;
• The most recent assessment on the implementation of the local school wellness policy;
• Documentation demonstrating the most recent assessment of the implementation of the LPS Wellness Policy has been made available to the public.

B. Progress Assessment

At least once every three years, the District will evaluate compliance with the wellness policy to assess the implementation of the policy and include:

• The extent to which the District’s schools are in compliance with the wellness policy;
• The extent to which the District’s wellness policy compares to the Nebraska State model wellness policy; and
• A description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the District’s wellness policy.
• The LPSWC, in collaboration with individual schools, will monitor schools’ compliance with this wellness policy. 
• The District will actively notify households/families of the availability of the triennial progress report. 

Community Involvement, Outreach and Communications

In order to fulfill its commitment to being responsive to community input, which begins with awareness of the wellness policy, the District:

• Actively communicate ways in which representatives of LPSWC and others can participate in the development, implementation and periodic review and update of the wellness policy through a variety of means appropriate for that district.
• Ensure parent involvement in the development and revision of the wellness policy.
• All improvements that are made to school meals are in compliance with school meal standards, the availability of child nutrition programs and how to apply, and a description of and compliance with Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
• Will use electronic mechanisms, such as email or displaying notices on the District’s website, as well as non-electronic mechanisms, such as newsletters, presentations to parents, or sending information home to parents, to ensure that all families are actively notified of the content of, implementation of, and updates to the wellness policy, as well as how to get involved and support the policy. 
• Ensure that communications are culturally and linguistically appropriate to the community, and accomplished through means similar to other ways that the District and individual schools are communicating important school information with parents.
• Actively notify the public about the content of or any updates to the wellness policy annually, at a minimum. The District will also use these mechanisms to inform the community about the availability of the annual and triennial reports.

Feeding Students with unpaid meal balances

• No student will be denied a school meal if their meal account is zero or negative.
• The student will be served from the regular menu and the appropriate meal price (reduced or paid) will be added to the student account.
• Students may not charge the cost of a second meal, an extra entrée, or any a la carte items.
• The district protects student privacy in accordance with applicable federal law.
• Applications for free and reduced meals are available to families through paper copies or on the district website.

Fundraising, Celebrations and Rewards

To aid schools in providing food and beverages when it is appropriate to do so and in a manner to meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, the District will recommend:

• A list of healthy party ideas to parents and teachers, including non-food celebration ideas and make available to parents a list of foods and beverages that meet Smart Snacks nutrition standards.
• Teachers and other relevant school staff will be provided a list of alternative ways to reward children or other comparable resources.  Foods and beverages are not recommended as rewards and will not be withheld as punishment for any reason, such as for performance or behavior.
• The District will make available to parents and teachers a list of healthy fundraising ideas or comparable resources.
• Classroom parties and celebration activities will focus on activities rather than food. Food will only be served if part of the curriculum such as family and consumer science education or life skills.
• Twice per year, a student may be involved in a celebration that offers snacks that do not meet the USDA Smart Snacks.  The celebration may be part of an all-school celebration, a classroom celebration or a combination of the two.

Nutrition Promotion and Food and Beverage Marketing in Schools

The District is committed to providing a school environment that ensures opportunities for all students to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors throughout the school day while minimizing commercial distractions:

• Any foods and beverages marketed or promoted to students on the school campus during the school day will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards or, if stronger, state nutrition standards, such that only those foods that comply with or exceed those nutrition standards are permitted to be marketed or promoted to students.
• As the District/Nutrition Services Department/Athletics Department/PTA/PTO reviews existing contracts and considers new contracts, equipment and product purchasing (and replacement), purchasing decisions should reflect the SMART Snack marketing guidelines and promoted in the District wellness policy.
• Food and beverage marketing is defined as advertising in schools and is covered by LPS Policy 1112.

Nutrition Education

To further nutrition education the District encourages nutrition education and nutrition promotion that:

• Is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health.
• Includes enjoyable, developmentally appropriate, culturally relevant and participatory activities, such as cooking demonstrations or lessons, promotions, taste testing, farm visits and school gardens.
• Promotes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products and healthy food preparation methods;
• Emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure (promotes physical activity/exercise);
• Links with school meal programs, cafeteria nutrition promotion activities, school gardens, Farm to School programs, other school foods and nutrition-related community services; and
• Teaches media literacy with an emphasis on food and beverage marketing.

Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP)

To ensure continued excellence across district physical education:

• LPS will follow Rule 10 guidelines regarding physical education instructional programs.
• Teacher qualifications for physical education in K-12 will be in accordance with requirements of the Human Resources Department and state certification requirements.
• All staff involved in physical education should be provided with opportunities for professional development.

A CSPAP reflects strong coordination and synergy across all of these components:

• Quality physical education as the foundation; 
• Physical activity opportunities before, during and after school; and
• Staff involvement and family and community engagement.

Schools will ensure that these varied physical activity opportunities are in addition to, and not as a substitute for, physical education. 

Positive Movement:

• Physical activity may not be assigned to students as a consequence of poor behavior or punishment for any reason (e.g. running laps or jogging around a playground)
• Physical activities will not be withheld from students as punishment for poor behavior or incomplete class work.
• The school district generally prohibits students to be exempt from required physical education class time or credit.

To coordinate with CSPAP, the following guidelines will assist elementary principals in providing recess experiences to students when appropriate conditions, staffing, and facility make it possible:

• At least 15 minutes of active recess per day, every day that school in session.  Recess will complement, not substitute, physical education
• If recess is offered before lunch, schools will have appropriate and required hand-washing facilities and/or hand-sanitizing mechanisms located just inside/outside the cafeteria to ensure proper hygiene prior to eating. 
• Hand-washing time, as well as time to put away coats/hats/gloves, will be built in to the recess period/timeframe before students enter the cafeteria.
• Outdoor recess will be offered when weather and other conditions make it feasible for outdoor play.  In the event that recess must be held indoors, teachers and staff will follow indoor recess guidelines that provide physical activity for students.

Active Transport

The District will support active transport to and from school, such as walking or biking. The District will encouraging the following, understanding that availability may be affected by student age and ability, traffic flow in and around the school, and the building site:

• Designate safe or preferred routes to school
• Promote activities such as participation in International Walk to School Week, National Walk and Bike to School Week
• Instruction on walking/bicycling safety provided to students
• Promote safe routes program to students, staff, and parents via print and electronic media
• Establish safe or preferred methods for using crosswalks on streets leading to schools
• Use walking school buses. 
• Distribute maps of school environment (e.g., sidewalks, crosswalks, roads, pathways, bike racks, etc.) 

Other Activities that Promote Student Wellness

The District will integrate wellness activities across the entire school setting, not just in the cafeteria, food/beverage venues or physical activity facilities by encouraging departments and schools to:

• Coordinate and integrate other initiatives related to physical activity, physical education, nutrition and other wellness components so all efforts are complementary and work towards the same set of goals to promote student well-being, optimal development and strong educational outcomes.
• Coordinate content across curricular areas that promote student health as natural connections exist in the curriculum.
• Use of wellness committees along with wellness champions to develop plans for wellness action plan implementation at the school level are encouraged. School specific implementation plans can be found on the district wellness website.

Employee Wellness

• Health and wellness strategies are offered to staff through a variety of programming options addressing healthy eating, physical activity and social-emotional wellness.
• School staff members are encouraged to model healthy eating and physical activity behaviors and participate with students in programming when possible.