HEALTH AND WELLNESS
School Wellness
Key Areas of Wellness
Wellness Policy - Code No. 507.9
The Northeast Board of Education is committed to the optimal development of every student. The board believes for students to have the opportunity to achieve personal, academic, developmental, and social success, there needs to be a positive, safe, and health-promoting learning environment at every level, in every setting.
The school district provides a comprehensive learning environment for developing and practicing lifelong wellness behaviors. The entire school environment, not just the classroom, shall be aligned with healthy school district goals to positively influence a student's understanding, beliefs and habits as they relate to good nutrition and regular physical activity. In accordance with law and this belief, the board commits to the following:
The school district will identify at least one goal in each of the following areas:
- Nutrition Education and Promotion: Schools will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that helps students develop lifelong healthy eating behaviors.
- Physical Activity: Schools will provide students with age and grade appropriate opportunities to engage in physical activity that meet the Iowa Healthy Kids Act.
- Other School Based Activities that Promote Wellness: As appropriate, schools will support students, staff, and parents’ efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The following nutritional guidelines for food available on school campuses will be adhered to:
- Meals served through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program will be appealing and meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by state and federal law;
- Schools providing access to healthy foods outside the reimbursable meal programs before school, during school and thirty minutes after school shall meet the United States Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) Smart Snacks in Schools nutrition standards, at a minimum. This includes such items as those sold through a la carte lines, vending machines, student run stores, and fundraising activities;
- Snacks provided to students during the school day without charge (e.g., class parties) will meet standards set by the district in accordance law. The district will provide parents a list of foods and beverages that meet nutrition standards for classroom snacks and celebrations; and
- Schools will only allow marketing and advertising of foods and beverages that meet the Smart Snacks in school nutritional standards on campus during the school day.
The superintendent or superintendent’s designee shall implement and ensure compliance with the policy by:
- Reviewing the policy at least every three years and recommending updates as appropriate for board approval;
- Implementing a process for permitting parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, school health professionals, the school board, administrators and the public to participate in the development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the policy;
- Making the policy and updated assessment of the implementation available to the public (e.g., posting on the website, newsletters, etc). This information shall include the extent to which the schools are in compliance with policy and a description of the progress being made in attaining the goals of the policy; and
- Developing administrative regulations, which shall include specific wellness goals and indicators for measurement of progress consistent with law and district policy.
Legal Reference: 42 U.S.C. §§ 1751 et seq.
42 U.S.C. §§ 1771 et seq.
Iowa Code §§ 256.7(29); 256.11(6).
281 I.A.C. 12.5; 58.11.
Cross Reference: 504.5 Student Fund Raising
504.6 Student Activity Program
710 School Food Services
Approved: August 22, 2012
Reviewed: August 24, 2016
Revised: May 24, 2017
(NEW) MEAL CHARGES POLICY
Code No. 710.4
MEAL CHARGES
In accordance with state and federal law, the Northeast Community School District adopts the following policy to ensure school district employees, families, and students have a shared understanding of expectations regarding meal charges. The policy seeks to allow students to receive the nutrition they need to stay focused during the school day, prevent the overt identification of students with insufficient funds to pay for school meals, and maintain the financial integrity of the nonprofit school nutrition program.
Payment of Meals
Each student has a computerized family meal account. Parents must pre-pay money into the family meal account. The computer records the meal and deducts the appropriate amount for each student from the family’s account. To keep meal prices reasonable, the Food Service Department & office staff at each building closely monitors student accounts to prevent negative balances and charges. Here are some of the services we provide to parents to ensure their child has adequate funds for meals.
- Parents may monitor student accounts from home via their JMC Parent account.
- Online prepayments with debit/credit cards are accepted and may be made through JMC. Control/Click on the link below to be directed to JMC Parent Log in. https://jmc.northeast.k12.ia.us/
- Enter your Username and Password, Click on Lunch Tab, Click on Online Deposit (Family Account) and proceed with your payment.
- Please allow a minimum of 24 hours for deposits via Pay Schools to be processed and show up in student accounts.
- Cash or check payments are always accepted at your child’s school office.
Students who qualify for free meals shall never be denied a reimbursable meal, even if they have accrued a negative balance from previous purchases. Students with outstanding meal charge debt shall be allowed to purchase a meal if the student pays for the meal when it is received.
Negative Account Balances
The school district will make reasonable efforts to notify families when meal account balances are low. Additionally, the school district will make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges classified as delinquent debt. The school district will coordinate communications with families to resolve the matter of unpaid charges. Families will be notified of an outstanding negative balance once the balance reaches $10.00 Families will be notified by daily emails at $10.00, automated calling system at -$20.00, and letters will be mailed home at -$20.00.
Parents with negative family accounts of greater than negative -$50.00 will be notified in writing to send a sack lunch from home until negative balances are taken care of and the family balance is at $0. Your child/children will not be allowed to purchase a meal, breakfast or lunch.
Middle/High School students will not be allowed to purchase seconds or additional a’ la carte items unless they have a positive lunch balance.
Negative balances not paid prior end of the school year will be turned over to the superintendent’s office for collection. Options may include: collection agencies, small claims court, or any other legal method permitted by law.
Communication of the Policy
The policy and supporting information regarding meal charges shall be provided in writing to:
- All households at or before the start of each school year;
- Students and families who transfer into the district, at time of transfer; and
- All staff responsible for enforcing any aspect of the policy.
Records of how and when the policy and supporting information was communicated to households and staff will be retained.
The superintendent may develop an administrative process to implement this policy.
Legal Reference: 42 U.S.C. §§ 1751 et seq.
7 C.F.R. §§ 210 et seq.
U.S. Dep’t of Agric., SP 46-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Local Meal Charge Policies (2016).
U.S. Dep’t of Agric., SP 47-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Clarification on Collection of Delinquent Meal Payments (2016).
U.S. Dep’t of Agric., SP 57-2016, Unpaid Meal Charges: Guidance and Q&A (2016).
Iowa Code 283A.
281 I.A.C. 58.
Cross Reference: 710.1 School Food Program
710.2 Free or Reduced Cost Meals Eligibility
710.3 Vending Machine
Approved: May 24, 2017