Schoolwide Policies

Wellness Policy

The Shoreham-Wading River Central School District is committed to providing a school environment that promotes and protects children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by fostering healthy eating and physical activity.

Committee Members: Ken Marlborough, Administrator, Chair
Dan Holtzman, Administrator, member
Steve Donohue, Administrator, member
Mary Mitchell, Teacher, member
Deborah Lutjen, Teacher, member
Allison DeMarco, Teacher, member
Chris Williams, Teacher, member
Dorothy Petito, Parent, member
Mary Sullivan, Parent, member
Michelle Loesch, Parent, member
Amanda Criscito, Student, member
Andrew Houck, Student, member
Justin Petito, Student, member

District Wellness Goals
1. Nutrition Education – Students in grades K-12 will receive appropriate nutrition education throughout their respective schools that will assist them in adopting healthy eating behaviors.

2. Physical Activity – Students in grades K-12 will receive regular Physical Education instruction that teaches and promotes students adopting a healthy life style and personal fitness level.

3. Other School-based Activities – The school district will identify and utilize appropriate activities that promote safety, sound nutritional practices, personal fitness/wellness, and decision making skills that assist students in refraining from the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and unsafe behaviors.

4. Nutritional Standards for Foods in District Schools – The district will strive to ensure all meals will meet, at a minimum, program requirements and nutritional guidelines as set forth by the district’s administrative guidelines. Further, all meals and available snacks shall be consistent with dietary guidelines set forth by appropriate state and federal agencies.

5. Monitoring – The Wellness Committee shall develop processes that will enable the district to monitor nutritional practices in all district schools. The committee will advise the Superintendent on such matters and make recommendations for change when and where appropriate.
 

Wellness Policy

The Shoreham-Wading River Central School District is committed to providing a school environment that promotes and protects children’s health, well-being, and the ability to learn, by fostering healthy eating and physical activity.

Wellness Committee:

The District has established a Wellness Committee to develop the District’s Local Wellness Policy. The District’s Wellness Committee includes:

Board of Education Members when available
Parent Members
Student Members
Teacher Members
Support Staff Members
Administrator Members
Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Health
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction

Goals to Promote Student Wellness:
The District establishes the following goals relating to nutrition education, physical activity, and other school-based activities:

Nutrition Education:
Students in grades K-12 will receive nutrition education that is interactive and teaches the skills they need to adopt healthy eating behaviors. State and District health education curriculum standards and guidelines include both nutrition and physical education.

Students will receive consistent nutrition messages throughout the school, in the classroom and in the cafeteria. Wellness information will be provided to the community through a variety of sources, including its monthly menus, the District website, and the District and school newsletters.

Nutrition information will be integrated into the core curricula.

Staff members providing nutrition education will be furnished with appropriate support, materials and resources.

Physical Activity:

The Board of Education recognizes the need to promote life long incorporation of physical activities in the lives of students. A range of cooperative, competitive and non-competitive activities are encouraged in addition to intramural sports. The Board of Education realizes that reaching one’s “personal best” can be as important as competition.

In accordance with National and State recommended guidelines, the District recognizes the benefits of providing students with at least sixty minutes of physical activity per day. Opportunities for physical activity may include: physical education classes, recess periods, interscholastic athletics, intramural sports, and physical activity programs that parents provide for their children outside of the school day.

Teachers will be encouraged to develop lesson plans and opportunities that promote physical education, physical activities, and nutrition education.
Physical activity equipment will continue to be maintained and safe for student use.

The District will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children.

The District encourages community involvement and welcomes partnerships with community organizations that promote opportunities for student participation in physical activity.

III. Other School-based Activities

The District supports a school environment that presents consistent wellness messages and is conducive to healthy eating and physical activity for all. In order to present a coordinated approach where District decision-making related to nutrition and physical activity encompasses all aspects of the school, the District has determined that the following standards are necessary to achieve this goal:

The District will encourage an atmosphere where there is adequate time for students to enjoy a healthy meal, in a clean, adequate, appropriate environment.
Parents, teachers, school administrators, students, food-service personnel and community members will serve as role models in practicing healthy eating and being physically active, both in school and at home.
Parents will be provided with resources in the areas of nutrition/wellness education, and will be encouraged to send healthy snacks to school with children. The Wellness Committee will disseminate lists of healthy snacks. A District wide list of healthy snacks may be posted on the school district web site.
Teachers will be provided with appropriate materials and will be encouraged to share wellness information with the students.
Recess for elementary grades will be scheduled before lunch when possible.

IV. Nutritional Standards for All Foods Available in the Schools:

School meals will meet, at a minimum, program requirements and nutritional standards set forth by the district’s administrative regulations.

The presence of candy and soda will be reduced and the choices for healthy snacks will be increased among the foods and beverages sold in vending machines, snack bars, school stores and concession stands and at school fund-raising events. Refreshments served at classroom parties, celebrations and meetings and school sponsored functions will adhere to these guidelines, to every extent practicable.

V. Nutritional Guidelines:

During the school day, all food sold or provided to children within the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District should meet the following nutrient standards set forth in the district’s administrative regulations.

Meals
All meals served to students inside and outside the school cafeteria should be consistent with the US dietary guidelines outlined in the administrative regulations.

Fundraising:

Food used for fundraising activities should comply with Section IV of this policy.

VI. Monitoring and Policy Evaluation:

Monitoring:
The Wellness Committee will advise the Superintendent and school community on practices that will ensure adherence to this policy.

A format will be created where data will be produced and evaluated to determine if Wellness Committee initiatives/recommendations are effective.

The Superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with the established district-wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies. In each school, the principal or designee will ensure compliance with those policies in his/her school and will report on the school’s compliance to the school district superintendent or designee.

School food service staff, at the school or district level, will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas and will report on this matter to the superintendent (or if done at the school level, to the principal.)

In addition, the District will report on the most recent USDA School Meals Initiative (SMI) review findings and any resulting changes.

Policy Evaluation: The Shoreham-Wading River School District will ensure school and community awareness of this policy through various means such as publication in District newsletters and/or the District calendar and website.

Assessment of the District’s Wellness Policy and implementation efforts will occur annually, to review policy compliance, assess progress, and determine areas in need of improvement. The Shoreham Wading River School District Wellness Committee, will, as necessary, revise the wellness policy and develop work plans to facilitate its implementation.

Resources:
The Child Nutrition and Women, Infants and Children Reauthorization Act of 2004 (PL 108-265), signed into law June 30, 2004.

USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005
On-line at: http://www.health.gov

“Healthy Fundraisers for Schools” on-line from:
http://www.ActionforHealthyKids.org

“Healthy School Snacks” from the Center for Science in the Public Interest on-line at http://www.cspinet.org
 

Student Attendance

The Board of Education of the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District recognizes that regular school attendance is a major component of academic success and that the responsibility for educational success rests with the student, the parent, and the school. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that students arrive at school on time, prepared to work, and remain in school for the entire day. Classroom lessons and participation foster social interaction, development of effective communication skills, and critical thinking. Any absence is detrimental to the learning process. The scheduling of vacations while school is in session is strongly discouraged.
 

Excused and Unexcused Absences

Excused absences, tardiness, and early departures (ATEDs) are defined as being due to personal illness, illness of death in the immediate family, approved family emergency, religious observance, required court appearance, medical appointments, approved college visits (students must provide documentation of the visitation on college letterhead), and approved school activities including educational travel. Excused tardiness includes all of the above and inclement weather.

All other ATEDs are unexcused.

All ATEDs must be accounted for and class work made up (as stipulated in this policy). It is the responsibility of the parent to notify the school office of the reason for the ATED, within 24 hours by phone or in writing. If after three school days the school has not been notified of the reason for absence, the absence will be considered unexcused.
 

Grade and Credit Consequences

The District continues to support a no-cut policy. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Upon their return to school, all students with an excused ATED will be counseled by their teachers or appropriate staff regarding missed work. Consistent with the importance of classroom participation, unexcused and unmade-up ATEDs will affect a student’s grade.

A high school student who has more than nine (9) absences in a semester course, and eighteen (18) absences in a full year course, will receive no credit for that course. Being late three times is the equivalent of (1) absence. Staff will contact parents when a student has reached four (4) absences in a semester course, and six (6) and 12 absences in a full-year course.

At the elementary level and middle levels, when a student has an unexcused absence, it is the responsibility of the parent to pick up missed work and supervise its completion.
 

Appeals

A high school student who has exceeded the number of allowable ATEDs for a course may request a review of his/her attendance and appeal the loss of credit at the conclusion of the course.
 

Leaving School Grounds

With the safety of the children in mind, no pupil will be allowed to leave the school grounds at any time during the day. Written permission from the parent or guardian is required before a child will be allowed to leave school any time prior to the termination of the school day.

A child may be released prior to the end of the school day providing the child submits a note to the teacher from the parent or guardian stating the reason for early dismissal and the time the child is to be dismissed. The note should also mention the person who is to pick up the child if they are someone other than the parent or guardian. All such dismissals will be from the office of the school. The person who is to pick up the child must report to the office in order to sign the release sheet.

Children who must be released from school early because of illness or injury will be released in the custody of the parent or guardian only. In an emergency a child may be released in the custody of the person named on the emergency address form.
 

Code of Conduct Summary

A more detailed district and specific building code of conduct may be obtained from your child’s individual school office. Building codes of conduct will be reviewed with students and parents in each of the district’s schools annually.
 

Student Rights and Responsibilities

It is the goal of the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District to educate students to their potential. In order to do this effectively, each member of the school community is expected to treat all others with dignity and respect.

A discipline policy has been developed with this goal in mind. It includes a description of the rights and responsibilities of students, as well as a code for student behavior.
 

Student Dress Code

All students are expected to give proper attention to personal cleanliness and to dress appropriately for school and school functions. Students and their parents have the primary responsibility for acceptable student dress and appearance. Teachers and all other district personnel should exemplify and reinforce acceptable student dress and help students develop an understanding of appropriate appearance in the school setting.

A student’s dress, grooming and appearance, including hair style/color, jewelry, make-up, and nails shall:

1. Be safe, appropriate, and not disturb or interfere with the education process.
2. Include footwear at all times. Footwear that is a safety hazard will not be allowed.
3. Not include items that are vulgar, obscene, libelous, or denigrate others on account of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability.
4. Not promote and/or endorse the use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs and/or encourage other illegal or violent activities.
5. Recognize that extremely brief revealing garments are not appropriate.
    

Prohibited Student Conduct

The Board of Education expects all students to conduct themselves in an appropriate and civil manner, with proper regard for the rights and welfare of other students, district personnel, and other members of the school community, and for the care of school facilities and equipment.

The best discipline is self-imposed and students must learn to assume and accept responsibility for their own behavior as well as the consequences of their misbehavior. District personnel who interact with students are expected to use disciplinary action only when necessary and to place emphasis on the students’ ability to grow in self-discipline.

The Board recognizes the need to make its expectations for student conduct while on school property or engaged in a school function specific and clear. Students who will not accept responsibility for their own behavior and who violate school rules will be required to accept the penalties for their conduct.

Students may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including suspension from school when they engage in conduct that is disorderly, insubordinate, disruptive, violent, or endangers the safety, morals, health, or welfare of others.
 

Visitors

All visitors, including parents, must first check in at the office in all of the school buildings. This requirement does not apply when parents and residents are invited to a school assembly program. It is important that all visitors comply with this request since this policy is for the protection of the children. Visitors are requested to park their automobiles in the designated parking area. The school office will arrange for the delivery of milk monies, sneakers, homework, lunch, etc. when parents bring such items to children during school hours.