The Marlborough School Committee recognizes that physical activity, health and wellness education is essential to a student’s health, development, achievement, and well-being. The Marlborough School Committee values the teaching of fundamental health, wellness and physical education concepts and skills to foster healthy habits and behaviors for the individual. Wellness is a concept that suggests all aspects of a person’s life (physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being) are balanced and implies that a person will be active and live a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risks of diseases.

1.       Physical Education

The physical education curriculum will be sequential and developmentally appropriate based on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Education Framework and National Physical Education Framework. The goal of physical education is to develop physically literate individuals who have the knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity.  A Certified physical educator will teach all physical education classes in grades K-12.

2.       Health Education

The health education curriculum shall be an integral part of a wellness model aligned with the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Education Framework and National Health Framework. The goal of health education is to have students who are health literate, having the capacity to obtain, interpret, and understand basic health information and services and the competence to use this knowledge in ways, which enhance health. Certified health education teachers will teach wellness/health model in grades 5-12.

3.       Nutrition Education

Through Health and Wellness classes, the goals of the Marlborough Public Schools are to provide a basis for nutrition education and make connections with overall wellness and physical activity. Nutrition promotion and education is also offered in the school cafeterias. The goal is to help students make healthy food choices and develop base knowledge to affect behavior around food for improved overall wellness. A strong focus includes instruction around My Plate, a healthy eating tool/reminder for students.

4.       Opportunities for Health Promotion and Physical Activity

 Marlborough Public Schools provides time within the school day for elementary students to enjoy supervised recess during the day. In collaboration with the Town Recreation Department and other community organizations, students are offered opportunities for recreational programs. The middle and high schools provide extracurricular activities and athletics for students after school. The Special Olympics program provides opportunities for special needs students to participate in activities. These physical activities complement not substitute for physical education.

5.    Nutritional Guidelines

a. It is the policy of the Marlborough Public Schools that all foods and beverages made available on the campuses during the school day are consistent with School Lunch Program and Massachusetts state nutrition guidelines.

b. Only A La Carte/vending machine snack items or beverages that are in compliance with the John C Stalker A-List will be sold in all school cafeterias.

 6. Food Service Director & Food Service Staff Responsibilities

a. Will have knowledge of all menus, food products, nutritional content and ingredients served at meals or stocked in the vending machines at the schools.

b. Will be responsible for training food service staff in Life Threatening Food allergies. Staff will receive an Allergen Certificate with an expiration of 5 years.

c. Will be trained for choking safety and CPR.

d. Will train the food service staff in the proper techniques to clean the tables, avoid cross contamination, and read food labels.

e. Maintain a Life Threatening Food allergy table in all schools.

f. Maintain a file in all schools of students with Life Threatening Food Allergies.

g. Instruct food service staff to contact the school nurse if Life Threatening Food allergy ingestion is suspected.

h. A staff member in each cafeteria will be trained in “Serve Safe”.

i. Two staff in each cafeteria will be trained in CPR and choking safety.

7. Fundraising Activities

a. Organizations are encouraged to sell non-food products.

b. Foods not in compliance with the John C Stalker Institute A-List will not be permitted to be sold one-half hour before, during and one-half hour after the school day.

c. Building administrators will provide information for coaches, club and activity advisors regarding healthy choices for fundraising.

8. Wellness Goals and Measurements

 Goals and measurements will be reviewed and amended annually if needed by the School Wellness Advisory Committee.

a.       Increase the physical fitness of students in the Marlborough Public Schools

• Physical educators will test and report the physical fitness components of the students in grades 1, 4, 7, 10 and 12.

 b.       Increase the knowledge and benefits of nutrition, health, well-being (social emotional component) and physical fitness for all Marlborough Public School students.

• Nutrition and health will be taught in grades 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10.

• Bullying Prevention will be taught throughout MPS

 c.       Increase the knowledge of the Marlborough Public Schools staff regarding student health risk behavior trends.

• Administer, analyze, and evaluate a student health risk behavior survey given to the students in grades 6-12 every other year.

 d.       Reduce health risk behaviors of students in the Marlborough Public Schools as recorded in the health risk behavior survey.

• Provide current information to students, staff and parents of current health risk behaviors reflected in the health risk behavior survey.

 e.       Reduce the number of students who have a Body Mass Index at or over the state guidelines.

• School nurses will calculate the Body Mass Index of students in grades 1, 4, 7, and 10 as mandated by the state.

 f.         The Food Service Director will follow the federal guidelines for the portion size and nutrient content of food sold in all school cafeterias.

• The Food Service Director will monitor the nutritional content and trends of food sales provided by the Food Service Department.

 g.       The Food Services Director will follow the state mandated guidelines for portion size and nutrient content in foods sold in the vending machines.

• The Food Services Director will monitor the portion size and nutrient content of foods sold in school lunches according to state mandated guidelines and monitor the trends of food sales.

9. Report

 An annual Health & Wellness Report will be prepared by the Food Service Director, Health & Wellness and School Health Services Supervisors. The report will be given to the chairman of the School Committee, Superintendent of Schools, Assistant Superintendents, Director of Student Services, and the School Wellness Advisory Council members. The report will be made available to the Department of Public Health and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education upon request and will be filed with the Food Service Director.

Legal Reference:

An Act Relative to School Nutrition

Health Students, Healthy Schools: Guidance for Implementing the Massachusetts School Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods and Beverages

John C. Stalker Institute A-List

The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act

The Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act

USDA Local School Wellness Policy Implementation Under Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act 2010 Summary of the Final Rule

DESE: Office For Food and Nutrition Programs: Local School Wellness Policies in Massachusetts

105 CMR: MDPH: 105 CMR 215: Standards for Wellness Advisory Committees

Full Committee Approval 4/24/18

Approved: 7/24/24