Science Academies of New York School Wellness Policy

The policies outlined within this document are intended to create a school environment that protects and promotes the health and well-being of our students. This policy applies to all schools in the Science Academies of New York (SANY) District. Our commitments to providing nutrition education and regular physical activity, as well as access to nutritious foods for all students, are described here.

I. Nutrition education and promotion

Students will receive consistent nutrition messages throughout schools, classrooms, cafeterias, and school media:

Specifically, the health curriculum will encompass:

II. Nutrition Standards for All Food and Beverages Sold or Served on School Grounds

A. USDA School Meals:

School meals will include a variety of healthy choices while accommodating special dietary needs and ethnic and cultural food preferences. All schools shall participate in the USDA school breakfast, and school lunch.

In addition:

B. Competitive Foods and Beverages

All foods and beverages sold on school grounds to students outside of reimbursable school meals are considered “competitive foods.” Competitive foods include items sold a la carte in the cafeteria, from vending machines, school stores and for in-school fundraisers. All competitive foods must comply with all applicable state and federal standards.

SANY School Nutrition Standards: 

Foods

Only fruits, vegetables, seeds, whole grains, low-fat dairy and combination products may be sold, following the standards below:

A la carte items in the cafeteria must be USDA school meal components AND meet the above fat and sugar limits. A la carte items cannot exceed 480mg of sodium.

Whole fruits, vegetables, and seeds are preferable to processed food items.

SANY is a nut and pork free school district.

Beverages

The only beverages allowed to be sold outside of school meals include:

Additional Foods Available to Students

1. Fast Food

2. Fundraising

3. Celebrations

4. Access to Drinking Water

Food used as reward or punishment

Research clearly indicates that the use of food to reward/reinforce desirable behavior and academic performance, etc. has negative, unintended consequences. Withholding food as a punishment is strictly prohibited.

IV. Physical Activity Physical Education

All K-12 students will have opportunities to engage in physical education for the entire school year. Physical Education will be standards- based, using national and state-developed standards. Physical Education classes will be sequential, building from year to year, and content will include motor skills, concepts and strategies, engagement in physical activity, physical fitness, responsible behavior and benefits of physical activity. Physical education will meet the needs of all students, including those who are not athletically gifted, and actively teach cooperation, fair play, and responsible participation. Students will be able to demonstrate competency through application of skills.

Student involvement in other activities, including those involving physical activity (e.g. interscholastic or intramural sports), will not be substituted for physical education.

Physical Activity

When possible students will have opportunities for physical activity beyond physical education class on a daily basis. Students will be encouraged to reduce sedentary time, and will not be required to engage in sedentary activities for more than two hours without an opportunity to stretch and move around. Short (3-5 minute) “energy release” physical activity breaks will be provided between classes in elementary school, for example, programs such as Take 10! And ABC for Fitness will be used to incorporate short activity breaks into the day.

Teachers will be expected to incorporate opportunities for physical activity in the classroom whenever possible and will be encouraged to serve as role models by being physically active alongside the students.

Recess

All elementary school students will have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess during which moderate to vigorous physical activity will be encouraged. Outdoor recess will only be withheld in the event of extreme weather, as defined by the district which will vary based on location. In the event that recess must be held indoors, teachers and staff will follow the buildings recess guidelines to ensure adequate physical activity for students.

SANY prohibits the use and/or withholding of physical activity as punishment.

Physical Activity Programs

Elementary, middle, and high school will offer extracurricular physical activity programs, such as physical activity clubs and intramural programs. High school and middle school will offer interscholastic sports programs to all students.

SANY will provide non-food celebration ideas to parents through various social media outlets.

Safe Routes to School

The school district will assess and, if necessary and to the extent possible, make needed improvements to make it safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school. For example, crossing guards may be stationed around the school to facilitate safe walking and biking school commutes. The school will work together with local public works, public safety, and/or police departments in those efforts.

V. Evaluation and Enforcement

This wellness policy was developed by the District Wellness Committee, a group comprising individuals from the following groups: parents, teachers, school administration, food service director and staff, Health Services, and Health and Physical Education staff. The committee is active— meetings are held once a year during the school year to review and revise, if needed, policy content and to design and evaluate implementation plans throughout district schools. The Committee shall also undertake additional tasks as consistent with the wellness policy guidelines issued by the USDA.

All meeting dates and times will be posted on the school district’s website, though social media outlets and meetings will be open to the public.

The Dean and Operation Manager of each building will ensure compliance within the school and will report on compliance to the superintendent, who will provide a report to the school board. The superintendent will identify a coordinator who will ensure that each school implements the policy and will collect, summarize and report on evaluation data to the committee. The following information will be included in an annual report: (1) the extent to which each school is in compliance with the wellness policy, (2) the progress made in attaining the goals of the policy; (3) any recommend changes to the policy; (4) a detailed action plan for the following school year to achieve annual goals and objectives; and (5) any additional information required by the USDA.

Policy revisions will take into account new research and evidence on health trends, new national and state standards and guidelines, new state and federal initiatives, local evaluation data, changing district priorities, and other issues.

Wellness Policy Committee members:

Last Updated: August 2022

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf , from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
  3. email:
    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (link sends e-mail)

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.