Collaborators' Joint Statement on Local School Wellness Policies
Promoting Student Wellness
The national associations and organizations listed below have joined the US Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS), US Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the US Department of Education (ED) by sharing resources pertaining to local school wellness policies. In the joint statement below, these associations and organizations express their support of local school wellness policies as a key framework for schools' efforts to create a healthy environment for children that supports nutritious food choices and physically active lifestyles.
The following co-signed national associations and organizations issue this joint statement to recognize the critical role schools play in promoting wellness among staff, students, and families.
"We firmly believe that the Local School Wellness Policy, as required by the US Congress in Public Law 111-296, Section 204, provides a tremendous opportunity for schools to assess and improve how their school environment, wellness policies, programs, and activities contribute to the health and well-being of our nation’s children. We are committed to providing assistance to school districts and schools as they assess, revise, adopt, implement, maintain, monitor, and evaluate local school wellness policies that will positively affect their students, schools, and communities. We are committed to supporting the efforts of school districts through collaborations, resources, and other forms of assistance.
"We support schools and communities that recognize the health and educational benefits of creating and implementing local school wellness policies and the importance of making student health a priority. We urge schools to implement policies that support a healthy and physically active lifestyle, which in turn will positively influence students’ health, academic performance, and overall quality of life, today and in the future."
AASA, the School Superintendents Association
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
Action For Healthy Kids
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
American Dental Association
American Heart Association
American School Health Association
Association for Middle Level Education
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Food Research and Action Center
National Association of Elementary School Principals
National Association of School Nurses
National Association of Secondary School Principals
National Association of State Boards of Education
National Education Association Health Information Network
National Food Service Management Institute
National Physical Activity Society
Safe Routes to School National Partnership
School Nutrition Association
Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior
Society for Public Health Education
The Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education