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Superintendent's Task Force on Childhood Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease

Task Force Members

  • Were appointed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O'Connell
  • Met seven times in 2004, between March - December
  • Represented parents, students, teachers, health and education organizations, school boards, public health and local education agencies, school food service, advocacy groups, and higher education.
  • 22 members included a student, school nurse, teacher, health advocate, registered dietitians, physical educators, school administrators, parents, public health officer, university faculty, and physicians

Task Force Overview

  • All meetings were open to the public, with opportunities for public comment
  • 19 guest speakers made formal presentations
  • Agendas and minutes were posted on the Internet
  • Draft recommendations released for public review
  • Public comment period: September 15 - October 6
  • 126 individuals submitted comments

Task Force Recommendations

  • Preamble
  • Recommendations
    • Physical education and physical activity
    • Health education
    • Nutrition

Preamble

The members of the task force, recognizing...
Have agreed to build on ... California's Blueprint, by recommend(ing)...

  1. Increase the quality and quantity of instruction in physical education to provide more physical activity (PA) and enhance student achievement of California's Physical Education Model Content Standards.
  2. Increase the quality and quantity of health education to promote healthful eating and physical activity (PA).
  3. Ensure the availability and quality of healthy foods and beverages served and sold at and by schools.

Physical Education/Activity Recommendations

  • Increase the quality and quantity of instruction in physical education to provide more physical activity (PA) and enhance student achievement of California's Physical Education Model Content Standards.
  • Include as core curriculum
  • Enforce required minutes and recommend additional 100 minutes over ten days
  • Limit exemptions
  • Ensure at least 50% time is spent in vigorous activity; provide funds for reasonable class size
  • Encourage evidence-based programs and practices
  • Strengthen monitoring and enforcement of requirements
  • Improve assessment and reporting
  • Conduct periodic statewide monitoring based on standards
  • Provide funds to encourage use of facilities and resources for PA throughout the school day
  • Provide funds for supervision and equipment for PA before/after school and at lunch
  • Provide funds for school facilities during non-school hours
  • Collaborate with other agencies on wellness programs
  • Fund schools to provide, maintain, and remodel facilities
  • Require recess/activity breaks for students in kindergarten and grades 1-6 at least once every two hours
  • Build schools for easy and safe access

Health Education Recommendations

Increase the quality and quantity of health education to promote healthful eating and physical activity (PA).

  • Build infrastructure
  • Build program

Health Education Infrastructure Recommendations

  • Enact legislation for standards by 2006
  • Obtain State Board of Education approval of standards by 2007
  • Establish health education (emphasis on nutrition and PA) as core curriculum
  • Ensure health education curriculum follows the Health Framework
  • Provide funding for health ed, emphasizing nutrition and PA

Health Education Program Recommendations

  • Provide funding for school nurses
  • Utilize school nurses, registered dietitians, health education specialists
  • Provide training in health, nutrition, and PA for parents, teachers, administrators, other school staff
  • Train health ed providers to use strategies that impact behavior

Nutrition Recommendations

  • Ensure the availability and quality of healthy foods and beverages served and sold at and by schools.
  • Provide funding to increase the availability and ensure the quality of school meals
  • Require professional education standards for food service directors and managers
  • Work with the Legislature and State Allocation Board to make funds available for facilities
  • Prohibit high fat, high sugar foods and beverages from:
    • Being sold/served outside the school meal program
    • Being sold as fundraisers
  • Nutrition standards shall:
    • Be developmentally appropriate and based on review of Senate Bills 19 and 677
    • Be established and enforced by law and/or regulation
    • Not apply to items brought from home for personal consumption

Implementation

  • Collaboration among health and education agencies and partners will be essential
  • Superintendent O'Connell has incorporated many of these recommendations into his priorities for 2005: Healthy Children, Ready to Learn (A "white paper" on health, nutrition, and physical education)

Healthy Children, Ready to Learn

  • Support high-quality instructional programs in health education and physical education that provide students with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to develop and maintain active, healthy lifestyles.
  • Implement nutrition standards for all food and beverages sold on campus.
  • Increase participation in school meal programs so that no child goes hungry.
  • Create a school environment that supports the health of students.

For More Information

See the Healthy Children White Paper.

Thank You!

To all who participated in the task force's process — by speaking, attending meetings, reviewing and commenting on the draft recommendations.

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