Schools Ask for Community Help in Improving Student Health
Posted on: Tuesday, 29 November 2005, 18:00 CST
By KATIE WARCHUT Journal Staff Writer
GLOCESTER - In response to new state law focused on health and wellness in schools, the Foster-Glocester Regional School District is seeking help from the community.
Member Kelly Hunter has agreed to head the district's recently formed health and wellness subcommittee, which was coordinated by middle school assistant principal Janet Ragno. The group is charged with making recommendations about the district's health education and physical education curriculum and instruction, and its nutrition and physical-activity policies.
The goal is to decrease obesity and enhance the health and well being of students and employees.
The state law, however, requires that the majority of the committee not be employed by the school district. As it now stands, the group is made up of mostly teachers, Hunter said, and needs to balanced out.
That means the group is looking for volunteers, who could include students, parents, health professionals, business community representatives, and representatives of local and statewide nonprofit health organizations.
Hunter said ideally, she would love to have the input of a dietitian.
"It could really be anybody who's concerned about the health and well being of kids," she said, "such as nurses, doctors, members of the Recreation Department, or coaches."
As a former activity director at a nursing home, Hunter said she's "seen the end result of people who haven't taken care of their wellness and well being."
People used to see diabetes as an older person's problem, she said, but the age of onset keeps getting younger and younger when people are overweight.
Hunter hopes the committee can start by looking at the state's SALT (School Accountability for Learning and Teaching) reports, which has health-risk data, such as how many hours students sleep, whether they eat breakfast, how much television they watch, and their habits involving drinking, drugs and cigarettes.
She hopes the group will work with Sodexho to look at cafeteria offerings and vending machines in the schools.
The group's first meeting will be next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the middle school library. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.
Source: Providence Journal
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