School Health Sessions at NSBA’s Annual Conference

March 18, 2011 – This year’s National School Boards Association’s Annual Conference, being held in San Francisco from April 9-11, will focus on key issues that are impacting school boards across the country.  As part of that framework, a few conference sessions will discuss issues that pertain to the health and wellness of students and schools, including:

Data Driven School Health: Linking Health and Learning in the School Improvement Planning Process
Participants will hear from school leaders who have integrated health data and measures into their school improvement planning while participating in the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Healthy Schools Program.  Participants will be able to: describe how the Healthy Schools Program enabled schools and districts to measure implementation of their wellness policies and the impact on student health and learning; discuss barriers and solutions to integrating health into the school improvement process; and articulate the connections between nutrition and physical activity policies, health, and learning.

Are Your Schools Really Tobacco-Free? Collaborating to Promote Comprehensive Tobacco-Free Schools Policies
Tobacco use is still the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., and nearly 90 percent of those who smoke or use other forms of tobacco start before the age of 18. Less than 56 percent of school districts nationwide have adopted “comprehensive” tobacco-free schools policies. This session will highlight successes in school districts that have been leaders in the movement to make schools completely tobacco-free.

Health Equity and School Environments: Leveraging Partnerships to Address Education and Health Disparities
A healthy learning environment should be every child’s right, yet many schools have indoor air quality (IAQ) issues that can compromise both health and learning. This session will help school boards learn steps they can take in partnership with others to tackle IAQ issues, to keep children with asthma in school, and to address health and achievement gaps in vulnerable communities.

Gender Identity! Sexual Orientation! What’s it All About and What Can School Leaders Do to Help Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Students Feel Safe, Supported and Successful in School?It’s well known that a school climate that provides all students a welcoming, safe and supportive environment helps students to be in school and ready to learn. But for students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, school can be a very hostile environment. This session will share research findings, personal experiences, and expert recommendations, and what school board members or superintendent need to know to make a difference for all students through policy and practice.

For the Health of It! Building a Successful Coordinated School Health Program
This session will describe the success of South Orange-Maplewood School District which has embraced the initiatives of the Federal School Wellness Policy. By bringing stakeholders together under the umbrella of healthy, active children, school leaders will learn how to collaborate to change a school culture and connect the research that suggests that healthy children learn better. In this session, participants will also learn about the Coordinated Approach to Child Health "CATCH".

Working Together to Protect Children with Vital Safety Information
Tens of millions of children are needlessly exposed to unsafe products, toys and foods that have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This session will provide background on a safety education program that was formed by the Consumers Union, the National PTA and NSBA and now includes more than 30 organizations and government agencies in the National School Safety Coalition. The goal is to reach every school and every parent with vital safety information.

Welcoming Schools: A System-Wide Approach to Family Diversity, Gender, and Bullying
To proactively become more inclusive, three schools in Berkeley, CA piloted Welcoming Schools, an inclusive approach to family diversity, gender and bullying. This session will give participants an overview of these schools’ experiences and the process that led the Berkeley (CA) Unified School Board to approve Welcoming Schools district-wide. Presenters will model strategies to engage educators and the community in conversations about lesbian and gay parents, bias based bullying, and gender expansive environments. Participants will learn how to set the groundwork for a program like Welcoming Schools through community engagement and professional development.

For more information on NSBA’s Annual Conference and to register, click here.