• Health Surveillance System
• New Student Health and Wellness Policy
• Universal Precautions – Tips for Staying Healthy
• When to Keep Your Child at Home Due to Certain Health Symptoms, Versión Español, Người Việt Nam
• Information about MRSA - An antibiotic-resistant infection
   

Health Surveillance System

The Health Surveillance System is an innovative partnership between district, the Scott County Health Department and Scott County Kids. The system supports the mandatory reporting of the presence of communicable disease in our student population. This reporting helps to track the prevalence of communicable diseases among school age youth, and ultimately helps to control/reduce the transmission of these diseases at a local level. School nurses report via an integrated computer database directly to the Scott County Health department. This system can only be successful with the cooperation and support of our parents. When calling to report your child’s illness, please be prepared to answer a few simple questions, such as:

• Has your child seen a doctor?
• If the doctor diagnosed the illness, what is the diagnosis?
• If there is no diagnosis by a doctor, what are two (2) symptoms of your child’s illness?

This information will help the nurse in classifying the illness for reporting principals.


New Student Health and Wellness Policy

In recent years, there has been growing concern about the health and wellness of our young people.  Childhood obesity – and the many negative health impacts associated with the condition – has risen dramatically in this country.  For close to a year, the Davenport Community Schools have been working to address student health and wellness in more proactive ways . . . researching best practices, exploring student wellness policies from other states, and meeting with local experts in children’s health to determine effective ways to address these concerns. The district also gathered input and feedback from teachers, parents and the community. Community input on the wellness recommendations was received at two community forums – one in November and a second in February.  Student input was also received via a survey and focus group sessions at the high schools.

At the Board meeting of March 20^th, a policy was formally approved.  The policy went into effect as of July 1, 2006.  This policy not only states our commitment to healthier students, but also meets the expectations of Federally mandated legislation that requires all schools to establish a local school wellness policy which promotes student wellness.

As we embark on these new objectives, we are asking for the help of our students, families and staff in supporting the spirit of the policy.  Research shows healthy students are more likely to learn more effectively and achieve more steadily.  Their attendance is better, their energy levels are higher, and their brains are better able to comprehend and to retain.  In addition, these students exhibit more positive attitudes and fewer problems with disruptive behavior or difficulty with attention or focus. 

At this time, administrative regulations are being implemented by the district and in our schools to help support the intention of the policy. 

The policy and the regulations include language which addresses physical activity, nutrition education, nutrition and other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness. The policy speaks to the following:

• Physical Activity – Speaks to the amount of time spent in physical education activities, teaching physical activity skills, promotion of lifelong fitness, and the provision of physical fitness assessments on a regular basis
• Nutrition Education – Speaks to the provision of age-appropriate nutrition education and nutrition-related skills
• Food Service Sales and Food Service Programs/Ala Carte Sales – Speaks to nutritional best practices for foods and beverages provided/sold on school campuses during the instructional day, sets limitations and guidelines for vending machine sales; encourages availability of fresh fruits/vegetables as well as a price structure that encourages students to purchase nutritious items
• Fundraising – Speaks to guidelines on food/beverage items which can be sold during the instructional day and encourages non-food fundraisers or the sale of food which meets the nutritional best practices
• Classrooms – Speaks to ensuring that food served in classrooms meets the nutritional best practices of the policy, which includes snacks and birthday treats, and the importance of asking adult staff to model nutritious food and beverage choices
• Monitoring Implementation and Evaluation – Speaks to ways the policy can provide monitoring and measurement of the guidelines, including establishing a district-level committee to oversee the administration of the policy.

Implementing the new policy and administrative regulations means you may see a change in wellness/fitness activities at our buildings.  Please note that our school breakfast and lunch program has ALWAYS met all federal requirements.  However, there are some menu items which will be affected by the new policy.  Certain ala carte items could be removed from the menu at our high schools and other items will be modified either in recipe or in preparation to more closely align with the intention of the new policy.  Items sold in vending machines will change to reflect the new best practices and there will be increased encouragement to consider healthy or non-food options for any school-day fundraisers.  (Fundraisers which take place outside of instructional time – such as concession stands, catalog/product sales conducted outside of school time by organization groups like the PTA, Booster Clubs, Student Councils, etc. – are not directly impacted by the policy).

We will be asking our parents to contribute to our efforts by being mindful of food you send to school – whether in your child’s sack lunch or any special occasion treats.  To help families do this, we’ve included information on good choices for sack lunches and a list of healthier special occasion treats.  We’ve also included basic information on how to read food labels so you can choose lower fat, lower sugar items when shopping. 

Exciting new curriculum and hands-on learning opportunities will be part of this commitment, including courses on nutrition, menu planning, health choices, and fitness.  An exciting aspect of the physical education and activity component will be the use of a fitness report card to chart progress over time and give students individualized information on how they can improve their overall health status. 

As the year goes on, our schools will be developing their own wellness initiatives – including the creation of Wellness Committees made up of staff, parents and students who will provide opportunities for learning about wellness AND celebrating the ‘good news’ about how our schools are working toward better health. 

Healthier students – and healthier families – are not a destination.  They’re a journey.  We’re hoping you’ll go with us on this journey.  Keep watching this page for more information and ways we can support healthier kids!
 

Universal Precautions – Tips for Staying Healthy

There are some key behaviors that can help you – and those you live and work with – stay healthier. Regardless of the illness, the following steps can go a long way toward protecting you and your family:

• Wash your hands
• Cover nose and mouth when coughing, sneezing etc.
• Do not share glassware, silverware etc.
• Don’t come to school or to other public events or into public places if you are ill or experiencing questionable symptoms.

For more general health information, please visit the Scott County Health Department website at: http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/health/.