The School Health Program: A

Component of Community Health

Chapter 6

Introduction

• The school health program has great potential for affecting health of the community

Coordinated School Health Program

• An organized set of policies, procedures, and activities designed to protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of students and staff

CSHP

The School Health Council

• Individuals from a school or school district and its community who work together to provide advice and aspects of the school health program• Should include diverse representation

• Primary role – provide coordination of the CSHP components

The School Nurse

• Can provide great leadership for the CSHP

• Has medical knowledge and formal training

• Has multiple responsibilities

• Often districts do not have resources to hire full-time nurses

Teachers

• Heavy responsibility in making sure the CSHP works

• Often spend more waking hours with children than parents

The Need for School Health

• An unhealthy child has a difficult time learning

• Health and success in schools are interrelated

• A CSHP provides the integration of education and health

Foundations of the School Health Program

• School administration that supports the effort

• A well-organized school health council

• Written school health policies

School Health Policies

• Steps for creating local health-related policies include

• Identify the policy development team

• Assess the district’s needs

• Prioritize needs and develop an action plan

• Draft a policy

• Build awareness and support

• Adopt and implement the policy

• Maintain, measure, and evaluate

Policy Development

• Should be executed by the school health council

• Should cover all facets of the school health program

• Gain approval from key stakeholders

Policy Implementation

• Policies only effective if implemented• Distribute policies to those affected• Distribute with a memorandum of explanation

• Place in faculty, staff, and student handbooks

• Present them at group meetings (PTO)

• Hold a special meeting for explaining policies

• Place them in the school district newsletter

Monitoring Policy Status

• National survey conducted by CDC every 6 years

• Assesses:• School health policies

• School health practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels

Components of a CSHP

• Administration and organization

• School health services

• Healthy school environment

• School health education

• Counseling, psychological, and social services

• Physical education

• School nutrition services

• Family/community involvement

• School-site health promotion for staff

Administration and Organization

• A CSHP should be administered by a School Health Coordinator• Multiple responsibilities

• Often not a position required by states

School Health Services

• Health services provided by school health workers to appraise, protect, and promote health

• Health screenings, emergency care for injury and sudden illness, chronic disease management, communicable disease prevention and control, health counseling

• Advantages: equitability, confidentiality, breadth of coverage, user friendliness, convenience

Healthy School Environment

• By law, school districts are required to provide a safe school environment

• Physical environment• Buildings and structures, and the behaviors of

those using them

• Location, age, air quality, food service, temperature, etc.

• Psychosocial environment• Attitudes, values, feelings of students and staff

School Health Education

• The development, delivery, and evaluation of a planned curriculum• Priority health content:• Alcohol and other drugs, healthy eating, mental

and emotional health, personal health and wellness, physical activity, safety/unintentional injury prevention, sexual health (abstinence and risk avoidance), tobacco, violence prevention

Development of and Sources of Health Education Curricula

• Many available from national specialists

• Approved curricula from state departments of education or health

• Health agencies and associations

• Commercially produced curricula

Issues and Concerns of the School Health Program

• Lack of support for CSHP

• School health curriculum challenges

• School-based health centers

• Violence in schools

Lack of Support for CSHP

• Limited success in getting CSHP implemented across the country

• Need supportive legislation

School Health Curriculum Challenges

• Controversy• Strong opinions on various topics

• Improper implementation• Often provided by individuals other than health

education specialists

• Barriers to school health education

School-Based Health Centers or School-Linked Health Centers

• Rapidly growing concept

• Provided in different ways; most common is in school building

• Common features among various centers

• “Cultural wars”

• Funding challenges

Violence in Schools

• High profile incidents of violence in schools

• Bullying

• Electronic aggression

• Recommendations for improving school climate as it relates to violence

Discussion Questions

• Why is a CSHP so challenging to implement in every school district?

• How can schools have more effective health programs with limited funding?