CSBA has new resources for school board members and other stakeholders
School wellness resources
The following resources can be downloaded directly below, or by visiting CSBA’s Student Wellness Web page, http://www.csba.org/ Wellness.aspx. Find information and resources on student, school and community health and well being.
Student Wellness Resource List
This regularly updated resource list includes all CSBA documents created to support school governance teams in addressing student wellness such as: publications, policy briefs, fact sheets, research and articles. The resource list can be found on CSBA’s Web site here.
Factsheets to increase physical activity opportunities during the school day
Studies have shown that physical activity during the school day enhance academic performance, on-task classroom behavior and student concentration. School board members should consider adopting, revising, monitoring and/or evaluating policy and curriculum that supports increased physical activity at school, including physical education (P.E.) class, classroom-based physical activity, recess, lunch, clubs, fundraising and competitions. Find out more information on how to increase physical activity in P.E. and throughout the school day with the following factsheets:
Joint use of facilities
Policies and practices that provide opportunities for physical activity, such as safe and available open space, indoor/outdoor facilities and physical activity programs and equipment, can help promote healthy behaviors, improve academic outcomes and prevent childhood obesity. In a time of shrinking budgets for school districts/COEs and local governments, joint use projects provide an opportunity to work together to identify creative solutions to achieve shared goals and priorities. For more information, read CSBA's Policy Brief:
Safe routes to school
One way to encourage students to be more physically active is to promote and facilitate walking and bicycling to school. In collaboration with local government agencies, community organizations, parents and others, districts can develop and implement strategies to make it easy, safe and enjoyable for students to walk and bicycle to and from school on a daily basis. This policy brief provides information about the Safe Routes to School Program and how school districts/County Offices of Education can engage in policy and program strategies to increase active transportation to and from school.
Policy brief, sample policy and administrative regulation
Physical activity survey results
This research brief summarizes key results from the online survey given to school board members on “Physical Activity and Physical Education in California Schools.” The survey findings show that board members believe physical activity has a significant positive impact on overall student health and academic achievement. Respondents cite physical activity policies and practices as one of their top wellness priorities. Based on the survey results, this brief highlights actions school districts/COEs can take to support physical education and physical activity.
Green schools
Recognizing that “green school” practices contribute to healthy school environments, improved student and staff performance, and conservation of natural resources, CSBA is working to increase awareness of the issue among governance teams and to identify actions that districts can take to promote green schools. The new policy brief brings environmental issues together—along with new policy language on green cleaning, environmentally preferable purchasing and green building standards—to provide a comprehensive, integrated approach within the district and provide an opportunity for boards to publicly demonstrate their commitment to these principles.