Making Schools Active Schools: Connecting with Local Schools and School Boards

Nov. 16 Teleconference Highlights

What's going on in schools?
DPI is working on improving physical activity opportunities in schools using a variety of strategies, including:

• Physical Education Requirements
• Active Schools
• Movin' and Munchin' Schools
• Health Education Standards

Each of these areas offers opportunities to coalitions to interact with schools. Some examples include:

• Assessing the school board's knowledge of and attitudes toward programs and/or policies related to physical activity
• Educating school board members on available resources (e.g. Active Schools toolkit or training on active recess strategies)
• Encouraging districts to review policies and plans reguarly to improve implementation

What's going on in Active Schools pilot sites?
Active School pilot sites are up and running in 21 sites across the state.

• Schools have collected Activity Logs from students and sent fitness assessment results to the state
• Coalitions have collaborated with schools on disseminating communication materials about district efforts, assisted with surveys and program planning, and assisted with programs

How can our coalition connect and work with schools on policy issues?
All Active Schools coalitions are asked to connect with local school districts, here are some tips for getting started:

1) Consider which districts you have already worked with.

2) Questions to think about when approaching a school …

• What does our coalition want from schools as part of a partnership effort?
• What can our coalition offer schools as part of a partnership effort?
• How does Active Schools fit the educational mission of the schools?

3) Conduct an assessment of your selected district to understand what they already are doing related to physical activity policies in their district. Some ideas of places to start include:

• Request a copy of your School Wellness Policy
• Interview with school district contact on your coalition or a school official (local policymaker assessment) – what might encourage the district to initiate an Active Schools policy?
• Understand the context of your selected district:
  - Who are the key education leaders in your district?
  - If school board action is necessary, what are the best ways to approach individual board members and/or the board as a whole?
  - Who do your district’s key leaders and school board members need to hear from?

Teleconference Share Back!
Help and learn from each other by leaving a comment responding to the following question:

How will you connect with your school district in the next month?