School Health Councils Building Teams of School Health Champions

Ripped from the Headlines Read the headline to your group. Currently, how would your district respond to this situation? Who in your school district/community would care about this issue? List school & community members

Ripped from the Headlines High School Senior Killed in head on collision rushing back from lunch Mold Discovered in Local Elementary school Public Health Announces Outbreak of Oral Gonorrhea among Middle School Students Sophomore Highly Allergic to Peanuts Dies After Kissing Her Boyfriend

Schools Alone Cannot Be Responsible Health and well being of children and youth are also a community issues. Through school health advisory councils schools can Find partners Identify concerns Set priorities Design solutions

School Health Advisory Council An advisory group of school and community representatives who act collectively in advising the school district on a Coordinated School Health Program. ~North Carolina Healthy Schools

Functions of a School Health Council Program Planning Parent and Community Involvement Advocacy for Coordinated School Health Recruitment of Community Health Resources Fiscal Planning Evaluation, Accountability, Quality Control

District and School Health Teams District Level Team/Council: Focus is on policy and the common mission of several district programs. Able to identify gaps and locate the district and community resources to address them. School Level Team: Focus is on the needs of students, families and staff in a specific building. Able to implement programs and activities to meet these needs.

What Can We Do? Health Education Physical Education School Health Services Healthy School Environment Food Services Community-School Connection Counseling and Support Services Staff Wellness

Membership Criteria Demonstrated Interest in Youth Awareness of the Community Professional Abilities (agency or individual) Willingness to Devote Time Representative of the Population Credibility/Leadership Represents a Component of CSHP

Not Another Meeting… Think about groups or committees that already are meeting in your school/district. What are their missions/interests? Who are their members? Is there overlap of mission or members? Are any of these groups likely to take on coordinated school health?

Your School Health Advisory Council Meet with key school and/or community representatives. Identify existing school and community groups that address health issues. Name a coordinator for the council (team leader). Organize and conduct meetings. Gather data to assess student/staff health and wellness.

SHAC Resources Shirer, K. (2003). Promoting healthy youth, schools and communities: A guide to community-school health councils. American Cancer Society; Atlanta, GA. North Carolina Healthy Schools. Effective school health advisory councils: Moving from policy to action. Marx, E., Frelick Wooley, S. (1998). Health is academic: A guide to coordinated school health programs. Teachers College Press; NY.

Final Thought… Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress; working together is success. ~H. Ford