Using Local School Wellness Policies to Build a Culture of Health for Students With Chronic Health Conditions: The School Nurse Role

Abstract

Local school wellness policies (LWP) guide school districts’ efforts to establish school environments that promote students’ health, well-being, and ability to learn that include school U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition and physical activity requirements. Looking through the lens of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model and NASN’s Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice™, LWP can be expanded beyond the tradition focus of nutrition and physical activity to address the health and academic needs of students with chronic health conditions. School nurses need to be actively involved on district wellness councils as schools prepare to conduct their required triennial assessment of current LWP equipped with an understanding of the Alliance for a Healthier Generations’ updated model wellness policy and NASN’s supplemental wellness policy language to address management of students with chronic health conditions.

School Closures in the United States and Severe Respiratory Illnesses in Children: A Normalized Nationwide Sample

“…However, significant direct and indirect negative consequences of school closure on children include academic learning loss, decreased access to nutritional and other support programs, and changes to daily routines and activities (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). Furthermore, school closures limit access to school nurses who provide direct care to patients with chronic conditions by administering medications or executing emergency care plans (12). This may, in turn, exacerbate underlying chronic conditions.…”

State School Nurse Consultants Issue RN Action Agendas

“…School nurses are integral partners in the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model which aims to ensure students are healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged (NCCDPHP, 2023). As an example, school nurses work with individual students who have chronic conditions by coordinating care between home and school, handling logistics of daily medications and treatments, and linking the family to community and social resources (Bobo et al, 2021).…”

“…School nurses function at each of the three MTSS levels: providing systemwide prevention and health promotion strategies for all, targeted group interventions for some students who are at risk, and intensive individual services for the few who are in high need. The third level includes children with chronic health conditions and families with multiple economic and social needs who require supports so children can attend school consistently and participate fully in regular and special education (Bobo et al, 2023; Rau & Lytle, 2020).…”

Exploring Wellness Through Concept Analysis

“…As such, per congressional legislation, schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and/or the School Breakfast program are to provide nutrition education and have school wellness policies in accordance with the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (Au et al, 2018). Due to these inter-related implications, establishing evidence-based school wellness policies is critical for guiding a school district's decision-making practices as they attempt to create environments that support positive health, well-being, and optimum student learning outcomes (Bobo et al, 2022). The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) further asserts that skillsets, mental health, and safety are also contributing factors associated with a child's overall well-being (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund [UNICEF], 2022).…”

“…School nurses also have a key role in the health of their communities and are essential resources to school districts (Bobo et al, 2022; Johnson, 2017) since they possess a clinical perspective on wellness that is anchored in holism, social determinants, barriers to health, early risks, and disease indicators (Bobo et al, 2022). Lee et al (2022) assert that due to the interdisciplinary nature of the school environment, school nurses are positioned to advocate for school-based wellness environment assessments, and policy promotion.…”