4.3.3 Supportive school policies
Supportive school policies provide an essential framework that guides schools in planning, implementing and evaluating efforts to promote health and healthy nutrition. School policies are brief documents that promote a clear set of school norms regarding health and nutrition. They incorporate input from all relevant constituents of the school community: students, teachers, parents, staff, administrators, food service personnel, nurses and counsellors. Policies need to meet national and local needs and standards and should be adapted to the health concerns, food preferences and dietary practices of different ethnic and cultural groups represented at school. Policies that support collaboration and coordination between the health, education, food and agricultural sectors of the government and between the school and the community are encouraged
(6).
Written policies should guarantee nutrition and other health interventions for all levels of schooling, starting in the earliest grade and continuing through the last grade. Policies should address all components of a Health-Promoting School that will be modified, such as education about nutrition, food choices at the school canteen, feeding programmes, family involvement and food handling procedures. Especially important are regulations about a Health-Promoting School's environment and about health education. For instance, school policies should guarantee adequate sanitation, a pleasant eating environment and collaboration with vendors as well as provision of teacher training, learning materials and a curriculum for nutrition and health education. Specific examples of supportive school policies include: