Title
Vote on a request to accept Chatham County School Health & Wellness Instructional Program Facilitator 2017 - 2018 End of the School Year Report.
Abstract
Action Requested: Vote on a request to accept Chatham County School Health & Wellness Instructional Program Facilitator 2017 - 2018 End of the School Year Report.
Introduction & Background: The School Health and Wellness Instructional Program Facilitator position was included in the FY18 budget and officially started in January 2018. The goal of this new position within Chatham County Schools (CCS) is to institutionalize the importance of health within our schools and county and demonstrate the county’s commitment to creating a healthy and productive community. This is a new position for Chatham County Schools and an innovative one for the state. The position is funded and supported by the Chatham County Public Health Department to coordinate the K-12 Healthful Living curriculum, including curriculum identification and dissemination, teacher training, and monitoring and evaluation, and to provide individual schools and teachers support for quality health education in their classrooms. This position also ensures compliance with the North Carolina Essential Standards Healthful Living objectives that cover all facets of health and physical education and the Healthy Youth Act of 2009 that requires every Local Education Authority (LEA) provide reproductive health and safety education in 7th-9th grades. In addition to supporting individual schools and teachers, this position serves as a resource for school health for the public, community partners, and government agencies, and works to implement specific programs and campaigns in collaboration with these organizations. This new position also seeks to implement and monitor the school wellness policies.
Discussion & Analysis: We would like to present on the progress of this new position and establish this presentation as an annual end of the school year report to the Chatham County Board of County Commissioners, Board of Health, and Board of Education. In this report, we would like to present on the four current phases of this position. These include 1) Relationship Building (with Healthful Living teachers, local agencies and community members; 2) Data Collection and Analysis (CDC Worksite Wellness Surveys, Annual Bullying Survey, 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS), and Healthful Living teacher surveys); 3) Community Collaboration; and 4) Goals and Objectives. We will conclude our presentation by discussing next steps for this position for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan: The School Health and Wellness Instructional Program Facilitator position relates to the health goal of the Comprehensive Plan. In particular, this new position will impact Objective 9: Provide equitable access to high-quality education, housing, and community options for all and Objective 10: Foster a healthy community. Many strategies to engage the schools and create educational programs would fall to this position to create and implement. The creation of this new position demonstrates that Chatham County recognizes that health is a vital part of education and is essential to prepare Chatham’s youth for the future. A healthier student population leads to increased graduation rates and a more prosperous workforce.
Budgetary Impact: No Local Funding Requested.
Recommendation: Vote on a request to accept Chatham County School Health & Wellness Instructional Program Facilitator 2017 - 2018 End of the School Year Report.