Title
Receive Chatham County School Health, Physical Education, and Wellness Instructional Program Facilitator 2018-2019 End of the School Year Report
Abstract
Action Requested: Receive Chatham County School Health, Physical Education, and Wellness Instructional Program Facilitator 2018-2019 End of the School Year Report
Introduction & Background: The School Health, Physical Education, 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 position’s creation was new for Chatham County Schools and an innovative one for the state. The position is funded through 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: This was the first full school year that this position was in place within Chatham County Schools. This is the second year that we have provided an update on the progress of this new position. This annual presentation is given at the end of each school year to the Chatham County Board of County Commissioners and the Board of Health. In this report, we would like to present on 1) the overall strategic approach of this position; 2) community collaboration efforts; 3) current school health initiatives and; 4) 2018-2019 goals and results. We will conclude our presentation by discussing next steps for this position for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan: The School Health, Physical Education, and Wellness Instructional Program Facilitator position relates to the health goal of the Comprehensive Plan. In particular, this position impacts 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 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: There is no budgetary impact of this report.
Recommendation: There are no recommendations for this presentation.