School Health Advisory Council Minutes - January 11, 2011

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PROCEEDINGS OF THE SCHOOL HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL

School District No. 2, Yellowstone County

High School District No. 2, Yellowstone County

Billings, Montana

 

January 11, 2011

 

The School Health Advisory Council met Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in Room 213 of the Lincoln Center. Virginia Mermel presided over the meeting. Attending were, Bernie Mason, Kay Schwartz, Nikki Hofmann, Kim Verschoot, Robert Roe, Laura Holmlund, Thomas Harper and Trustees Travis Kemp and Guest Kathy Aragon.

 

Introductions

Virginia Mermel welcomed the committee and introduced guests.

 

BackPack Meals Program

A lengthy discussion took place regarding chronic hunger in our schools and community. Hopefully the roughly $100,000.00 that was raised for the BackPack Program thus far, will accommodate the needs of 404 identified chronically hungry children in our Title 1 elementary schools for this school year. The problem of student hunger is even greater than it seems. About 5500 kids receive free or reduced cost school meals. Around 80% of these students qualify for free meals. Roughly 3000 of the F&R eligible kids are at non-Title 1 schools. We know these students are at risk of summertime hunger and most likely there are many kids in schools throughout our city that are in need of meals outside of the school day, during the school year. Furthermore, we know the 5500 F&R number (36% of total SD-2 enrollment) underestimates the true needs because there is a sharp decline in F&R participation when students move from closed campus elementary schools to open campus high school students where eating on campus is stigmatized. The actual number of F&R eligible students is probably closer to 42% or 6500.

 

Virginia Mermel serves as a liaison on a number of community committees that address hunger, homelessness and poverty, including the newly formed Billings Food Policy Council and the Bridges Out of Poverty Committee. She reported that there is a coordinated effort to address the root causes of poverty but it will take a long time to see results.

 

A lengthy discussion took place on different ideas of how to provide food for the hungry. Virginia Mermel’s meeting with the Adjecent Neighborhood Task Forces Committee did not yield tangible results. In general, people were stunned that so many kids need free and reduced cost meals and that many don’t get adequate food outside of school. Virginia Mermel called it a good first step, but a steep learning curve. She suggested we meet with this committee periodically to keep them up–to-speed. Karen Dawson who assists Virginia with the BackPack Program has suggested that she and Virginia need to give a similar presentation to the Mayor/Council members and the County Commissioners.

 

Legislative Update

What does passage of child Nutrition Reauthorization Bill Do For SD#2?

The exact impact on SD-2 is still to be determined, but it should be achievable, as SD-2 has kept up with and even ahead of current requirements.

 

What will become of Marketing to Children Act and End Weekend Hunger Act?

 

 

Status of Efforts To Expand Summer Lunch Program

Summer is a time of hunger for many children who rely on free and reduced cost meals while in school. Virginia Mermel said SD#2 needs to reach more kids with its summer lunch program and to consider how to get summer time BackPack meals to those who rely on them during the school year. Under the current USDA rules, only about 2000 of the 5500 Free and Reduced Meals kids have access to summer meals.

 

SD#2 has asked if SHAC or other community organizations can help expand the extracurricular offerings during the Summer Lunch in the Park Program because many kids wanted to stay and play. Liability is an obstacle to providing playtime.

 

Bernie Mason has been unable to get in touch with Park and Rec. to see if they have staff that can help provide physical activity instruction at summer lunch sites at least a couple of days a week.

 

Bev McHugh would like to see the summer lunch program extended a little longer during the summer months. Currently kids are out of school for 10 days before the summer meal program begins and it ends about 10 days before school starts. Bette says her team needs this time to breakdown and prepare each school for summer and then set up and train for fall. Perhaps a community partner or two can be found.

 

Healthy Schools Forum – January 20, 2011

Billings Action For Healthy Kids, Billings School Health Advisory Council and Yellowstone Valley PTA are sponsoring a forum on January 20 at the Lincoln Center Board Room from 7-9. The main emphasis will be to help our schools understand some of the new awards available to schools who meet established wellness goals. A variety of new awards are available. Information can be found on the BPS web site.

 

Revising SHAC Physical Activity Recommendations

A copy of The Physical Activity Resolutions that were finalized in April of 2007 were distributed to the committee. Kathy Aragon is in charge of our Safe Routes to School at the state level. The City Engineer Dept has completed safe route studies on eleven of our Elementary Schools; the other eleven are in the review process. Through the Federal Transportation Bill there are some opportunities for partnership and for some grants to improve school route safety. Kathy Aragon will check into this for the committee. Schools and School districts that have Safe Routes To Schools programs help with the BPS liability insurance.

 

Laura Holmlund from RiverStone Health agreed to help Kathy Aragon revise the wording of the Safe Routes To School Resolutions.

 

Approval of Minutes

Laura Holmund moved to approve the minutes of the November 16, 2010 School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) meeting. Bernie Mason seconded. The motion passed unanimously.

 

 

Respectfully submitted:

 

__________________________

Virginia Mermel, Chair

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Cindy Curnow, Recorder