School Health Index (SHI): Glossary

A

Active learning strategies include interactive teaching methods to encourage student involvement rather than relying solely on a lecture format.

At least 50% of the time means at least half of the total time scheduled for a physical education class session.

B

Bullying is when one or more students tease, threaten, spread rumors about, hit, shove, or hurt another student over and over again. Bullying can occur in person or through technology. It is not bullying when two students of about the same strength or power argue or fight or tease each other in a friendly way. Anyone can be bullied but those who are perceived as different are more frequently bullied.

C

Care coordination refers to nurse-guided activities to implement a care plan to benefit the patient (or student) through integration of services with the patient, family, health care providers, and other significant personnel, such as educators, participating in the patient's (or student's) care.

Case management is a comprehensive set of services provided by either an individual or a team of medical professionals, school staff, and/or social work staff. These services could include:

• providing referrals to primary healthcare providers
• ensuring an appropriate written asthma action plan is obtained
• ensuring access to and appropriate use of asthma medications, spacers, and peak flow meters at home and at school
• offering asthma education for the student and family
• facilitating environmental modifications at home and at school
• identifying and addressing psychosocial issues related to asthma
• providing additional support services as needed

Certified or endorsed means teachers who have been awarded a certificate or license by the state, permitting them to teach physical education.

Cessation services can include any of the following:

• group tobacco-use cessation counseling
• brief clinical counseling
• self-help educational material
• computer-based cessation program
• referral to local physician
• telephone quit line
• pharmacological cessation aid (e.g., nicotine replacement therapy)

Chronic health conditions may include asthma, diabetes, overweight/obesity, food allergies, anemia, eating disorders, epilepsy, oral/dental conditions, sickle cell disease, or other health conditions.

Competitive foods and beverages are those outside the federal school meal programs. They include those offered in vending machines, a la carte, school stores, snack bars, canteens, classroom parties, classroom snacks, school celebrations, fundraisers, or school meetings. These foods and beverages are required to meet science-based nutrition standards, as published by the USDA and required by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and are often referred to as "Smart Snacks." (See also Smart Snacks in School.)

Consulting school health physicians support school staff members who are employed to provide physical and mental health services for students and/or staff. He/she has training and/or experience in infant, child, adolescent and/or school health. The physician's function should be specified in a written agreement or contract and may include planning school-based programs, procedures, and protocols; developing health-related school policies; addressing specific health issues of students or staff; or interacting with health professionals in the community on behalf of the school or district.

Counseling, Psychological, and Social Services are provided to improve students' mental, emotional, and behavioral health and include individual and group assessments, interventions, and referrals. Organizational assessment and consultation skills of counselors and psychologists contribute not only to the health of students but also to the health of the school environment. Professionals such as certified school counselors, psychologists, and social workers provide these services.

Credentialed means teachers who have been awarded a credential, by the state, permitting them to teach health education.

E

Emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs can impact student learning and behavior if not treated or managed. They include diagnosed mental health disorders (for example, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder and Depression) and other challenges.

Employees include administrators and clerical workers, classroom teachers, instructional assistants, physical education teachers, health education teachers, aides, nutrition services personnel, school nurses, health assistants, counseling/psychological/social services providers, recess supervisors, athletic coaches, facility and maintenance personnel, bus drivers, security personnel, volunteers, and before- and after-school personnel.

Environmental health is the condition of the school's physical environment as it relates to pollutants, toxins, ventilation, and comfortable lighting and temperature conditions. Promoting environmental health involves limiting the amount of exposure students and staff have to allergens, pollutants, chemicals, mold and moisture in the school building. Managing conditions, such as lighting, acoustics, ventilation, and temperature, also is important to school environmental health.

Extended school day means time during, before-and afterschool activities that includes clubs, intramural sports, band and choir practice, drama rehearsals, etc.

F

FERPA, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, is a Federal law that protects the privacy of students' "education records."

H

Harassment is defined under federal civil rights law as conduct based on race, color, national origin, sex, or disability that is so severe, pervasive, or persistent that it creates a hostile environment that interferes or limits a student's ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a school. Some state and school district bullying policies go beyond prohibiting bullying on the basis of traits expressly protected by the federal civil rights laws. t Unlike bullying, harassment does not have to include intent to harm, be directed at a specific person, or involve repeated incidents.

Health education is a planned, sequential, K-12 curriculum that addresses the physical, mental, emotional, and social dimensions of health.

Health promotion for staff refers to activities that enable school staff to improve their health status, such as health assessments, health education, and health-related fitness activities. These opportunities encourage school staff to pursue a healthy lifestyle that contributes to their improved health status, improved morale, and a greater personal commitment to the school's overall coordinated health efforts. This personal commitment often transfers into greater commitment to the health of students and creates positive role modeling.

Health services are designed to ensure access or referral to primary health care services or both, foster appropriate use of primary health care services, prevent and control communicable disease and other health problems, provide emergency care for illness or injury, promote and provide optimum sanitary conditions for a safe school facility and school environment, and provide educational and counseling opportunities for promoting and maintaining individual, family, and community health.

Health services providers are qualified professionals such as physicians, nurses, dentists, health educators, and other allied health personnel.

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 Privacy Rule, requires covered entities to protect individuals’ health records and other identifiable health information by requiring appropriate safeguards to protect privacy, and setting limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made of such information without patient authorization.

I

Interscholastic sports refer to sports that a school sponsors and are competitive in nature.

Intramural programs or physical activity clubs are voluntary in nature (i.e., students have a choice of activities or participation), provide every student an equal opportunity to participate regardless of physical ability, and provide students the opportunity to be involved in planning, organizing, and administering the programs. Examples of intramural activities or physical activity clubs are: open gym days, hiking or walking clubs, dance activities, and tennis clubs.

M

Moderately to vigorously active means engaging in physical activity that is equal in intensity to or more strenuous than fast walking.

N

Nutrition services involve access to a variety of nutritious and appealing meals that accommodate the health and nutrition needs of all students. School nutrition programs reflect the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other criteria to achieve nutrition integrity. The school nutrition services offer students a learning laboratory for classroom nutrition and health education and serve as a resource for linkages with nutrition-related community services. Qualified child nutrition professionals provide these services.

P

Physical education means structured physical education classes or lessons, not physical activity breaks or recess and not substitution of participation in a sport team, ROTC, marching band, etc., for physical education course credit. Physical education is a planned, sequential, K-12 curriculum that provides cognitive content and learning experiences in a variety of activity areas, such as basic movement skills; physical fitness; rhythm and dance; games; team, dual, and individual sports; tumbling and gymnastics; and aquatics. Through a variety of planned physical activities, quality physical education should promote each student's optimum physical, mental, emotional, and social development, including sports that all students enjoy and can pursue throughout their lives. Physical education is provided by qualified trained teachers.

Policies are legal codes, rules, standards, administrative orders, guidelines, mandates, resolutions, or protocols. Policies are usually developed at the school district or state level and implemented at the school level.

Professional development is the systematic process used to strengthen the professional knowledge, skills, and attitudes of those who serve youth to improve the health, education and well-being of youth. It is consciously designed to actively engage learners and includes the planning, design, marketing, delivery, evaluation, and follow-up of professional development offerings (events, information sessions, and technical assistance).

R

Recess is an opportunity for unstructured physical activity.

S

School campus means all areas of the property under the jurisdiction of the school that are accessible to students during the school day. It includes areas that are owned or leased by the school and used at any time for school-related activities such as the school building or on the school campus, including on the outside of the school building, areas adjacent to the school building, school buses or other vehicles used to transport students, athletic fields and stadiums (e.g. on scoreboards, coolers, cups, and water bottles), or parking lots.

School level is the grade level in your school—elementary, middle, or high school. You must choose a school level when creating your SHI.

School meals are school-sponsored or district-sponsored programs that are designed to meet the current U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) School Meal Nutrition Standards. As mandated in the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the USDA established new meal patterns and nutrition standards for all school meals served in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. Key changes include:

• ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week
• requiring that whole grain-rich foods be offered each week
• establishing age-appropriate calorie limits for meals
• limiting the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium

Sequential means a curriculum that builds on concepts taught in preceding years and provides opportunities to reinforce skills across topics and grade levels.

Smart Snacks in School are a set of science-based nutrition standards for all foods and beverages sold to students on the school campus during the school day, which is defined as the midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the school day. These standards, published by the USDA and required by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, went in to effect July 1, 2014 and are required for all foods and beverages sold outside the school meals programs, including vending machines, a la carte, school stores, snack or food carts and in-school fundraising. The SHI refers to Smart Snacks in School in questions regarding foods and beverages that may not fall under the scope or time frame of Smart Snacks in School; however, consistent use of these standards when and wherever foods and beverages are available to students helps ensure a consistent message about healthy eating and nutritious choices is being sent to students at all times in all places.

Special health care needs include learning disabilities, developmental disabilities, behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, temporary physical limitations, and chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma, and scoliosis.

Standard precautions are a set of precautions designed to prevent transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and other bloodborne pathogens when providing first aid or health care, or clean up and disposal of contaminated materials or fluids. Under standard precautions, blood and certain other body fluids of all individuals are considered potentially infectious for HIV, HBV and other bloodborne pathogens.

U

Universal Free Breakfast – breakfast is offered to all students free of charge, regardless of their free, reduced or paid lunch status.

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504 plans are written descriptions of educational, health, and other related services or modifications needed to assist students with special needs who are in a regular educational setting.