Sustaining Healthy Schools beyond COVID

Written by guest blogger, Michelle Rawcliffe (a middle school teacher in Woodstock CT)

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“This is the time for the mental health staff (counselors, social workers and psychologists), health services staff (school-based health centers and school nurses), Health Educators, Physical Educators, Staff Wellness Leads (HR), Nutrition Services, Custodians & Facilities Managers to assess and work collaboratively on the physical and emotional safety of the school environment.”

School districts and their communities have been preparing or have had the tools to prepare for a global health crisis for over 40 years. However it seems hypocritical that in response to a pandemic, school districts would curtail health and physical education programs while simultaneously maintaining that the health and safety of the students is a priority for reopening. For over 20 years I have advocated for Health and Physical Education (HPE) and felt some relief when our schools closed in March 2020. I thought that maybe a health emergency would encourage administrators to realize how important HPE is and that now HPE experts (teachers) will be heard.  I was wrong. Health and Physical educators have a powerful role in reopening and should be leaders of the process by leading or serving a crucial role on their reopening committee.

As a Health Educator with a Masters Degree in Public Health and over 20 years of teaching Wellness in and out of the public school system in Connecticut, I strongly recommend that school districts approach reopening for healthy schools using a Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) approach as recommended by ASCD and the CDC. Using the WSCC framework will help to establish sustainable healthy schools, communities and students for the future. In other words, solidifying our wellness teams to support the whole child and every child using a WSCC approach will better prepare schools for a future pandemic. The good news is that districts most likely already have a wellness council or have had one in the past. Some may have even implemented the WSCC model.

Teacher tip: 

1. Check to see if your district has an active wellness team, school health advisory council, or another committee that focuses on the whole child.

2. If it does, check to see if all 10 modules of WSCC are represented. This would mean a health educator and a physical educator are members. The CDC’s School Health Index is a great way to assess the quality of your school health team. 

3. If your school does not have a wellness team, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation has resources to help establish one. While their work has mainly focused on nutrition and physical activity, they have broadened their work to mental health and the tools are helpful for implementing into a WSCC aligned team.

4. If your school does have a wellness team, The Rudd Center has a tool to evaluate the nutrition and physical activity modules of your team. 

5. If you are interested in focusing on mental health and SEL, we’d recommend your School Health team uses the National Center for School Mental Health’s SHAPE Health Assessment Tool to gauge what gaps your education system might have.

According to the 2019 CT School Health Survey, there is a significant association between student health and academic success (Connecticut Department of Public Health, 2020). Using WSCC or Wellness teams as the district’s committee for reopening for healthy schools, is a great strategy for covering all the necessary current pandemic concerns regarding student and school health by aligning, integrating, and collaborating between education and health to improve each child’s cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development (ASCD, CDC, 2014). In addition, using a Wellness Team or WSCC approach will allow for sustainable healthy schools rather than just immediate remediation of a problem. This is the time for the mental health staff (counselors, social workers and psychologists), health services staff (school-based health centers and school nurses), Health Educators, Physical Educators, Staff Wellness Leads (HR), Nutrition Services, Custodians & Facilities Managers to assess and work collaboratively on the physical and emotional safety of the school environment.

Unfortunately, smaller districts may not have an active Wellness Team or School Health Advisory Council. They may not have the resources to support local champions, like a Health Educator who could lead the group. Some districts even chose to make Health and Physical Education optional during this global health crisis. Students learn Health Literacy skills like hand washing and emotional resiliency strategies in these classes. These districts will need support from leaders and the State Departments of Education to reopen with this model. There are so many free and accessible resources for school districts that plan to use this guidance.

Here are just some examples of how a WSCC approach naturally facilitates reopening for healthy schools.

Physical Environment of the school, one of the 10 WSCC modules, is a primary concern for reopening. Active Wellness Teams using a WSCC approach have already been addressing this and most likely have been working with the custodial staff to address such issues of hand washing stations, air flow, cleaning products and services, etc. With a representative on the team, solutions for spacing, passing time through hallways, drinking fountains and much more can be thoughtfully planned by the necessary individuals already highly invested.

Representatives of Social and emotional school climate; Counseling, psychological and social services; and Employee Wellness, three other individual modules of WSCC typically represented on a Wellness Team, have been working to address the social and emotional health of students and employees throughout the year. A wellness team will need to continue their efforts to provide support for the mental health of staff and students while returning to learning and teaching after suffering from grief and loss and long periods of anxiety. The representatives of these modules would ensure that protocols are in place to address the mental health needs of the entire school community. They would also collaborate with the Health Educator to support or supplement the social emotional learning already taking place within the health classroom.

Physical Education and Physical Activity is typically represented by the Physical Education teacher on a WSCC team. The PE teacher often organizes field days and offers equipment for recess. Students are going to need to be physically active after such a long period without sports. They will also need instruction to develop physical literacy skills that can help them throughout their lifetime as physical activity helps boost immune defenses as well as emotional health. 

Teacher tip: 

• The physical educator can strategize creative ways to teach these physical skills with no equipment

• Educate staff on how to incorporate movement non-traditionally in order to allow students to continue to participate in recess. 

• Share the many SHAPE America resources on advocating for resources

Health Education is a necessary foundation for reopening schools with a focus on the whole child and school health. Students learn functional information about disease prevention and practice the skills necessary to stay health. They practice accessing valid health information on viruses like COVID-19 as well as stress management skills.

Teacher tip: 

• Consider sharing with your administration and board members this article on Health Education.

• Share examples of lessons on hand washing like these from ETR.

The remaining components of a WSCC approach, Nutrition environment and services, Health Services, Community Involvement, Family Engagement, are typically already represented on a WSCC team and can continue their work of recommending safe ways to deliver meals and effective ways to communicate with the families and the community.

Teacher Tip: 

• Consider advocating for student representation on your WSCC team.

The bottom line is that I really hope returning to school this fall does not become a deadly “I told you so” situation with districts enduring a Choose Your Own Adventure whether it’s a second deadly wave of COVID-19 cases, suicides, addiction, neglected trauma, etc. If HPE teachers lead the charge to empower a WSCC influenced wellness team, the chances of this happening lessen. In the very least, the district can account for having a student focused, multifaceted health and safety team in place to prevent such outcomes.