BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) — Palm Beach County Schools are among the healthiest in the state, at least according to a self-test administered by the school district and submitted to a state board.
The details in this media advisory from the Palm Beach County School District:
The School District of Palm Beach County has achieved the prestigious status of a Florida Healthy School District at the Gold level. The Florida Coordinated School Health Partnership (CSHP) and Florida Action for Healthy Kids recently recently made the announcement. Until this year, no Florida districts were able to meet the stringent criteria to achieve this honor. The School District of Palm Beach County is one of only three districts to achieve this high level. In announcing the honor in a letter to School Board Chairman Frank Barbieri and Superintendent Wayne Gent, Karen Pesce with the Coordinated School Health Partnership wrote, “This is a tremendous tribute to the administration and staff of your district.”
The criterion for recognition as a Florida Healthy School District is the Florida Healthy School District (FHSD) Self-Assessment Tool. This tool was developed by experts from state agencies, school districts, and community partner organizations working together through the Florida Coordinated School Health Partnership. The self-assessment is based on the eight component areas of the Coordinated School Health model and focuses on district infrastructure, policy, programs, and practices identified from national and state guidelines, best practices, and Florida statutes.
“Based on the information provided in your district’s submission, it is apparent that The School District of Palm Beach County is performing as a leader in the state as a result of the well established district infrastructure and component area strengths,” wrote Ms. Pesce. Recognition achievement levels are based on the overall assessment score and include three categories: Gold at 85%-100%; Silver 67%-85%; and Bronze 42%-66%. The School District of Palm Beach County had an overall score of 88.6%. In the component areas, Palm Beach had strong scores in each component area: Health Education (90%); Physical Education (80%); Health Services (90%); Nutrition Services and Education (70%); Health Promotion for Staff (90%); Counseling Psychological and Social Services (80%); Healthy School Environment (100%); and Family and Community Involvement (90%).
The School District of Palm Beach County is an active member of the Healthy District Collaborative (HDC). The HDC is a group of districts that have made a high level commitment to meeting the health needs of students and staff in order to remove barriers to learning and maximize district resources. The Department of Education, Office of Healthy Schools and Department of Health, Bureau of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion facilitate quarterly calls, and work with other CSHP members to identify training and resources to support district efforts to achieve the highest standards and sustain effective policies and practices.
