Policy
This is an H3
Districts adopting a sun safety policy is the first step to having more sun safe schools. Fortunately, your district has already adopted BP 5141.7 for sun safety. Now it is up to your school to interpret and implement the policy. In this section, you will find information that will walk you through the process of creating or amending a sun safety policy and implementation.
Follow these steps, adapted from the NASBE Fit Healthy and Ready to Learn School Policy Guide and USDA’s Team Nutrition, to create and implement a sun safety policy.
See Put It Into Practice at School for detailed strategies.
Initial Homework
Not sure what your first steps should be? more>>>
Assess Your School
Conduct a needs assessment of your district’s policy and procedures related to sun safety. more>>>
Identify a Team
Learn how to identify a team to help you implement your district sun safety policy. more>>>
Build Awareness and Support
A supportive district and school community is essential to developing and implementing a successful policy. more>>>
Maintain, Measure and Evaluate
Evaluate your efforts by completing an annual review of your school's and district’s progress towards sun safety. more>>>
According to NASBE, “Education polices are official statements of vision and judgment that address the needs of a state, districts, or school.” NASBE suggests that the development and implementation of policies are valuable for providing:
- Leadership: policies are the means by which authority and influence are expressed. They are the tangible results of leadership.
- Commitment: adoption of a policy is a declaration by decision makers that an issue is important and must be addressed.
- Support: teachers and administrators frequently cite the need for policies that endorse the value of their activities – so they can practice them with confidence.
- Direction: polices can drive change – or they can help keep the system on a steady course.
- Guidance: policies based on current scientific, medical and legal information can clarify issues for teachers and administrators and lay out options for action. Good policies anticipate challenging situations and can help prevent confusing or haphazard responses.
- Institutionalization: written policies can help integrate new programs and processes into ongoing school activities.
- Public Engagement: the policy adoption process can increase public knowledge about facts, issues, and applicable laws.
- Accountability: policies typically state who is responsible for doing what and how performance is measured.
- Legal Protection: sound policy helps to prevent abuses that are grounds for legal action.
Adapted from USDA Team Nutrition’s The Local Process: How to Create and Implement a Local Wellness Policy, and University of Southern California Prevention Solutions’ Alcohol & Drug Policy Resource Manual for Schools by Mary Ann Pentz, PhD. (Unpublished).
POLICY TIPS:
The CDC has developed a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) worksheet for evaluating school health programs.
