'School Health Plan\r'

' tame wellness courses atomic feeling 18 becoming much and much popular as wellness concerns grow. Students necessitate to be aw ar at younger ages of the concerns that face our society, and the ship whoremasteral that they rotter combat these concerns by dint of crowd outdid wellness familiarity. Several aim districts earn implemented general wellness classs and programs, and mevery a(prenominal) states form standards regarding health training. The sideline holds detail different health programs and concerns. In Michigan, in that location exists state content standards in the land of health reproductional activity.\r\nThe Michigan curriculum c solely(a)s for health education to find at least 50 hours per year from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, with a curriculum that is developmentally discriminate at every level and builds on sk autistics and association separately year. Further, it calls for cultivate staff to collaborate on health y behaviors with the instruct day health watcher, so that health can be a priority at bottom the coach. The article suggests that classroom teachers, gym teachers, cafeteria workers, classroom teachers, and former(a) professionals work to overhearher to help savants with healthy behaviors and knowledge (Michigan Board).\r\nthither is a general concern that although students’ edematous behaviors ar fewer than they previously were, there atomic number 18 still too many students who argon kind in these unhealthy behaviors. The target behaviors the program is spirit at are healthy have, physical activity, social/communication, sexual behavior, inebriant and drugs. The program aims to teach students proper(postnominal) knowledge more or less how certain behaviors can be harmful, and how they can make healthier choices. It in addition aims to teach them general health principles and how to apply these in social, cultivatedays, and family relationships (Michigan Board).\r\nThis curriculum is to be taught by qualified health instructors. A qualified teacher will concord a certification in health education or family and consumer science, in step-up to a teaching license, and/or will micturate undergone a nonher type of cultivation program. The teacher will non act alone, alone will collaborate with new(prenominal) teachers in the structure in order to incorporate healthy choices into all aspects of the school day. The article is tradeful to say that this collaboration must not take the place of health classes, only must be in addition to them (Michigan Board).\r\nThe article’s research steers that students who are snarly in effective health classes put down fewer risk behaviors and more pro-social behaviors. They are as well more on-task in the school environment and less possible to be distracted by health problems (Michigan Board). cardinal professors of health education wrote an example lesson syllabus for integrat ion health into the math curriculum. Students can learning the number of fruit and veget equal to(p) servings unavoidablenessed in a day, and can practice adding and subtracting the number of servings needed depending on how many withstand been eaten so far.\r\nThey can also look at what constitutes a serving, and some(prenominal) elemental nutritional education about different fruits and vegetables. This lesson neatly involves both math and nutrition, and ends with students being able to discernment fruits and vegetables that they piss brought in from home. Lessons give care this can be gived to integrate health into any subject area (James and Adams). Different student groups have different needfully, and educators have different concerns for them. For example, students with special needs whitethorn have certain dental concerns that typical students bust’t have.\r\nStudents with disabilities may experience drooling, teeth grinding, problems swallowing, or have to take a lot of sugary medication. There are several other oral issues that may affect them as well, depending on the disability. What’s more, these students may not have the comprehension, or physical skills to convey in typical oral hygiene, and their armorial bearingtakers may not bet it as a priority. For that reason, health teachers need to emphasize the intention that oral hygiene plays for these students, and aid either them or their misgivinggivers to help them maintain good oral health, as appropriate.\r\nHealth teachers can also help these students to obtain proper dental negociate and, if incumbent, orthodontic guard (Perlman and Miller). The authors outline a program that can be implemented for each student to encourage good oral hygiene. Students should be habituated reinforcers when they complete the target behaviors, i. e. brushing, flossing, and so on This plan can be implemented in a word form of ways to encourage good oral health (Perlman and M iller). Other states have different issues with health care. Texas, for example, has been having problems salaried for teachers’ health plans.\r\nThey have recently begun offering teachers an supererogatory $1000 that can be used for additional health care coverage, or whatever else they want. This is hardly one measure that is necessary to help the mint make good health decisions. Having enough specie to pay for health costs will enable people to have more options (Keller). Texas is not the all state that is having problems, however. Many school districts are having issues in negotiations over health care, including districts in Ohio, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, and New Jersey.\r\n bullion is tight in all of these districts, and teachers in some cases are going on strike to protect their rights to health care and appropriate salaries. Funding is a serious issue in the area of health care right now (Ponessa). Another study concern in the area of health is that juvenile agers don’t have enough access to health care, especially halt go. A recent article details the problems. Students whose families do not have health insurance cannot afford to see regular doctors.\r\n steady though who do see regular doctors are at a possible disadvantage, because the doctors are not trained to handle actual preventative care, such as burden loss focal point, cholesterol step-down counsel, sexual health screenings (including for STDs and more routine boob smears for women), quitting smoking, and HIV awareness. Doctors address these issues in less than 5% of cases in which students go to the doctor for preventative care purposes (Santelli et al). Additionally, jejuneagers do have access to certain specialised clinics, like humankind health clinics, envisionned Parenthood, etcetera\r\nEven teens without insurance can go see doctors at these places, but again, preventative care is rare. Also, many of these clinics are set up for adults, and may not b e friendly to the teens who enter them. Instead, more health care options need to be available to teenagers so that they can take advantage of preventative care and make healthy decisions with their doctors. Teens see doctors as a reliable source of information, and they trust doctors, so it is straightforward that doctors need to be involved in this pip (Santelli et al).\r\nIdeally, the authors think, schools should yield health services, because: â€Å"School health programs erect health services, health education, a healthy school environment, social and psychological services, physical education programs, school nutrition program, health promotion for teachers and staff, and integrated efforts with parents and the confederation” (Santelli et al). That is, schools can show a totally omnibus(prenominal) program, which reaches out to all aspects of a student’s life. School-based programs can ontogenesis access to health services for students who need them most , including poor and minority students.\r\nThere is not yet any consensus on how and why schools should provide these services, but the opportunities and benefits are unmistakable. In addition to stint certain populations of students, schools also feature a absorbed environment for students. This connotes that the delivery of services is easier, since students are already there, and spend several hours in school free-and-easy. For students who may live several miles from the nearest public clinic, school-based services are much more convenient, and much more likely to draw students in (Santelli et al). The study then looks at which health programs are effective, and why.\r\nSchools and managed care operations will not want to provide services if they are not cost effective, so the study of benefits is important. One finding is that traditional comprehend and vision screening is not particularly beneficial, as these conditions are not considered a threat to the school populatio n. However, newer research shows that when schools attempt to vaccinate students, they are able to get up to 75% to participate. Along these lines, should a contagious disease (like measles) break out among students, schools can quickly identify the source, and vaccinate and/or overcompensate students to stop the spread.\r\nAdditionally, there is some evidence that STD screenings and pregnancy-prevention education has castrated the spread of STDs and the number of teen pregnancies. The authors pep up that local public health concerns be interpreted into account when schools are choosing what services to provide (Santelli et al). Schools and managed care organizations continue to be concerned with cost. Because no confessedly studies on cost force are available, researchers have had to look at how well programs have do in changing behaviors. Also, health expenditures for major issues, like hospitalizations related to chronic conditions or STDs, pregnancy, etc. ay mean that orga nizations cannot stretch funding to provide appropriate preventative care, even after acknowledging that doing so may reduce these costs. So, further research on cost effectiveness and ways to treat adolescents is needed (Santelli et al). Examples of communities where health programs have been put in place successfully are possibly among the most encouraging stories available. A community in Michigan had low attendance range and examine scores, and gamy dropout, teen crime, teen pregnancy, and abeyance rates.\r\nTheir goal was to turn the school community around. To do so, they consulted community members, and ultimately settled on a plan that reflected Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. They offered separate school lunches, more physical education, more health education, counseling services, health screenings and partnerships with local doctors, free daycare for teen parents, and preschool programs for three and four year olds. Over a five year period, the school saw a signi ficant rise in attendance and graduation, and a significant drop in crime rates, dropout rates, and more.\r\n try on scores rose as well, because students were feeling better and were better cared for at bottom the school. This community shows that by stress on the students’ real needs instead of test scores, they were able to improve the quality of their programs and their positive effect on students’ lives (Cooper). The final article looks at how to create a health plan within a school, specifically relating to individual student needs. Many students have chronic health concerns, such as epilepsy or diabetes.\r\nIn treating student health concerns, schools must be aware of any existing medical conditions their students have, and be prepared to treat them as needed. This includes administering any necessary medication, as well as knowing any specialized emergency procedures (EP). II. School Health Plan In developing a health plan for my own school create, I am loo king to all of this research to see what is appropriate. First of all, it is obvious that the school needs a health program, because these show a significant benefit to students at all levels and in all areas of their lives †social, academic, health-wise, etc.\r\nWhen proposing this plan to school employees, the board of education, and the community, I will refer to these studies to show the need for such a plan. First, all students within the school need to have health education on a continuing basis. That is, health education should ideally be offered for about ninety legal proceeding per week (three thirty-minute sessions) throughout the school year. In secondary schools, where schedules are more limited, health education should be offered everyday for one semester per year. Health classes will amaze in kindergarten and carry through twelfth grade.\r\nTopics are to include current nutritional guidelines, selecting and preparing healthy meals, the role of physical educatio n in health, anti-smoking, anti-drugs, frank information about teen sex and its consequences (to include HIV, all other STDs, pregnancy, and also social/emotional concerns), alcoholic beverage consumption, pro-social behavior, eating disorders, and any other community concerns. No students should be excused from these classes unless parents insist on religious grounds. Additionally, all students should attend physical education everyday from kindergarten through twelfth grade.\r\nYounger students need solo twenty minutes; older students (middle school and high school) should have thirty minutes. Physical education must cover not only the basic sports, but also alternative fitness activities, like weight lifting, swimming (if there is access to a pool), walking, cardio equipment, etc. Physical education should take into account each student’s needs whenever possible (i. e. if a student is already physically fit, more opportunities can be given; if a student is overweight, st arting signal slow should be allowed).\r\nPhysical education teachers should arrange with coaches of intramural teams, and encourage all students to participate. Some of these teams should be non-competing. The school should also offer health and counseling services. All students should be screened for any diseases that are ventilation within the community (STDs, meningitis, pertussis, etc. as necessary) and immunise if appropriate. Students should also be offered the opportunity to see the school nurse (one should be in every building; ideally, one per every 400 students) if they are ill or have other health concerns.\r\n prohibitory care should be emphasized and available, especially for athletes. charge should be available for any students with concerns about eating disorders, suicide, depression, relationship difficulties, abuse, unwanted pregnancy, or any other reason. Students should be encouraged to seek help if they need it, and if other students report that someone need s help, counselors should hook up with up with that student within the week. Anonymous describe should be available for students who are concerned about others. Special programs for students who are seeking to quit smoking, alcohol or drugs, or who are pregnant should be provided.\r\nIf possible, free daycare should be provided to keep teen parents in schools. Finally, any and all students who have health concerns or preexisting conditions should be able to get whatever help they need, whether it’s a perm bathroom or nurse pass, or schedule times during the day to take medication. All school personnel involved with the child (classroom teacher, nurse, special teachers, etc. ) should be aware of the student’s health concerns, including emergency procedures and allergies. With this plan in place, students should have their needs met in all different ways, and this will increase their focus in the classroom setting.\r\n'