MSU Extension Champion School Wellness

All school districts that participate in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs are required to maintain a local school wellness policy and complete a formal review of it at least once every three years. This is called a Triennial Assessment. Under a federal regulation stated in a 2016 Final Rule, districts must take appropriate action to remain in compliance with the state and federal rules. Reasons to update or review a policy include:

• The school district is due for a Triennial Assessment.

• A school or district wants to establish an annual review process.

• A school or district desires to promote and help sustain healthy practices by including them in their wellness policy.

Naming the reason why change is needed is the first step toward building a stronger, more sustainable policy. It can be useful to look at your district’s current strengths, gaps, and priorities.

Use the Identify the Need guide and worksheet for suggested questions, ideas, and examples of how to clarify a specific need, why it matters, and what benefits it could have for staff, students, and community members.  

Strong wellness policies are built and maintained through shared leadership. Federal regulations require districts to include multiple people in wellness policy development, implementation, and review, called a “wellness committee.” A wellness committee represents diverse perspectives and should include decision makers and experts in nutrition, physical activity, and district wellness. Some districts have existing wellness committees or health teams that take on this work. Others will need to recruit and invite team members. This might include:

• District and building administrators

• Teachers and support staff, especially health and physical education teachers

• Food service team members

• Health staff (school nurses, aides)

• Parents

• Community partners

• Custodial staff

• Students

Identifying a “champion” can help move the work forward, especially when capacity is limited. Be prepared to explain why this process is important and what it might look like. Key questions for your team are:

• Who will lead and organize this work?

• What responsibilities does each person have?

• How will decisions be recorded?

• How will progress be shared with others who need to know?

• How will the work continue if members leave or new people join?

Use the Bring People Together guide and worksheet to identify people to include in your action team.  

Successful school districts often use a combination of assessment tools, facilitated planning processes, and ongoing wellness committee engagement to guide wellness policy work. Example goals that the district might want to focus on include:

• Evaluate and update wellness policies using the Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) and other tools.

• Align policy with daily practice and district planning.

• Engage families and community partners.

• Ensure policies meet federal and state requirements.

• Reflect current practices and highlight unique initiatives.

• Create and maintain an active wellness committee.

• Put the policy into action and document progress.

School districts in Michigan partnered with MSU Extension to reach many of these goals. They made a commitment to improving the wellbeing of their school communities in different ways. The examples of district-level change to create healthier school environments highlight what is possible through wellness policy work.

Use the Explore What’s Working guide and worksheet to guide you through this conversation. 

Once you have identified your needs and explored possible approaches, the resources below can help you complete required assessments, strengthen policy language, develop action plans, and document progress.

These tools reflect both Michigan-based work and trusted national guidance.

MSU Extension and Michigan-Based Resources

• Local School Wellness Policy Checklist and Timeline Tool (MSU Extension): Step-by-step tool for organizing assessment, review, and update activities. It helps teams stay on track and meet federal requirements.

• Michigan Department of Education Local School Wellness Policy Tools and Templates: Helps districts navigate the triennial process using state-specific tools and examples.

• MSU Extension School Wellness and Nutrition Resources: Articles and guidance supporting school wellness, nutrition, and physical activity. It builds background knowledge and provides inspiration for updated polices and practices.

National Resources

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Local School Wellness Policy Guidance: Federal guidance and tools for reviewing and updating wellness policies.

USDA Team Nutrition School Wellness Resources: Training, tools, and technical assistance to build wellness committees, and support policy development and implementation.

WellSAT (Wellness School Assessment Tool): Online tool for evaluating wellness policies and practices with additional helpful resources.

Using These Resources Together

Many districts use these tools in combination. For example, during the review, try:

• WellSAT to assess your current policy.

• Team Nutrition tools to guide action planning.

• MSU Extension LWP Toolkit to organize action steps and timelines.

• Michigan Department of Education resources to verify compliance.

Together, these resources support a structured, manageable approach to wellness policy improvement.

Use the Gather Resources question guide and worksheet to focus your goals and find reliable resources to help you implement your change. 

After identifying needs, building a team, exploring examples, and reviewing resources, the next step is to develop a clear, manageable plan. A strong plan focuses on one priority area at a time and outlines specific actions, timelines, and responsibilities. A helpful and free assessment tool to guide this process is the WellSAT Policy and Practice. To accomplish your goals, there are some important steps for reviewing or updating your wellness policy and completing the triennial assessment.

For reviewing or refreshing your wellness policy, consider these actions:

• Complete WellSAT Policy and Practice

• Make changes based on recommendations to the wellness policy

• Repeat WellSAT for changed sections

For completing a Triennial Assessment, consider the above steps as well as:

• Complete the WellSAT Triennial Assessment guide

• Use data collected to complete Triennial Assessment using state tools

• Work with administrators to post the updated wellness policy and WellSAT results to publicly available resources (website, newsletter, etc.)

Use the Make A Plan and Act guide and worksheet to map out an action plan and identify simple steps to start.

Regular review and reflection of wellness policy updates help districts track progress, identify gaps, and prepare for future assessments and reporting. Guiding questions include:

• What stood out while reviewing the WellSAT policy and practice?

• What was challenging about this process? What was enjoyable?

• What was learned while updating the wellness policy?

• What should be prioritized next?

Districts are encouraged to maintain records of assessments, meeting notes, action plans, and policy updates. Sharing progress with staff, families, school boards, and community partners builds trust and reinforces wellness priorities. It is federally required to publicly post the final wellness policy.

Updating or reviewing the wellness policy should be included in a long-term review process, such as at wellness committee meetings or board meetings. By revisiting the policy each year, updates will be easier to complete, and the work will be more manageable. Determine how your district will continue to make wellness policy work a priority in the future.

Use the Reflect and Share guide and worksheet to help with this step.