School system makes strides for better fitness

With Tennessee ranked fifth in the nation when it comes to obesity, the Warren County School Board has taken the lead when it comes to prevention by instituting a wellness policy for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.

A Wellness Committee was placed in charge of making the policy and presenting the policy to the board. After a few changes, the policy was passed.

The policy encourages students to receive 30 minutes of physical activity per day. State law only requires 90 minutes a week.

The policy will not require changes in school activities. According to Cheryl Kelley, director of the coordinated school health program, the board is asking teachers to think of ideas that can increase activity during school hours.

?We would like schools to sneak in physical activity throughout the day,? said Kelley. ?The state law will go into effect next year. We want our teachers to be aware of the law and go ahead and begin incorporating more physical activity during the school day.?

The hope for increasing physical activity in the schools is to gain more funding from the state. The logic is more funding for physical activities will translate into better physical fitness for Warren County students.

?Healthier students make better learners,? said Kelley. ?A child who is healthy can focus on learning if they feel good.?

To write the policy, committee members received input from teachers, parents and physicians, and attended training sessions. Committee members meet monthly and included Shannon Railing, Hilda Lytle, Amanda Jones, Sonja Walker, Kelley, Dr. Deborah Watlington, Jean Wix, Melissa Livesay and Tonya Swoape.