School health councils are an important means for parents to ensure that their schools promote student health. PTA showed its support for parents this past June by adopting a resolution at its national convention designed to do the following:
- Encourage schools to develop school health councils to foster the connection between good health and learning.
- Support health education efforts throughout the entire school, including in cafeteria offerings and physical education programs.
- Encourage collaboration with health-related organizations to assist in the development and activities of school health councils.
Pennsylvania PTA, which proposed the resolution, took action, offering "how-to" workshops and health and nutrition information. Pennsylvania PTA President, Christine Munchak, has noticed that many efforts succeed when parents have initiated the process and have remained involved. However, one of the obstacles Pennsylvania PTA Health Education Coordinator Theresa Mucciolo has seen in establishing school health councils is the lack of parent involvement on councils.
"Many school health councils are looking for parents, but parents should be looking for them," says Mucciolo.
For more information about school health and wellness, go to the National PTA website's Health and Wellness section. For more information about school health councils, take a look at the American Cancer Society's A Guide to Community-School Health Councils as well as information in the Action for Healthy Kids' Resources to Improve Schools database.
