School Health

Air Quality

• Resources on Air Quality & Ventilation in America's K-12 Schools

  • ED COVID-19 Handbook Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs (ED)

  • Ventilation in Schools and Child Care Programs (CDC)

  • Ventilation in Buildings (CDC)

  • Upper-Room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) (CDC)

  • Creating Healthy Indoor Air Quality in Schools (EPA)

  • Framework for Effective School IAQ Management (EPA)

  • Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Action Kit (EPA)

  • Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools Preventive Maintenance Guidance Documents (EPA)

  • Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools On-Demand Training Webinars (EPA)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• Adolescent and School Health

• Coronavirus

• Ebola Information

  • Key Messages - Ebola Virus Disease - West Africa (Nov. 2014)

• Extreme Heat

  • Information about staying safe in hot weather.

• Food Allergies in Schools

  • Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education Programs (Published - Nov. 2013)

  • CSSRC Staff Review - Nov. 2013

• Health and Academics

  • This webpage provides a synthesis of evidence showing that the health of students is linked to their academic achievement.

  • Includes both Data & Statistics and Publications & Resources.

• Local School Wellness Policy

  • A local school wellness policy (wellness policy) is a written document that guides a local educational agency or school district's efforts to create supportive school nutrition and physical activity environments. Each local education agency participating in the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program is required to develop and implement a wellness policy as established by the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, and more recently by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA).

• Meningococcal Disease

  • The illness most people are familiar with is meningococcal meningitis, which people sometimes just call meningitis. This usually means the lining of the brain and spinal cord have become infected with these bacteria.

  • Look here for information about the disease, vaccinations, and outbreaks.

• Parent Engagement: Strategies for Involving Parents in School Health

  • Released in 2012 by the CDC.

  • These resources, which include a facilitator's guide for school staff development, PowerPoint® slides, and fact sheets for school administrators, school staff, and parents, define and describe parent engagement in schools and identify specific strategies and actions that schools can take to increase parent engagement.

• Positive Parenting Practices

  • Assistance for parents in matters including: parental monitoring, fathers' influence, and parents' influence

• Protect the Ones You Love: Child Injuries are Preventable

  • In an effort to raise parents' awareness about the leading causes of child injury in the United States and how they can be prevented, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched the Protect the Ones You Love initiative.

  • Learn more about the steps you can take to prevent the leading causes of child injury:, Burns, Falls, Road Traffic Injuries, Suffocation, Drownings, Poisonings, Sports Injuries, Tools and Resources

• School Health

  • Created by the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH).

  • This is a user-friendly web tool to help school health professionals and other school district staff easily locates all of CDC's school health services resources in one location. It contains CDC fact sheets, protocols, guidelines, research and survey information, and health topic overviews into a centralized, searchable tool.

  • School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity

• School Health Index (SHI)

  • Created by the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH).

  • First released in 2000, the SHI is a self-assessment and planning tool that schools can use to improve their health and safety policies and programs.

  • What's new in the SHI 2012 edition? SHI 2012 features:

    • Expanded focus that adds sexual health to the SHI health topics addressed, including policies and practices that schools can follow to help prevent HIV, STDs, and teen pregnancies.

    • Revised cross-cutting modules on family and community involvement, health services, and mental health services.

    • Updated nutrition content aligned with USDA requirements and recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.

• School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS)

  • The School Health Policies and Practices Study is a national survey periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels.

  • Topics covered include: health education, physical education, health services, mental health and social services, nutrition services, safe and health school environment, and faculty and staff health promotion.

  • Results from the School Health Policies and Practices Study 2012 (Published - 2013)

  • Trends over Time: 2000-2012

• Seasonal Influenza (Flu) Information for Schools and Child Care Providers

  • Preparing for the Flu (Including 2009 H1N1 Flu): A Communication Toolkit for Schools (Grades K-12) (Published 2009)

• Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC): A Collaborative Approach to Learning & Health

Colorado Department of Education (CDE)

• Colorado Green Ribbon Schools

  • Green Ribbon Schools sets a standard of excellence for all schools to become energy efficient and healthy learning spaces that provide environmental education. National studies and existing green schools programs indicate that the benefits of the Green Ribbon Schools program will include increased energy cost savings, improved student and staff health and productivity, enhanced critical thinking skills, improved student performance, reduced behavioral problems and increased student engagement, particularly in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.

• Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC)

  • CDE provides state and federal funding, training, and technical assistance to schools to prevent risk behavior, serve at-risk students and their families, and promote positive health and behavior.

• Health and PE Standards for Colorado Schools

  • Released by the Colorado Department of Education Academic Standards for Comprehensive Health & Physical Education

Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF)

• Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+)

• Medicaid Provider Search

• School-Based Health Center Improvement Project (SHCIP)

• School Health Services Program

Colorado Education Initiative

• The Colorado Education Initiative is an independent non-profit that collaborates with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE), schools and districts across the state to accelerate achievement for all Colorado students.

• Health and Wellness

Colorado State University (CSU)

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Schools

  • Information provided by Colorado State University (CSU)

  • IPM, or Integrated Pest Management, helps maintain a safe and healthy environment for students and staff and reduces exposure to potentially harmful chemicals. IPM emphasizes long-term prevention of pest problems.

  • Integrated Pest Management in Schools: Its Role in Improving Academic Achievement (Published 2012 by CSU and EPA)

  • Keep Colorado Schools Pest Free flyer

  • Keep Colorado Schools Pest Free poster

Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado

• Learning and School Performance

  • Look here for information for the whole school community about addressing the needs of students with epilepsy. You can also request a no-cost training at your school. Topics include general epilepsy and seizure awareness, seizure first aid, and acceptance of people who experience seizures.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• Vaccines for Children - A Guide for Parents and Caregivers
  • Learn more about the benefits and risks associated with vaccines, the types of vaccines routinely administered for children, and the steps to take when your child is vaccinated.

Food Safety.gov

• Back to school food safety toolkit. Information for parents, students, and school personnel on food preparation, storage, and service.

Journal of Adolescent Health

• Do Health and Education Agencies in the United States Share Responsibility for Academic Achievement and Health? A Review of 25 Years of Evidence About the Relationship of Adolescents - Academic Achievement and Health Behaviors

  • Published in the Journal of Adolescent Health (Jan. 2013)

  • The study found that 96.6% of studies reported statistically significant inverse relationships between health risk behaviors and academic achievement. Health risk behaviors included violence, tobacco use, alcohol and other drug use, sexual behaviors contributing to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, inadequate physical activity and unhealthy dietary behaviors. The study highlights the importance of leaders in education and health working together to make wise investments in our nation's school-aged youth that will benefit the entire population.

  • Easy to Read Summary (Published by the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors)

Mayo Clinic

• First Aid for Choking

  • Steps provided by the Mayo Clinic on how to respond to someone who is choking on an object lodged in their windpipe.

• Safe at School and Ready to Learn: A Comprehensive Policy Guide for Protecting Students with Life-Threatening Food Allergies

  • Released by the National School Boards Association (NSBA) and funded by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

  • This guide is designed to help school leaders and schools establish comprehensive policies and practices that support the safety, well-being, and academic success of students with life-threatening food allergies. The publication focuses on the need for schools to partner with families and healthcare providers in identifying and preparing management plans for students with food allergies. Further, it provides information on following medication protocols, using a coordinated system to prevent and respond to food allergy-related emergencies across the school environment, communicating with and educating parents, students, and school personnel, and monitoring and evaluating policies and practices.

  • National School Boards Association Food Allergy Site

National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)

• Anaphylaxis and Schools: Developing Policies for Treating Students with Severe Allergic Reactions

  • Published November 2013 by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)

  • This guide is designed to help state boards explore anaphylaxis and epinephrine policies.

National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA/NIH)

• Food Allergy Book: What School Employees Need to Know | en Espaol

  • Published in 2012 by the National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA NIH).

  • This booklet is designed to educate all school employees about food allergies and how they can help to prevent and respond to food allergic reactions in schools. The booklet is free, offered in English and Spanish, and is available in print and online. This booklet will give you information on what to do when a student is having a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction and will explain how you can help prevent reactions in your school.

One Colorado

• Facing Barriers: Experiences of LGBT People of Color in Colorado

  • Published by One Colorado in October 2013.

  • This report, which was developed by analyzing data from prior studies of LGBT Coloradans, shows in very clear ways the overwhelming challenges that LGBT people of color face in fulfilling life's opportunities - with a greater chance of meeting bias and victimization at every turn.

Rocky Mountain Research and Prevention Institute(RMRPI)

• Colorado Kids First Campaign

  • Initiative by Dr. Lisa founded in 2002, the Rocky Mountain Research & Prevention Institute (RMRPI) a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that strives to keep people healthy and safe in the Rocky Mountain region and its Colorado Kids 1st license plate initiative serves as a funding resource for child health and safety programs. The Colorado Kids 1st license plate was Dr. Lisa's brainchild to promote public awareness and become a sustainable funding source for RMRPI's grant recipients.

  • Join the email list to receive the Colorado Kids First newsletter

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

• SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.

  • CSSRC Staff Review Dec. 2013

• Talking with Children: Tips for Caregivers, Parents & Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks (Oct. 2014)

US Department of Agriculture

• Food Safety for Schools

  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers this website to help with preventing and mitigating school food crisis events.

  • Food Safety Resources by Topic

  • Food Safety Resources from the Healthy Meals Resource System, Healthy Meals Resource System (HMRS)

  • Local School Wellness Policy Assistance

    • Each local educational agency that participates in the National School Lunch Program or other federal Child Nutrition programs is required by federal law to establish a local school wellness policy for all schools under its jurisdiction.

  • School Nutrition Environment and Wellness Resources, Healthy Meals Resource System (HMRS)

U.S. Department of Education

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