School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)

Agenda

Download the September Meeting Agenda

Location:
Superintendent’s Conference Room 5055
8115 Gatehouse Road 
Falls Church, Virginia 22042

Minutes

Download the September Meeting Minutes

Call to Order meeting at 7:08 pm. Called to order by Lea Skurpski.

Public Comment

• No Public Comment

Welcome and Introductions of Committee Members

Co-Chairs from SY 23-24 (Kelly Fernandez and Robert Goldel) helped with the development of this evening’s tonight’s agenda as co-chairs had not yet been elected for SY24-25. Introductions among attendees.

Review of SY24-25 Committee Charge

Lea Skurpski reviewed the SHAC charge for SY 24-25 and shared how this will drive the work of the committee for this year. The charge was read into record for the group.

Election of SY24-25 Chair/Co-Chair

Lea Skurpski provided an explanation of how the committee functions according to Robert’s Rules of Order, voting and advisory roles, and how we plan to work together for this school year. The SHAC public webpage was shared as a resource for committee members and for the public.

Role of the Co-Chairs described by Lea Skurpski, Brenda Silvia-Torma, Ilana Yergin-Doniger, and Robert Goldel.

• Kelly Fernandez was nominated and declined. 
• Jen Steiner was nominated and declined.
• Katie Moyer was nominated by Ilana Yergin-Doniger and seconded by Kelly Fernandez. Nomination accepted.
• Keena McAvoy nominated by Robert Goldel, second by Tuc Nguyen. Nomination accepted.
• Robert Goldel nominated by Tuc Nguyen, seconded by David Behar. Nomination accepted.

Ilana Yergin-Doniger shared nomination concerns related to SY23-24. Ilana then made a motion to elect Keena McAvoy and Katie Moyer as Co-Chairs for SY24-25. Motion seconded by Brenda Silvia-Torma. Keena McAvoy and Katie Moyer were elected as Co-Chairs; approved by a majority of 16 votes with three abstentions. 

Approval of Prior Minutes- April and May 2024

Jen Steiner made a motion to approve the April minutes. Seconded by Brenda Silvia-Torma. The minutes were approved by a majority of 17 votes with one abstention.

Jen Steiner made a motion to approve the May minutes. Seconded by Ilana Yergin-Doniger. Motion passed with unanimous consent.

Approval of Meeting Schedule for SY24-25

The drafted meeting schedule was reviewed by the committee. Proposed dates included November 13, December 11, January 15, February 19, March 19, April 16 and May 21. The October 16 meeting was meeting was added to the proposed dates listed on the agenda. 

Brenda Silvia-Torma made a motion to approve the dates listed with the exception of April 16 being changed to April 23. Kelly Fernandez seconded the motion. Motion passed with unanimous consent.

FCPS Updates

Wellness Reporting- SY2023-24 Wellness Reporting has been completed and is available for the public at https://www.fcps.edu/community-resources/mental-health-and-well-being/wellness-leadership/wellness-reporting. This includes reporting from each school in the division.

This year, FCPS also had to complete the 2021-2024 Triennial Wellness Assessment, as required by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). The FCPS Triennial Wellness Assessment is available for the public at  https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2024-06/wellness-triennial-assessment-21-24.pdf and from our Wellness Reporting webpage. This information will also be shared with the public in our upcoming Fall Wellness Newsletter in September.

Cell Phone Policy and Pilot Program Update-FCPS' cell phone expectations for students help foster engagement, learning, and positive social behavior in the classroom. The FCPS usage policy is available at:  https://www.fcps.edu/cell-phone-policy.

Young people report that they have difficulty self-regulating their own technology use, even when it gets in the way of socializing, school or home obligations, or getting a good night's sleep. Educators and mental health professionals advise that students who don’t use their phones to communicate during the school day.

FCPS encourages families to talk to their student about the FCPS cell phone policy and support their student by:

• Contacting the school’s front office (rather than the student directly) if there is a family emergency.
• Only communicating about non-urgent matters before or after the school day.
• Waiting to respond to non-urgent texts from students until the school day is over.

The usage policies apply to all FCPS students, with the exception of schools participating in the school year 2024-25 cell phone storage pilot program. More information on the storage pilot program can be found here.

Pilot Program- Starting school year 2024-25, select middle and high schools at FCPS. The purpose of the pilot program is to create a more engaged learning environment for students, free of distraction from cell phones and social media. Studies show that students who use their cell phones during instructional time focus less, learn less, and achieve lower grades. More information is available at https://www.fcps.edu/cell-phone-storage.

Middle Schools- Middle school students will receive a locked storage pouch, called a Yondr pouch. The pouch is magnetic and stops students from using their phones, including for social media and text messages/phone calls. Each student is responsible for their own personal pouch and will bring it to school each day. Phones stay in the pouch for the entire school day.

Pilot Schools: Frost Middle School, Irving Middle School, Jackson Middle School, Poe Middle School, Robinson Middle School, Thoreau Middle School , Twain Middle School

High Schools- High school students will place their cell phones in central storage units located in each classroom during class time only. 

Pilot Schools: Edison High School, Falls Church High School, Justice High School, Lewis High School, Madison High School, McLean High School, Robinson High School, Westfield High School

Members of the community may provide feedback on the cell phone policy at https://www.fcps.edu/submit-cell-phone-policy-feedback

New Business

Robert Goldel made a motion for a presentation by FCPS staff at October meeting on school wellness survey and youth survey information. Jen Steiner seconded the motion. The motion passed with unanimous consent.

The committee discussed the option for virtual meetings. It was share that new VA legislation passed in July 2024 allowing the option for additional virtual meetings, up to 50% of total meetings. A drafted policy will be shared with the committee during the October meeting for the committee to review and vote on.

Review of SHAC Members Survey Results

Robert Goldel reviewed the results of the SHAC Members survey.

Closing Remarks

Kelly Fernandez made a motion to adjourn. Brenda Silvia-Torma seconded the motion. Unanimously approved. Meeting adjourned at 9:01 pm following a motion of unanimous consent.

Agenda

Download the October Meeting Agenda

Location:
Superintendent’s Conference Room 5055
8115 Gatehouse Road
Falls Church, Virginia 22042

Minutes

Download the October Meeting Minutes

Key: P= Present      A= Absent

Call to Order meeting called to order by: 
Keena McAvoy at 7:06pm; seconded by: Anne Smith
Meeting called to order at 7:06pm.

Public Comment

• No Public Comment

Minutes changes for September: Yondr phone stays in the pouch for the entire school day. Keena McAvoy made a motion to add statement “Middle school students place phones in the pouch for the school day.” Robert Goldel. seconded it. Motion unanimously passed.

Add “during class time only” at the end of statement “High school students will place their cell phones in central storage units located in each classroom.”  Motion made by Keena McAvoy and seconded Marija Mladenovic. Motion unanimously passed.

Marija made a motion to approve the minutes with these revisions, Keena McAvoy seconded it. Motion unanimously passed. 

FCPS Updates

Lea Skurpski shared the following updates.

Wellness Reporting
SY2023-24 Wellness Reporting has been completed and is available for the public at https://www.fcps.edu/community-resources/mental-health-and-well-being/wellness-leadership/wellness-reporting. This includes reporting from each school in the division. 

This year, FCPS also had to complete the 2021-2024 Triennial Wellness Assessment, as required by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE). The FCPS Triennial Wellness Assessment is available for the public at  https://www.fcps.edu/system/files/forms/2024-06/wellness-triennial-assessment-21-24.pdf and from our Wellness Reporting webpage. This information will also be shared with the public in our upcoming Fall Wellness Newsletter.

Cell Phone Policy and Pilot Program Update
Cell phone pilot program: The equity office provided the responses to our questions. The responses below were provided to SHAC on September 19, 2024

FCPS' cell phone expectations for students help foster engagement, learning, and positive social behavior in the classroom. The FCPS usage policy is available at:  https://www.fcps.edu/cell-phone-policy.

Young people report that they have difficulty self-regulating their own technology use, even when it gets in the way of socializing, school or home obligations, or getting a good night's sleep. Educators and mental health professionals advise that students who don’t use their phones to communicate during the school day.

FCPS encourages families to talk to their student about the FCPS cell phone policy and support their student by:

• Contacting the school’s front office (rather than the student directly) if there is a family emergency.
• Only communicating about non-urgent matters before or after the school day. 
• Waiting to respond to non-urgent texts from students until the school day is over.

The usage policies apply to all FCPS students, with the exception of schools participating in the school year 2024-25 cell phone storage pilot program. More information on the storage pilot program can be found on the FCPS Cell Phone Storage page.

Pilot Program
Starting school year 2024-25, select middle and high schools at FCPS. The purpose of the pilot program is to create a more engaged learning environment for students, free of distraction from cell phones and social media. Studies show that students who use their cell phones during instructional time focus less, learn less, and achieve lower grades. More information is available at https://www.fcps.edu/cell-phone-storage.

Middle Schools 
Middle school students will receive a locked storage pouch, called a Yondr pouch. The pouch is magnetic and stops students from using their phones, including for social media and text messages/phone calls. Each student is responsible for their own personal pouch and will bring it to school each day.

Pilot Schools: Frost Middle School, Irving Middle School, Jackson Middle School, Poe Middle School, Robinson Middle School, Thoreau Middle School , Twain Middle School

High Schools 
High school students will place their cell phones in central storage units located in each classroom. 

Pilot Schools: Edison High School, Falls Church High School, Justice High School, Lewis High School, Madison High School, McLean High School, Robinson High School, Westfield High School

Members of the community may provide feedback on the cell phone policy at https://www.fcps.edu/submit-cell-phone-policy-feedback

SHAC committee members were also reminded to send communications/resources that they would like to be shared with the entire group to the co-chairs, not to the group at large. 

Virtual meeting policy for SHAC 24-25. 
A drafted policy was shared with the group. Discussion was held and included the following:

• Under letter A1, all virtual meetings will be allowed in the following circumstances. Does allow for committees to meet virtually up to 50% of time. 
• Committee would have to look at the drafted language in the policy. Specific sections in the policy that were highlighted in the document are the only ones we can alter. 
• SHAC will all have to agree on the policy, unanimously approve the policy during a public meeting and this would be required each year. We will need to have notes clearly captured.
• We can approve remote meetings for inclement weather—we can have a Virtual Meeting. This would require an option for livestreaming so that the meeting can be made available to the public. If schools and offices are closed, there were questions about staff being available to support this requirement on short notice. 
• All virtual meetings shall be allowed only in the following circumstances. 
  • Committee agreed to all the drafted language in this section, except for the fourth bullet:
    • When more than three (3) voting members, or a quorum, if less than three (3), individually request to participate remotely on the same scheduled meeting date.  
  • VOTE: Approve keeping all circumstances listed in III-A-1, with the exception of the fourth bullet (as noted above). Motion: Keena McAvoy, Second: Katie Moyer, Vote: All in favor—unanimously passed.
• We need to include the reason for why we are having a virtual meeting—Katie mentioned this. 
• C.111.1: Recommended to revise policy language to read: “For a committee member to appear remotely under this Section, the member shall submit the request to the Committee Chair at least 24 hours in advance of the regularly scheduled in person via email.” 
  • Motion: Keena McAvoy; Second Motion: Luke Han; Vote: Motion passed, unanimously approved. 
• Recommend revise policy language to read: The committee chair shall approve or deny the request within 12 hours of receipt via email 
  • Motion: Katie Moyer Seconded: Keena McAvoy Vote: Motion passed, unanimously approved.   

FCPS Wellness Survey and Youth Survey Presentation: 
Presented by Kristy Vitter and Bethany Demers. Handout is provided with detailed notes about the surveys.

• How schools are doing in terms of implementing the school wellness program and policy. It is to be a useful tool for school divisions. 11 areas of health, wellness and nutrition are addressed.
• Evaluate the goals that we have set to make sure they are measurable and achievable. Practices should become an embedded parr of the school and school culture. Staff, families, and communities the schools serve.
• Survey happens every year in March and April. 
• 22 questions, 11 topics.  
• FCPS does this survey more frequently than is required by the Healthy-Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA). They do it annually instead of triennially (as required by the law).
• Middle School and Secondary School data is combined b/c that is how the data has been traditionally collected (for the past 10 years). 
  • If SHAC wanted them to break down the schools, they could look into that. 
• Schools self-report of how they feel their schools are doing. It does not look at individual student attitudes and behaviors. Student feedback is achieved through the Youth Survey data. Wellness survey is conducted and completed by school staff and it looks at how well they are implementing the procedures—not how the student’s feel.
• There is a wellness survey report (executive summary snapshot) for each school for each of the past 10 years.
• They compile data from 199 schools each year—executive summary compiles. 
  • Robert asked if there were discrepancies between what is in the Youth Survey and the Wellness Survey, how can we reconcile these issues? Bethany shared it isn’t “like-to like” responses. How can we address the gaps if the reports cannot be compared? Is this something that we can address—do a gap analysis?
  • Jessica Peterson—Stated the rhetorical question, “how can a school mitigate students sleep habits?” It’s outside our locus of control. 
  • Staff wellness—gap analysis between what the wellness survey says versus the employee engagement survey (EES). Part of the EES does ask about how staff feels supported. Question: Is the EES broken down by schools so that the surveys can be compared more easily?
  • Kevin said they receive their school’s EES data.
• Areas of strength: Schools are doing well. They are implementing the policies and procedures as laid out in the wellness policy. The Other Centers (ALCs, Park, Davis, Cedar Lane, Key, Kilmer) indicated that they were not able to provide these services in the same ways. They identified as emerging.
• One common issue for schools at all levels continues to be that they have difficulty in getting non- school members to participate on the wellness committee. Shawn Sawko shard that Food and Nutrition Services has tried to involve students in menu choices.
• Survey methodology Question was asked by Ilana: A lot of the self-reported responses were 4s and 5s. Could there be a forced ranking question? Such as, “Which one of these would be the strongest to the weakest? to get more usable data. Kristy said they will look at those ideas for future surveys; however, questions will need to remain in alignment with the Triennial assessment and requirements of the HHFKA. HHFKA requirements do not offer flexibility for some areas in the survey. It was recommended to keep questions consistent from year to year to allow for comparative data across school years. They can talk about this idea. 

Youth Survey: 

• 66% of students completed the survey (significantly decreased participation rates). The data is for approximately 40,000 students. 
• Bethany focused her presentation this evening on brain health. Shared that FCPS does not own this data—it is so important to have participation from our schools. Student responses are voluntary, truly anonymous. Survey examines youth behaviors, experiences, risk, and protective factors. Questions are all based on nationally Monitoring the Future Survey (NIH) and YRBS (CDC)
• Survey is translated into seven languages. 
• You can look at trends over time.
• Added questions about students reporting disability status. Helps us to know how to support these students. Asian students are least likely to get 8 or more hours of sleep during the school week.

Sleep:

• 32% reporting 8 or more hours of sleep. Highest since 2016.
• 52% Students reporting 6-7 hours of sleep.
• 6% students reporting 4 or more hours or less of sleep.
• Robin shared that 6^th graders sleep habits are more controlled by parents—whereas 8^th, 10^th, and 12^th graders are more student directed. 
• We need to communicate and teach. We may be able to leverage our family webinar recordings—disseminating on-demand so that everyone can access it. 

Screen Time: Technology for non-school purposes.

• Details are in the PowerPoint (cell phone, video games, tv). 

Nutrition:

• 6% reported eating no vegetables during the past 7 days
• 7% reporting eating no fruits during the past 7 days.
• More details are included in the presentation slides.

Physical activity:

• See ppt

Brain Health—exposure to potentially traumatic experiences

• Ex: 600 of students have been forced to engage in sex (3% have been forced to engage in sex).
• 28% have moved 3 or more times.

Mental Health:

• Lowest percentages of students who are feeling sadness/hopelessness, considered suicide, attempted suicide—since 2016. Heading in the right direction.
• 21% experienced high levels of stress.
• Note: 6^th graders are experiencing more issues than students in 8^th, 10^th and 12^th graders.  

Substance Abuse

• 97% reported no use of any substances.
• 98% reported no alcohol use.
• 98% reported no other substance use.
• This year’s rates were the lowest since 2010.

Committee Discussion

Motion to adjourn: Tuc Nguyen; Seconded: Keena seconded the motion. 

Vote: All approved

Meeting adjourned:  8:58pm.

Meeting Notes: Brenda M. Silvia-Torma

Location:
Conference Room 1600
8115 Gatehouse Road
Falls Church, Virginia 22042

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