Federal regulations at 7 CFR 210.31 require local education agencies (LEAs) participating in the National School Lunch Program to complete an assessment of their local school wellness policy at least once every three years and make the results available to the public. This triennial assessment must measure the implementation of the local school wellness policy and include:
- The extent to which schools under the jurisdiction of the LEA are in compliance with the local school wellness policy;
- The extent to which the LEA’s local school wellness policy compares to model local school wellness policies; and
- A description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the local school wellness policy.
LEAs may use a variety of methods to assess compliance and determine progress of their goals and objectives. Action planning documents that contain timelines, goals, and key tasks may assist in assessing changes over time. For example, the School Health Index (SHI) is a comprehensive self-assessment tool that helps with action planning and record keeping (a shorter version of the SHI is available from Alliance for a Healthier Generation), and the WellSAT 2.0 is an online tool that indicates the strengths and weaknesses of your written policy.