HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

23

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

EXPRESSING SUPPORT FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COORDINATED SCHOOL HEALTH BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, AND UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

 

WHEREAS, Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona has made encouraging children and adolescents to make healthy choices a public health priority because of underage drinking, smoking, drug abuse, childhood, and adolescent obesity, as well as unintentional injury; and

WHEREAS, nationwide initiatives such as Action for Healthy Kids recognize that "healthy students are better able to learn and achieve their true potential" and therefore encourage schools to promote nutrition and physical activity; and

WHEREAS, according to the Council of Chief State School Officers, a "coordinated approach to school health improves kids' health and their capacity to learn through the support of families, schools, and communities working together. At its very core, coordinated school health (CSH) is about keeping students healthy over time, reinforcing positive healthy behaviors throughout the school day, and making it clear that good health and learning go hand in hand. CSH offers students the information and skills they will need to make good choices in life"; and

WHEREAS, this holistic approach to student health recognizes that health means more than the absence of disease, but rather includes the physical, mental, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being of students; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education, the Department of Health, and the University of Hawaii, with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are collaborating to develop CSH in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, CSH in Hawaii will focus on multiple aspects of health and education, such as comprehensive health education using the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards for Health Education, and physical education using the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards for Physical Education; school health services; nutrition services; counseling, psychological, and social services; healthy school environment; school-site health promotion for staff; and family and community involvement; and

WHEREAS, schools, families, and community members are encouraged to participate because student health and the needs and condition of families and the community are interdependent; and

WHEREAS, Maui and Kauai complexes are serving as pilot sites for CSH, whereby teams comprised of school faculty, staff, and parents from the participating complexes work together to coordinate strategies, activities, and services to best meet the education and health needs of students; and

WHEREAS, interagency coordinating efforts maximize resources, reduce redundancy, standardize strategies, and promote the optimal health and education of students; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature hereby encourages the expansion of coordinated school health throughout the State and the continued collaboration between the Department of Education, the Department of Health, and the University of Hawaii, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to promote safe and nurturing environments for optimal learning and health for Hawaii school students from elementary through high school; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the

Director of Health, the Chairperson of the Board of Regents, and the President of the University of Hawaii.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Education; Coordinated School Health in Hawaii