Support for School Health
School Health Advisory Councils
Improving
School Health: A Guide to School Health Councils
The American Cancer Society’s school health
web pages contain useful information for families, schools,
and communities. Available for free download on this website
is a publication on establishing and strengthening school
health councils. A school health advisory council represents
different segments of the community and advises a school
system on aspects of the school health program. This guide
discusses what school health advisory councils do, how they
get started, who their members are, and how these members
are selected. It also describes how school health advisory
councils are structured, how they carry out their work,
and how meetings are conducted. It concludes by considering
what influences the functioning of school health advisory
councils and how they can be evaluated. Suggestions are
thorough and wide-ranging, yet also specific enough to be
of real value — for instance, 'Make sure that the
school system designates a staff liaison at the outset so
that there is no confusion about communication....' and
'Before appointing a member, communicate to the individual
what the time commitment is....' The manual is sensitive
to community differences, pointing out various approaches
that have been successful and discussing advantages and
disadvantages of each.
Promoting
Healthy Youth, Schools, and Communities:
A Guide to Community-School Health Advisory Councils
Community-School Health Advisory Councils was developed
jointly by the American Cancer Society, the U.S. Department
of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
is intended to be used by school district staff that is
planning to form a CSHAP or other collaborative committee.
This guide provides a practical, step-by-step approach to
planning, conducting, and evaluating a CSHAP. The information
is organized in a series of five modules, complete with
meeting handouts, checklists and sample forms. A diskette
included with the guide contains electronic versions of
the blank worksheets and sample handouts that can be modified
or used as they are. Using the guide, readers will be able
to organize a CSHAP, develop a mission, write an action
plan, evaluate their efforts, and maintain the council's
momentum.
Effective School Health Advisory Councils: Moving From Policy to Action
This manual was prepared for use by school district personnel. It has been designed for individuals seeking information on the development and operation of a School Health Advisory Council. The information has been organized in an easy-to-use style with the intent of serving as a how-to manual. This guide will assist school districts in developing new School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs) or revitalizing or strengthening existing SHACs and maintaining them as effective entities that support and guide school health practices, programs, and policies. While this manual was made with North Carolina schools in mind, it could be used by any school interested in forming a school health advisory council.
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