Chapter 6 primarily focused on the coordinated school health program and its impact on the health of children, their families, and the community. The aforementioned impact is great because the school is the one institution through which all members of society must pass. I think this fact is lost on most administrators when they make cuts on school budgets; beyond anything else, attending school is the one single thing that all Americans have in common and students need to be the best chance they can. In this respect, the full potential of school health has not been reached due to lack of support and interest. If implemented properly, however, coordinated school health programs can improve access to health services, educate students about pressing health issues, and provide a safe and healthy learning environment.
The main foundations of the school health program include: (1) a school administration that supports such an effort, (2) a well-organized school health council that is genuinely interested in providing a coordinated program for the students, and (3) written school health policies. These school health policies are critical for ensuring accountability, credibility, and the institutionalization of programs and efforts to make schools a healthy learning environment. In a related aspect, it is important to focus on the eight components of a coordinated school health program. They are: (1) school health services, (2) a healthy school environment, (3) school health education, (4) counseling, psychological, and social services, (5) physical education, (6) school nutrition services, (7) family/community involvement for school health, and (8) school-site health promotion for staff.
On a broader level, the eight National Health Education Standards emphasize a skills-based curriculum focusing on the following: (1) core concepts; (2) analyzing influences; (3) accessing valid health information, products and services; (4) demonstrating interpersonal communication skills; (5) utilizing decision-making skills; (6) utilizing goal-setting skills; (7) practicing health-enhancing behaviors; and (8) advocating for personal, family, and community health. These are important because they focus on a broader and less direct form of community health.
There are a number of registries of effective health education programs that are maintained in order to assist health educators in locating and assessing available curricula to aid with education and informational purposes. In addition, there are a number of issues that face school health advocates, including a lack of support for coordinated school health, dealing with controversy in the health curriculum, the implementation of school-based health centers, and violence in schools.
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