Staff Health Promotion
To build a comprehensive culture of health, schools should promote the wellbeing of staff in addition to students. Workplace
wellness programs and staff health promotion efforts should offer opportunities for all staff to engage in activities and programs
to better their health and wellness. Schools should also identify a staff person or team to assess the needs and interests of staff,
coordinate programs for staff, and refer staff to supports as needed.
As noted in Table 10.1, a majority of schools provide staff the opportunity to engage in various wellness activities, including First
Aid/CPR training, annual flu shots, physical activity, and stress management. Fewer than half of schools offer opportunities for
tobacco cessation and healthy food-related activities, such as cooking classes, taste testing, and nutrition education.
TABLE 10.1
Percentage of schools that offer staff wellness activities
Elementary
Secondary
Combined
First Aid/CPR training
86%
89%
92%
Annual flu shots at the school or district office
80%
75%
62%
Physical activity
73%
66%
80%
Stress management activities
73%
64%
68%
Crisis intervention for personal problems
72%
59%
56%
Counseling for emotional disorders
71%
59%
54%
Health screenings
67%
69%
50%
Conflict resolution education
62%
53%
48%
Healthy food-related activities
48%
38%
38%
Tobacco cessation efforts
38%
38%
20%
To promote staff wellness, schools more often have administrator support and a school employee wellness leader or committee
(over 70 percent) in comparison to more technical practices, such as conducting a needs assessment or developing a written action
plan (Figure 10.1).
FIGURE 10.1
Percentage of schools with practices to promote staff wellness
• 18 •