McAllen ISD School Health Advisory Council reports on nutrition, physical activity and mental-health efforts

McAllen Independent School District’s School Health Advisory Council presented its annual report Tuesday, outlining campus-level and districtwide wellness work in nutrition, physical education, mental-health awareness and school safety.

The SHAC report is advisory; the council is charged under state guidance to ensure community values are reflected in health instruction. Administrators said the presentation was for information only.

Why it matters: SHAC recommendations shape health education, recess and physical-education practices, school nutrition programming and partnerships that affect student health and learning across district campuses.

What SHAC presented Doctor De Ollos, Associate Superintendent, introduced campus representatives who summarized elementary, middle and high school activities. Arturo Alvarado Puente (elementary PE teacher) said elementary highlights included high registration in the fifth-grade Elevate program, student-created nutrition songs and a WellSAT policy rating with recommendations to provide before-school physical activities at elementary campuses. Ignacio Fernandez Jr., principal at Alonzo de Leon Middle School, said middle schools focused on posters and daily communications promoting exercise, hydration and sleep, expanded before-school open gym activity and structured recess, and promoted after-school programs such as the Boys and Girls Club. A high-school representative said students requested more nutrition education and meal-prep instruction; the committee plans cafeteria posters and kitchen tours to encourage fresh fruit and vegetable choices.

District subcommittees and services Committee leads reported additional work: a curriculum-writing team for physical education is scheduled to meet in June; the district partners with the City of McAllen Parks and Recreation and the Boys & Girls Club; employee wellness includes no-cost flu clinics and telemedicine benefits; school nurses led monthly health campaigns (Healthy Heart Month, nutrition, stress awareness, vision health); and the Safe and Supportive Schools committee highlighted training for lockdown/active-incident response and expanded use requests for therapy canines.

Recess and minutes Board members asked whether elementary campuses still offer before-school unstructured play and whether recess timing aligned best practices. SHAC members and curriculum directors said elementary campuses are required to have 20 minutes of recess; best practice is recess before lunch though scheduling and campus size sometimes make that impractical. A district official noted the state-required minimum instructional minutes are exceeded and staff recommended preserving a 45-minute reteach/enrich block so intervention services do not cut into Tier 1 instruction.

Ending Trustees thanked SHAC members and parents for participation; the presentation was informational and SHAC members encouraged trustees to attend meetings to better understand wellness initiatives.