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Healthy Kansas Schools (HKS) promotes school health policies, procedures, and programs to improve health behaviors. HKS initiatives are based on research that demonstrates the positive effects of physical activity and healthier nutrition on students’ general health and their ability to focus and learn. Healthy Kansas Schools is multi-faceted; providing technical assistance, professional development, health policy and standards guidance, training opportunities, and on-going communication. The success of our efforts relies on a broad network of partners and resources to help create healthier schools and, in turn, healthier communities.

HKS Objectives:

1. Facilitate a school culture that values and emphasizes physical activity.
2. Facilitate a school culture that enhances healthy dietary choices.
3. Facilitate a school culture that continues to promote tobacco-free lifestyles.
4. Facilitate the removal of barriers that impede progress toward developing healthy students.
5. Facilitate partnerships between school personnel, families, and communities to emphasize health within and outside the school setting.

Primary HKS Projects:

• Active Schools: Let's Move Kansas! (ASLMK) is a project funded by the Kansas Health Foundation (KHF) to provide training for physical educators to become Physical Activity Leaders (PALs) at their schools. To date, we have trained over 400 physical educators who are actively working to create more active school environments. Additionally, through the use of a team of trainers, ASLMK offers In-Services to school-wide staff and regional Team Workshops that involve the PE teacher, a classroom teacher and a building administrator. KSDE, KHF, and KAHPERD received a Presidential Citation from SHAPE America in Spring 2015 at their national convention in Seattle, Washington for the collaboration on this initiative. ASLMK emphasizes strengthening physical education programs, increasing physical activity during the school day (incorporating brain breaks and making recess more active), encouraging before and after-school physical activity, involving families and communities, and encouraging staff involvement. An over-arching goal is for every school to provide a comprehensive school physical activity program with quality physical education as the foundation so youth will develop the knowledge, skills, and confidence to be physically active for a lifetime.
   
• Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a bi-annual survey of health behaviors of Kansas high school students, conducted in odd-numbered years. Six categories of health behaviors are assessed, consisting of: Dietary Behaviors, Physical Activity Behaviors, Tobacco Use, Alcohol or Other Drug Use, Sexual Behaviors that Contribute to STDs and Unintended Pregnancy, and Unintentional Injuries and Violence. 2017 YRBS data has been collected and is summarized in the YRBS Booklet listed above. Previous-years' survey results can be found on the Youth Risk Behavior Survey page.
   
• School Health Profiles (SHP) is a bi-annual assessment of health education policies and practices of middle and high schools in Kansas conducted in even-numbered years. Building principals and lead health educators are surveyed to determine the current status of health education in Kansas schools. Reports on the 2018 Kansas School Health Profiles results are being developed and will be placed on the School Health Profiles page.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Mark Thompson at 785-296-6823 or email him at mathompson@ksde.org.