Revised May 2013 – Health
National PTA and California State PTA believe that health education and student wellness are critical to student success and are the responsibility of every member of the community.
Promote Physical, Mental and Emotional Health Education
Educate parents on how to recognize and respond to the health and nutrition needs of their families.
Encourage compliance with health and physical education directives in the curriculum.
Advocate for the improvement of health care facilities and services in the school and community.
Advocate for the implementation of the recommended school nurse-to-student ratio of 1:750.
Stress the concepts of wellness and prevention.
Partner in the development of, implement, update and evaluate school district wellness policies.
Emphasize the importance of healthy lifestyles and modeling these lifestyles for children.
Promote a school environment that is consistent with health education being taught in the classroom.
Build awareness and engage parents to be responsive to environmental issues and hazards that may jeopardize the health of children and families.
Establish a comprehensive school health program that integrates activities and services designed to promote the optimal physical, emotional, social and educational development of children and youth.
For additional topics see the “Job Description for Health.”
See “Health” in Advocacy Topic Index for related resolutions, position statements and guidelines.
Environmental Health (www.cehn.org)
Action for Healthy Kids (www.afhk.org)
Dairy Council of California (www.healthyeating.org)
National Institute of Health (www.nih.gov)
National Institute of Mental Health (www.nimh.nih.org)
Healthy Kids Resource Center (www.hkresources.org)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov)
PTA Health Pocket Pal
See Grants for information on the Healthy Lifestyles Grant Application.
