Web Site Resources

Here are various links to resources and 3rd party sites and files that will provide you more SHAC information:

What is a School Health Advisory Council?

The TX Dept of State Health Services (DSHS) has a strong history of supporting the work of School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs). They have produced and frequently updated a guide for SHACs that you will find on their website. Click here for a direct link to down load the guide. You will also find other resources as well as links to other helpful information on their SHAC web page. Click here to access their SHAC web page.

Texas Education Agency (TEA) has published a FAQ on SHACs that defines what a SHAC is and answers some common questions about duties, membership and some of the rules that the state legislature put into place in 2021. The document has been posted to their Health Education Webpage. Click here to access.

TASB Information on New TX Laws 2022

During the 87th legislature there were new procedures put into law for SHACs on how they review human sexuality curriculum and submit recommendations to the school board. The link below is to a file with the presentation from the Feb. 2022 TX AFHK Summit by Jasmine Wightman with TX Association of School Boards (TASB).  CLICK HERE to access the file. NOTE: There are more detailed versions of forms mentioned in the PowerPoint on the TASB website.
Please check with your District administrator if you would like to access through the district account.
For a continually updated FAQ document on the SHAC and the Adoption of Instructional materials, click here.
For an article on Addressing Dating Violence in Schools click here.

The Whole School, Whole Community Whole Child (WSCC) Model

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and  the Association for Supervision and Curriculum (ASCD) developed the WSCC model —in collaboration with key leaders from the fields of health, public health, education, and school health—to strengthen a unified and collaborative approach designed to improve learning and health in our nation’s schools.

• CDC Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC)
  CDC explains the WSCC model and offers a virtual healthy school to help you gain a better understanding.

• The ASCD Whole Child Approach to Education
  ASCD shares their Whole Child approach that transitions from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the long-term development and success of all children.

• Advocacy 101 on Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Model (WSCC)
  American School Health Association primer on strategies to become effective champions for school health at the local, state or federal level.

• Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child School Policy Assessment Tool (V2.0)
  WellSAT WSCC School Policy Evaluation Tool V2.0 was created through collaboration between the Collaboratory on School and Child Health (CSCH) and the Rudd Center at the University of Connecticut. Copyright © 2021 by the University of Connecticut.

Coordinated School Health

Coordinated School Health was a term originally coined by the Centers for Disease Control to describe child health programs that synthesize the different factors working together to improve the health of a child including school health education, community/family engagement, physical environment, health services, nutrition services, nutrition education and physical education/activity.

• Coordinated School Health Dept of State Health Services Resources
  DSHS has compiled information on Coordinate School Health and links to the Texas Education Code that includes the state mandate of implementing a coordinated school health program for grades K-8, as well as other resources.

• CATCH Coordinated School Health Program
  With over 25 years of continuous research and development of our programs, CATCH is the Coordinated School Health Program with the most scientific evidence of effectiveness. And, it is the only school health education program that provides a Coordination Kit: our step-by-step guide to organizing the many influencers of child wellness.

Policy and Advocacy

CDC defines “policy” as a law, regulation, procedure, administrative action, incentive, or voluntary practice of governments and other institutions. Policies — including laws, mandates, regulations, standards, resolutions, and guidelines—provide a foundation for school district practices and procedures.

• Adolescent and School Health Policy

• State Policy Database Developed by the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)
  The NASBE State Policy Database on School Health is a searchable database of all existing state statutory and regulatory language on student health aligned to components of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s framework for school health promotion, known as the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model.

Texas RPC Health Policy Resources

The Texas Research-to-Policy Collaboration (TX RPC) Project, coordinated through the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at UTHealth School of Public Health in Austin, aims to support state legislators' health-related policy needs before and during the 2023 Texas Legislative Session. The School Health Advisory Council (SHACs) report was developed in September 2022 as part of the Michael & Susan Dell Center's mission and values to improve child health and well-being in Texas. To date, the TX RPC Project has developed 40 resources for Texas legislators' use in policy. Other resources that have been developed can be found on our website.

Heat-Resilient Green Schoolyards for Child Health and Well-Being

The Green Schoolyards Project—led by City of Austin Parks & Recreation Department and UTHealth School of Public Health—revealed that trees in elementary school parks in Austin, TX, reduced temperatures within parks and increased physical activity levels of children, and children’s psychological connection to nature was directly associated with their social-emotional learning skills. A description of the project and its findings are available here in English and Español.