Make it Policy
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Welcome to Make it Policy. Here you will find information that will walk you through the steps of creating and implementing a sun safety policy.
Assessing your school's sun safety practices and policies is the first step to creating a sun-safe school. Use the Assess Your School or District survey to determine the sun safety areas where your school excels and which areas could use a little improvement. The survey only takes a few minutes and will provide you with valuable tailored information to identify target areas and help you make your school more sun safe.
Developing a comprehensive sun protection policy for your school will help to encourage students and staff to continue with their good sun safety habits and will create a structure to develop new sun safety practices. Use the Draft Your Policy page to draft a policy document to meet your special needs and circumstances.
The links below will help you follow steps, adapted from the NASBE Fit Healthy and Ready to Learn School Policy Guide and USDA’s Team Nutrition, to create and implement a sun safety policy.
See Put It Into Practice for policy implementation strategies.
Initial Homework
Not sure what your first steps should be? more>>>
The Role of the School
Need to know how schools can play an integral role in skin cancer prevention efforts? more>>>
The Role of the District
Districts have the opportunity and responsibility to make a sun safe environment for students and staff through policy and education. more>>>
Identify a Policy Development Team
Learn how to identify a team to help you develop a district sun safety policy. more>>>
Assess Your School or District
Conduct a needs assessment of your district’s policies and procedures related to sun safety. more>>>
Draft a Policy
Create a custom policy using the Policy Writing Assistant or choose a policy from the templates provided. more>>>
Build Awareness and Support
A supportive district community is essential to developing a successful policy. more>>>
Adopt the Policy
Once you have a policy – get it adopted! more>>>
Maintain, Measure and Evaluate
Evaluate your efforts by completing an annual review of your district’s progress towards sun safety. more>>>
Saved Assessment and Policies
Keep track of what you have done by saving your assessments and policies. more>>>
According to NASBE, “Education policies are official statements of vision and judgment that address the needs of a state, district, or school.” NASBE suggests that the development and implementation of policies are valuable for providing:
- Leadership: policies are the means by which authority and influence are expressed. They are the tangible results of leadership.
- Commitment: adoption of a policy is a declaration by decision makers that an issue is important and must be addressed.
- Support: teachers and administrators frequently cite the need for policies that endorse the value of their activities – so they can practice them with confidence.
- Direction: polices can drive change – or they can help keep the system on a steady course.
- Guidance: policies based on current scientific, medical and legal information can clarify issues for teachers and administrators and lay out options for action. Good policies anticipate challenging situations and can help prevent confusing or haphazard responses.
- Institutionalization: written policies can help integrate new programs and processes into ongoing school activities.
- Public Engagement: the policy adoption process can increase public knowledge about facts, issues, and applicable laws.
- Accountability: policies typically state who is responsible for doing what and how performance is measured.
- Legal Protection: sound policy helps to prevent abuses that are grounds for legal action.
Adapted from USDA Team Nutrition’s The Local Process: How to Create and Implement a Local Wellness Policy, and University of Southern California Prevention Solutions’ Alcohol & Drug Policy Resource Manual for Schools by Mary Ann Pentz, PhD. (Unpublished).
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