The Scarborough Board of Education agreed to form an advisory committee that will develop specific guidelines for the district’s Wellness Policy during its meeting Thursday night.

The committee’s formation is in response to complaints by some who worked on developing the Wellness Policy and felt the policy was too general and did not require any changes in the district’s approach to student health.

The federal government is requiring school districts to develop a Wellness Policy and implement it by the beginning of the next school year. The school board accepted the proposed policy on first reading during last week’s meeting.

Scarborough’s policy was developed by a committee comprised of school staff, parents, and residents that met 14 times over the past few months. During that time the committee gathered a large amount of data regarding student health and opinions on the subject, some of which were developed through the nearly 1,000 responses to a survey conducted by the group.

During the meeting, Wellness Policy Co-Chairman Ellen Beale described the policy as a work in progress and said it serves as a starting point for the school board to begin its discussion on student health.

She said some committee members wanted more specific information included in the policy, but others felt the details would follow and the policy was simply a general guideline.

“The conversation has just begun this year and we hope that conversation will continue in the future,” Beale said.

Scarborough Wellness founder Lisa Letourneau, who was a close observer of the Wellness Policy proceedings, told the board there is a problem with overweight people in the nation, state and Scarborough. She said the Scarborough School District should do its part in fighting this problem by teaching students healthy habits.

Board member Paul Foster, who was the board’s liaison to the Wellness Committee, said the policy was not perfect, but it meets the federal requirements and more work could be done on it in the future.

Board member Jackie Perry agreed, saying the implementation path of the Wellness Policy was the same as other school policies whereby the policy itself is general and the guidelines, which are developed by school administration, are more specific. Perry said student health is an issue that is important to the district, but changing health patterns is not easy.

“The school plays a role, the community plays a role, and parents play a role,” she said.

Board member Chris Brownsey said the policy was acceptable, but a lot of work done by the Wellness Committee was not reflected in the final product. Still he said some positive steps in school nutrition have been taken this year alone such as providing for some healthier choices at lunch.

“I think we really are moving in the right direction, and we have made some changes,” Brownsey said.

But Letourneau feels the district should take a more active role regarding student health, much like what schools have done to combat teen smoking.

“It does not make sense to voice concerns about the health of our students and surround them with unhealthy choices,” she said, adding that schools do not allow students to choose from drugs, tobacco or alcohol.

In addition, other states are beginning to implement their own changes regarding food sold by schools, and these changes are not much different from what Letourneau would like to see occur in Scarborough schools.

Tina Harnett-Pettingill, who was a member of the Wellness Committee and also a member of Scarborough Wellness, said she would like to see some moderate changes in the district, such as providing students with appropriate portions in the a la carte menu. She also would like to see an increase in daily activity, which she said does not necessarily include more gym class, but using creative exercise techniques in the classroom.

She was not sure why the district felt it necessary to form another committee, but hopes the new group will use the information the Wellness Committee gathered when it studies the issue further.

“I hope that committee pays heed to all of the work done so far and builds on that,” she said.

The board is scheduled to have its second reading and adoption of the Wellness Policy on May 4. Also at that meeting Superintendent Bill Michaud will present the board with the advisory committee’s charge and a timeline for it to report back to the board.