## “Measures to protect children’s mind and body and to promote the school-wide actions for securing safety” (Central Education Council Report)

Recently, issues concerning mental health, and health problems such as allergies, children’s eating habits (such as having no breakfast and having an unbalanced diet), and incidents and accidents in and out of the school including the school zone are occurring. For this reason, schools must ensure a safe and secure environment, and establish a firm instructional structure to protect and develop children physically and mentally.

Ever since the “Measures to protect children’s mind and body and to promote the school-wide actions for securing safety” was consulted on at the Central Education Council in March 2007, school health, dietary education, school lunches, and school safety have been discussed by the School Health and Safety Committee within the Subdivision on Sports and Youth. In addition, meetings have been held and public comments have been heard from people with experience in the school environment, and a report was compiled on January 17, 2008.

The report shows the fundamental concept for protection of children’s health and safety at first, then proposes concrete measures in order to promote cooperation among schools, families, and the local community as well as to make efforts for enhancement of the internal structure of schools, concerning each section of school health, dietary education, school lunch and school safety.

In the future, the aims and contents of this report will not only be informed to the persons concerned with education, but widely publicized and spread to the whole society in order to protect, secure, and promote the actions made for children's health and safety. MEXT plans to discuss and implement concrete measures such as examining the legal system for improvements.

## Report Summary

### I. The fundamental concept for the protection of the children's health and safety

• The school is the place that children whose mind and body is at the stages of growth and development get together and form their personality, on condition that their health and safety is being secured.

• Schools must cultivate the basic knowledge of children so that they will be able to nurture their own health, and secure their own safety.

- The measures concerning the children’s health and safety must be implemented effectively with the cooperation among their family and the local community.

• The cooperation concerning the children’s health and safety should be worked on for establishing the basic partnership between their family and the local community that is necessary for educational guidance and student guidance.

### I I. Measures to improve school health

○ Environmental improvement to make full use of the school nurse’s expertise in school health activities

### I II. Measures to promote dietary education at schools

○ Improvement in the function of the supervisor of school health in responsibility for the arrangement of school health activities

○ Improvement in the classroom teacher’s daily observation for children’s health

Achievement of school management with emphasis on school health

○ Effective use of the professional knowledge such as school doctors for school health activities

○ Improvement in the leadership of the board of education concerning school health

○ Realization of a school

environmental hygiene that secures

a healthy school life for children

○ Realization of school health activities with the cooperation among schools, families and the local community

○ Improvements of the school lunch as a “familiar educational material”

Promotion of dietary education as a school-wide activity

Promotion of the allocation of diet and nutrition teachers and realization of dietary education using their expertise

○ A thorough hygienic control for a secure and safe school lunch

○ Promotion of dietary education based on the cooperation among families and the local community

### I V. Measures to improve school safety

O Formulation of a school safety plan for ensuring children’s safety generally

To secure the safety of school facilities

○ Improvement of the maintenance of safety management systems of schools

○ Establishing an internal school structure that can respond appropriately to emergencies

○ Improvement of the qualities and abilities of school personnel concerning school safety

Strengthening the safety management systems based on the cooperation among families and the local community