September 9, 2019
Superintendent Rex L. Mitchell
Hamilton County School District
5683 US Highway 129 S Ste. 1
Jasper, FL 32052-3743
Dear Superintendent Mitchell:
It is with great pleasure that we announce that Hamilton County School District has been recognized as a Florida Healthy School District at the SILVER level for the period of September 2019 through August 2021 based on submission of the Florida Healthy School District Self-Assessment.
The self-assessment tool is based on sustainable infrastructure, policy, programs, and practices identified from national and state guidelines, best practices, and Florida statutes. It was developed by the Florida Partnership for Healthy Schools (FPHS) out of a desire to recognize and celebrate the hard work and success of school districts related to physical, mental and social health of students and staff. The assessment was written by school experts, evaluated, piloted and field tested for three years before being released in 2009.
FPHS, in collaboration with the Florida Association of District School Superintendents (FADSS), Florida Healthy Kids Corporation, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan are proud to recognize 49 Florida Healthy School Districts. These districts have established a culture and climate that embraces the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) approach to reduce barriers to learning and support academic achievement.
Florida Healthy School Districts are recognized in numerous ways:
• FADSS recognizes superintendents from Florida Healthy School Districts on their website.
• FPHS members present the award at each district’s school board meeting. The lead submitter will be contacted to arrange the date.
• Each district receives a Florida Healthy School District flag for display and logo for their communications. In addition, for those school districts that have been recognized in previous years, a flag display case and certificate will be provided to display the recognition flag from the previous award period.
• A state-wide press release will be sent to media contacts by Florida Healthy Kids Corporation.
• Districts and superintendents are recognized on the Florida Healthy Districts website at http://www.safehealthyschoolsfl.org.
• Recognized districts are invited to participate in the Healthy District Collaborative (HDC) facilitated by the Florida Departments of Education and Health. Member districts are provided professional development, technical assistance and resource/funding opportunity information.
The Florida Partnership for Healthy Schools looks forward to continuing its support and promotion for Florida Healthy School Districts. Thank you for being on the forefront of ensuring the healthy future of our state by creating health literate and health practicing students and staff that are fit, healthy, and ready to learn.
William J. Montford, III, Chief Executive Officer, FL Association of District School Superintendents
Melodie Griffin, Communication Chair, FL Partnership for Healthy Schools
CC: Johnny Bullard, Hamilton County School District School Board Chair
Thomas Moffses, Administrator, Hamilton County Department of Health
Ida Daniels, Lead Submitter