COORDINATED HEALTH PROGRAM FOR ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE, AND JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

(a) The agency shall make available to each school district one or more coordinated health programs in elementary school, middle school, and junior high school. Each program must provide for coordinating education and services related to: (1) physical health education, including programs designed to prevent obesity, cardiovascular disease, oral diseases, and Type 2 diabetes and programs designed to promote the role of proper nutrition; (2) mental health education, including education about mental health conditions, mental health well-being, skills to manage emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making; (3) substance abuse education, including education about alcohol abuse, prescription drug abuse, and abuse of other controlled substances; (4) physical education and physical activity; and (5) parental involvement. (a-1) The commissioner by rule shall adopt criteria for evaluating a coordinated health program before making the program available under Subsection (a). Before adopting the criteria, the commissioner shall request review and comment concerning the criteria from the Department of State Health Services School Health Advisory Committee. The commissioner may make available under Subsection (a) only those programs that meet criteria adopted under this subsection. (b) The agency shall notify each school district of the availability of the programs. (c) The commissioner by rule shall adopt criteria for evaluating the nutritional services component of a program under this section that includes an evaluation of program compliance with the Department of Agriculture guidelines relating to foods of minimal nutritional value.