School Wellness Policies

Triennial Assessments


The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rule, Local School Wellness Policy Implementation Under the HHFKA of 2010, requires that each local educational agency (LEA) participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) must complete an assessment of their local school wellness policy (LSWP) at least once every three years. The LEA's assessment must indicate:

  • the extent to which schools are in compliance with the district policy;
  • the extent to which the local wellness policy compares to model local school wellness policies; and
  • the progress made in attaining the goals of the local wellness policy.

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) reviews this documentation during the LEA’s next Administrative Review of the school nutrition programs. 


Second LSWP Triennial Assessment  |   First LSWP Triennial Assessment


Second LSWP Triennial Assessment: Due June 30, 2025

All Connecticut sponsors of the NSLP and SBP are required to complete the second LSWP assessment by June 30, 2025. The LSWP Triennial Assessments are completed on the Rudd Center's Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) webpage.

Step 1: Complete the WellSAT Policy

  • Compare policy to a model policy
  • Assess compliance with federal requirements in written policy

Step 2: Complete the WellSAT Practice

  • Assess compliance with written policy
  • Assess compliance with federal requirements with practice implementation

Step 3: Document progress toward meeting wellness goals

Step 4: Share assessment with the public 

  • Share assessment during the next administrative review

First LSWP Triennial Assessment: Due June 30, 2022

All Connecticut sponsors of the NSLP and SBP completed their triennial assessment by June 30, 2022. The University of Connecticut Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health created a triennial assessment report using Wellness School Assessment Tool (WellSAT) data from 110 NSLP and SBP sponsors. Each sponsor's individual item policy scores were matched and compared with their corresponding practice implementation scores.