SHAC School Health Advisory Council
School Health Advisory Council
The Gainesville ISD School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) is a group of dedicated individuals representing segments of the community, to provide advice to the district on coordinated school health programming and its impact on student health and learning. The SHAC assists the district in ensuring that local community values are reflected in the district's health education instruction.
SHAC's provide an efficient, effective structure for recommending age-appropriate, sequential health education programs, and early intervention and prevention strategies that can easily be supported by local families and community stakeholders.
Every independent school district is required by law to have a SHAC. The majority of members must be parents who are not employees of the GISD. The school board nominates 5 people from the community annually and all parents are invited to attend the SHAC meetings.
In School Health Advisory Council: A Guide for Texas School Districts (Publication No. E05-12431), the Texas Department of State Health Services provides school staff and community members with a basic understanding of the value of SHACs in creating a healthy school environment for students. In addition, the Texas School Health Advisory Committee (TSHAC) has developed resources for use by local SHACs.