School Health Advisory Council (SHAC)

What is a School Health Advisory Council (SHAC)?
A SHAC is a group of individuals representing segments of the community, appointed by the school district to serve at the district level, to provide advice to the district on coordinated school health programming and its impact on student health and learning. The SHAC will assist the district in ensuring that local community values are reflected in the district’s health education instruction.

SHACs 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.

SHAC Meetings & Minutes:

Benefits of Having a SHAC:

  • Addressing the health needs of students through the work of the SHAC helps meet district performance goals and alleviates financial constraints.

  • SHACs play an important role in communicating the connection between health and learning to school administrators, parents, and community stakeholders.

  • SHACs can help parents and community stakeholders reinforce the health knowledge and skills children need to be healthy for a lifetime.

  • For additional information, please visit the SHAC Guide for Texas Schools.

SHAC Laws:
Every independent school system is required by law to have a School District Health Advisory Council; of which the majority of members must be parents who are not employed by the school district. Title 2, Chapter 28, Section 28.004 of the Texas Education Code details the specifics of this mandate.

Join the Melissa ISD SHAC:
If you are interested in participating in the SHAC, please contact a member of the Melissa ISD Board of Trustees or Hallie Venner, MISD SHAC Facilitator, at hvenner@melissaisd.org.