“Students must be healthy in order to learn, but schools cannot be expected to solve children’s health issues alone,” said Melissa Jaggers, President & CEO of Alignment Nashville, “As a community, we must find ways to ensure that when students enter the classroom each day, they are healthy and ready to learn.”

The Children’s Health Strategic Planning Team, convened by Alignment Nashville, met for the first time Monday to discuss a new approach to impacting the collective wellness of students in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The group, co-chaired by Metro Nashville Health Director Dr. Bill Paul and MNPS Executive Officer of School Support Services Dr. Tony Majors, will spend its first year year assessing gaps in existing services and identifying new and innovative ways that community and school district can collaborate to meet the health needs of all 82,000 students in the district.

The result of this yearlong intensive workgroup will be a new strategic plan that spans across sectors and aims to make Nashville one of the nation’s healthiest cities for children.

“With the right people at the table, I’m confident we can move the needle on student health,” Jaggers added, “The partners we have assembled are ready to find real solutions that make a difference.”