Healthy schools
In P.S. Weekly’s food episode, fourth graders visit NYC schools’ test kitchen, high schoolers rate grilled cheese sandwiches, and students dish on having microwave access.
Many states have rules to protect student athletes during extreme heat but not children during recess. The family of a 12-year-old who died after running in the heat wants to change that.
Before the pandemic, at least 137 schools serving roughly 70,000 students did not have a school nurse, according to one estimate.
As childhood hunger is on the rise, New York City is scaling up a program for schools to donate food directly to families in need or to food pantries, shelters, and soup kitchens.
“I work in school nutrition to feed kids, not trash cans,” a dietitian testified at a legislative hearing last week.
The three-minute computer-generated video, created by an anti-abortion group, has drawn concern from major medical organizations and sparked controversy in state legislatures in Tennessee and elsewhere.
Framed in the rhetoric of choice, Tennessee’s new law governing childhood vaccinations is among more than a dozen recently passed or pending nationwide that set parental freedom against community and children’s health.
“Nos dimos cuenta de que realmente podríamos lograr un cambio si nos esforzábamos de corazón”, dijo Niko Peterson, uno de los amigos de McKinney que ayudó a escribir el proyecto de ley.
“We realized we could actually make a change if we put our hearts to it,” said Niko Peterson, a senior at Animas High School in Durango who helped write the bill.
Newark Public Schools is one of five New Jersey school districts receiving electric school buses through an Environment Protection Agency grant program.
The effects of the cuts are spreading beyond school cafeterias. Manufacturers were shocked by New York City’s decision to yank major menu items midyear.
Education Department officials are removing a host of pricier items, including student favorites like cookies, chicken tenders, French fries, and dumplings.
Another 35 states have signed on to offer Summer EBT. Among them: Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Eligible families will get $120 per child to boost their grocery budgets when school isn’t in session.
Newark schools’ meal programs have been met with mixed reactions in recent years. A new coalition hopes to use a $3.8 million grant to give lunch a healthy update.
At Circle City Prep’s new cafeteria, fresh produce replaces reheated pizzas, and an on-site chef prepares meals daily.
In a city where accessibility is a constant challenge, the Rising New York Road Runners Wheelchair Training Program focuses on removing barriers.
Gov. Phil Murphy and the legislature are responsible for funding school construction projects in Newark and 30 other high-poverty districts. But with no long-term plans to do so, it’s unclear how Newark will completely fix its schools.
A new federal rule permits 3,000 more districts to give free meals to all students. But without additional funding from Congress, many will likely hold off.
Nearly 70% of NYC schools have access to some form of garden, but the planned Bergen Beach learning garden will be larger in scale and ambition.
“Kids can’t perform in the classroom if they’re not feeling healthy, well nourished, and sleeping well,” one after-school provider said.