Increased awareness of the prevalence of childhood obesity has shocked health officials and educators into action, both on a state and local level.
“Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions in New York,” said State Health Commissioner Richard F. Daines, MD in a press release dated Sept. 3.
The statement cites a 2004 study of the state’s third-graders, which identified 21 percent of children at the third grade level as obese. It was in that year the New York State Health Department released its Strategic Plan for Overweight and Obesity Prevention. Local school districts are feeling the impact as changes occur on the state level to meet goals of the plan.
One objective is to “increase the proportion of schools that comply with NYS Department of Education physical education requirements.” How well do schools currently meet these requirements? You might want to sit down for this.
According to a survey conducted in January by the New York State United Teachers, just over 10 percent of the districts where their 585,000 members were employed met state regulations that require daily physical education classes for K-3 students. Close to 25 percent of those districts count recess toward physical education time, which is in direct conflict with state requirements.
Concerns have prompted the Office of the State Comptroller into action. They announced earlier this year that, with the support of the State Education Department, they will begin auditing school districts for compliance with state physical education requirements. This has spurred some local school districts to take a closer look at their curriculums and facilities. Change has already begun.
“We wanted to be proactive,” said John Douchinsky, principal of Sherburne-Earlville Elementary School. “We want our kids to have the amount of time they need.” For K-3 students that is daily physical education instruction for a total of 120 minutes per week.
Making the necessary changes required hiring an additional physical education teacher, said Douchinsky, as well as looking at more creative ways to use available space.
Building another gym was out of the question. But by “confiscating” an activity room and scheduling time to use part of the school cafeteria as a gym, Douchinsky said they will make it work.
Afton Central School’s Athletic Director Cathy Decker has gone more in-depth. Decker has spent the entire summer revamping and reworking the district’s entire physical education curriculum, although she admits that she didn’t write the entire plan herself. The district purchased the core curriculum from a school in the Rochester area, which Decker has adapted to meet Afton’s needs.
One of those adaptations was to include usage of the swimming pool and ropes course. Because Afton’s elementary, middle and high schools are located on one campus, there is an opportunity to use these facilities for students of all age levels. “It’s a great benefit to have all of those things available,” said Decker.
The athletic director has reworked scheduling and added a focus on personal fitness for elementary students, but the real changes have occurred on the high school level.
“What we’ve done is put together 10-week courses in three areas,” said Decker. Although students will be assigned to one of these areas of concentration for the first semester, they will have a certain amount of choice throughout the rest of the year.
Offerings within the categories of team sports, lifetime activities and personal fitness will change each semester and each year. This will give students the opportunity to try a number of different sports and activities over their four years in the high school.
Those who are in team sports might participate in soccer, field hockey and touch football during the first semester. During the winter months, it may be basketball or volleyball.
Students selecting a concentration in lifetime activities will have the opportunity to do kayaking and canoeing one section, cross-country skiing and bowling another.
Each student will be required to have at least one semester of personal fitness, which will utilize the building’s new fitness room. “We’re really excited about it,” said Decker. Students will learn about heart rates, how to use the equipment properly and eventually to develop their own fitness plans.
Afton is not alone in adding fitness facility this year. The Norwich High School has added one as well. The room, located in the new hallway between the middle school and high school buildings, includes a wide array of new equipment.
According to NHS physical education teachers Nicole Beckwith and Amanda Downing, the room is designed to meet the needs of all students, not just student athletes. Every student in the high school will be required to take one unit of fitness, said Beckwith.
While some school districts are taking the initiative, others seem to have accepted the fact that they won’t be in compliance when audit time comes around. “We understand the importance of it,” said Oxford Academy and Central Schools Superintendent Randy Squier, who said that as a district they are committed to improving wellness.
But according to Squier, the primary school’s ability to meet state requirements is limited by space and staffing. By including “unstructured activity” at recess and wellness education, he feels needs are being met with the existing curriculum.