Prepared by the New York City Department of Education’s Office of School Wellness Programs
As stated in the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) Citywide School Wellness Policy, the NYC DOE, in collaboration with the Citywide Wellness Advisory Council (to the extent possible), will compile, review, and publish an annual report to share basic information about the wellness policy and report on the NYC DOE’s overall progress implementing wellness goals. The written DOE Citywide School Wellness Policy is available to the public on the New York City Public Schools InfoHub.
Introduction
When students learn about their bodies, nurture their minds, and develop the skills to take care of themselves and others, they are better prepared to succeed in school and in life. That’s why, in NYC schools, we invest in and promote strong physical and health education instruction, free nutritious meals, and opportunities for students to practice healthy behaviors before, during, and after school. The DOE outlines expectations for schools in the NYC DOE’s Wellness Policy.
The DOE Wellness Policy describes laws and recommendations that make up DOE’s approach to physical and health education (both of which include nutrition education), food and nutrition promotion, physical activity, school wellness councils, and other wellness-related areas. Based on the national Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model for addressing health, wellness, and student achievement, the DOE Wellness Policy shows schools and communities important opportunities for staff, caregivers, and organizations to collaborate around and make connections with the two instructional areas of the model: Physical Education (PE) and Health Education. By approaching student wellness from an instructional, skills-building lens, it is easy to see how opportunities, programs, and services can more purposefully support what students learn in standards-based PE and Health Education class. Connecting what students learn with what they experience in the school environment helps staff focus on consistent messaging that can empower students to make good choices.
The DOE Wellness Policy outlines the role of the Citywide Wellness Advisory Council, to support promotion, implementation, and review of citywide policies and practices addressing wellness-related issues. The Citywide Wellness Advisory Council provides guidance to the DOE’s Office of School Wellness Programs on building stronger, quality health and physical education, and developing school communities that prioritize health and well-being and support these subject areas. Part of the Council’s responsibility is to review health and physical education initiatives and information from the previous year and offer recommendations that might enhance implementation in schools. The Citywide Wellness Advisory Council’s sponsoring DOE office, the Office of School Wellness Programs, with contributions from the Office of Food and Nutrition Services and other offices (e.g., School Health, Sustainability), are the Central-level reporting offices under the DOE Wellness Policy and prepare the annual update once data from the previous year is available. For contact information of individual(s) in these offices, check out the NYC DOE’s Wellness Policy.
Impact of COVID-19 on 2019-2020 Council Activities
The closing of New York City schools in March 2020 and New York State’s subsequent shutdown in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted convening a traditional Citywide Wellness Advisory Council. The combination of rapidly changing circumstances, redeployed Central staff, and reduced resources produced an interruption in the compilation and review of 2020-2021 school year data.
To share information with NYC DOE families around self-care during an unprecedented health care crisis, the Office of School Wellness Programs partnered with Hip Hop Public Health on a Saturday morning event series called "Weekend Wellness: Self-Care for Communities and Families." The series delivered empowering messages of self-care on vaccine hesitancy and acceptance; mental health and physical activity; and racism and the connection to health and stress. The Office also recruited and convened a group of 20 high school student leaders representing a diverse range of schools and interests to pilot a health education leadership program, provide feedback on vaping prevention lessons in partnership with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and offer insight on the value of conducting student committees online. Lessons learned from the family series and student committee will inform future council and committee work in online formats.
Physical Education Update
Physical education (PE) is a required academic subject that teaches participation in lifelong, health-enhancing physical activity. In PE, students learn to work as a team, develop healthy personal fitness habits, and set fitness goals now and throughout their lives.
City Council Local Law 102, enacted in 2015, requires the Department of Education of the New York City School District to submit to the New York City Council an annual report concerning Physical Education for the prior school year. See the Physical Education Report for 2020-2021. The report typically includes average frequency and total minutes per week of PE, per grade, at the school, district, borough, and Citywide levels to ensure schools are meeting State PE regulations, along with other data. Because of the shift to blended and remote instruction during the 2020-21 school year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York State Education Department offered flexibilities for instructional seat time requirements, so while schools were expected to provide instruction aligned with standards and comparable in scope and rigor using the traditional instructional time requirements as a benchmark, schools were not expected to provide a specific amount of PE instruction to their students. As a result, this report only includes data on the number and percentage of students who were scheduled for PE in all terms and is not comparable with data from other years.
Overall, in 2020-2021, schools reported that 96.5% of K-12 students Citywide were scheduled to receive PE instruction under this more flexible criteria, including 99.6% of elementary students. Schools continued to engage students creatively with safe PE and physical activity opportunities in new ways. To serve the learning needs of students Citywide, the DOE
promoted the value of PE and physical activity in return-to-school plans and guidelines, as well as CHAMPS and School Wellness Council grant programming, as a key component of student resiliency
provided PE guidance and expectations to ensure PE remained a priority for hybrid and remote students, supported by PE professional learning communities and Citywide PE resources;
launched an Outdoor Learning initiative that engaged hundreds of schools with promoting outdoor spaces, including parks and closed streets, as the safest places for PE and physical activity
Prior to COVID disruptions, NYC schools showed gains in the numbers and percentages of students receiving PE that meets State requirements as a result of the Citywide PE Works Initiative, a multi-year initiative to improve PE in New York City schools. To learn more about steady improvements since 2015-16, access the Physical Education Reporting page.
Comprehensive Health Education Update
Health Education provides students with the skills to navigate growing up, and the tools to care for themselves and others throughout their lives, while contributing to a positive school environment. Quality Health Education can change perspectives, transform behaviors, and help students learn and mature. It builds a foundation for lifelong learning, cooperation, and participation in families, communities, and our society. It also creates opportunities to engage families in supporting their child’s development and provides school communities with a way to establish a school culture that supports student well-being.
City Council Local Laws 14 and 15, enacted in 2016, require that the Department of Education of the New York City School District submit to NYC City Council an annual report concerning health education for the prior school year. See the Health Education reports for 2020-2021. The reports include Health Education compliance and instructor data, disaggregated by community school district, City Council district, and each individual school. Similar to PE, and because of the shift to blended and remote instruction during the 2020-21 school year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York State Education Department offered flexibilities for instructional seat time requirements, so while schools were expected to provide instruction aligned with standards and comparable in scope and rigor using the traditional instructional time requirements as a benchmark, schools were not expected to provide a specific amount of Health Education instruction to their students. As a result, this report only includes data on the number and percentage of students who were scheduled for HE in all terms and is not comparable with data from other years.
- As in past years, nearly all high school students were scheduled and received a graduation credit for the half-semester course
- Nearly 76% of eighth graders finished middle school having been scheduled to receive the course. This percentage is atypical and may reflect the unique circumstances of hybrid learning (e.g., waived seat time, recommended health education lessons provided outside of the regular class or course, and to address COVID-prevention and mental health needs)
- There were just 144 licensed health instructors in New York City; however, more than 16,500 were assigned to teach health education, with only 3.9% attending a health education professional learning opportunity this school year or the preceding year.
To serve the hybrid and online learning needs of students Citywide, the DOE
prepared Health Education guidance, materials and expectations to ensure
the most relevant health lessons and skills were a priority for hybrid and remote students
strategies and activities were included in return-to-school plans and guidelines as a key component of student health, safety and resiliency
provided instructional lessons and resources to teachers, especially lessons related to infectious disease prevention, mental and social-emotional health, and analyzing trusted health information resources;
hosted a Health Education Professional Learning Community to keep teachers connected
School Food and Nutrition Information
The Office of Food and Nutrition Services provides nutrient-rich options that students of all ages and backgrounds will love. Meals maintain high nutrition standards that meet and many times exceed USDA standards for school meals, with whole grain rich products, reduced sodium, and only fat-free flavored milk. Our menus and water services are created to make sure that students get the nutrients they need to think clearly and concentrate on learning.
We do not use food additives such as artificial colors or flavors, non-nutritious sweeteners, or high-fructose corn syrup. We continuously review ingredients to ensure the best possible food is served to our students. For more information about our menus, nutrition information, or programs, email us at SFWebsitesuggestion@schools.nyc.gov
The DOE continues to adhere to competitive food and beverage guidelines referenced in the DOE Wellness Policy and detailed in the Chancellor’s Regulation on Competitive Foods (CR A-812).
The DOE’s Office of Food and Nutrition Services operates quarterly partner meetings to develop, maintain, and help connect members of the school, nutrition, food justice, food access, and sustainability communities. Just as the Wellness Policy encourages schools to foster food service outreach and collaboration with instructional and environmental staff through School Wellness Councils, the Office of Food and Nutrition Services seeks that same Whole Child, Whole School, Whole Community approach with New York City’s strong food community. See additional important information about Office of Food and Nutrition Services on the Food page of the DOE website. Also, Local Law 215 requires DOE to create a report on meals served by DOE to students in school, including breakfast served before school, breakfast served after the school day begins, lunch, afterschool snacks and afterschool suppers. To learn more, see:
Continued Impact of COVID-19 on Foodservices in 2020-2021
During the 2020-2021 school year, the Office of Food and Nutrition Services played a vital role in the return-to-school experience for all New York City students. Schools shifted their focus and resources from the Grab-and-Go community meal program that proved invaluable in the early days of the pandemic to a modified version of in-school service. Food service staff and school administration collaborated to ensure this new service model provided hot and fresh meals while meeting social distancing requirements. For example, some schools utilized their outdoor spaces in order to reduce capacity in cafeterias and auditoriums. This required the utilization of tailored packaging and different service models from more traditional meal settings. Schools prioritized serving nutritious and delicious meals to all students in safe settings throughout their facilities.