Gotbaum to DOE: Shape Up!

Yesterday, the DOE and DOHMH released a study (results pictured below, right) which shows that physical fitness may be associated with higher academic achievement among NYC public school students.

The study found that students who scored in the top 5% on their fitness assessments outscored the bottom 5% by an average of 36 percentile points on standardized academic tests.

Childhood obesity continues to be a huge problem in our city: 21% of kindergarten through eighth grade students are obese, and an additional 18% of the City’s students are overweight (chart below).

A report from my office last year, State of Play: A Four-Year Follow-up Survey on NYC Students’ Access to Physical Education, showed that despite a growing obesity crisis in our city, the DOE had failed to provide students with the adequate and legally mandated amount of physical education. The survey found that only 4% of surveyed schools provided their third graders with a P.E. class every day, as mandated by state law.

I'm calling on the DOE to comply with state regulations mandating physical education in order for NYC kids to get the full benefits of fitness. The DOE has an obligation to support and hold schools accountable as necessary until all schools provide the amount of physical education required by state regulation.

I am also asking that they create an annually updated report stating the amount of P.E. provided in each school for each grade level. In order to establish transparency and accountability, the DOE needs to report to the public, particularly parents of public school students, the amount of physical education offered at each school, at least until the lack of compliance with the legal standard is remedied.