Concerned with the rising number of children who are obese and overweight, Assembly Oversight, Analysis and Investigation Committee Chairman Jeff Klein conducted an extensive investigation of NYC school playgrounds, and found woefully poor outside areas for children to play.

Many parents, teachers and concerned taxpayers say it is the lack of gyms, play areas and other facilities that lead not only to obesity, but violence and anger. The children are told by the Mayor, elected officials, and everybody else that their education is important, but they never see the science labs, they dont have the art/music/dance programs or the resources to make this a reality, and they know it. So do many others. Gifford Miller has been very outspoken about education reform, and he spearheaded a successful effort to get back the $16 million for "Teacher's Choice".

But the immediate problem, as Betsy Gotbaum points out, is that New York City is in violation of the law in terms of not giving our children as place to play/exercise at least several times a week:

April 23, 2004 Press release:
Gotbaum: Playground-Turned-Parking Lot Means School Kids Can't Get Exercise

On Monday, I followed up on my report All Work and No Play, which uncovered the serious lack of physical education programs in New York City schools, by visiting the Robert Simon Complex School building on the Lower East Side. The facility, which is home to PS 64, Tomkins Square Middle School, and the Earth School, an alternative elementary school, lacks sufficient recreational space because its playground is being used as a parking lot for the School Safety Division motor pool.

Forty-three percent of the kids in our elementary schools are overweight or obese, yet the DOE and the NYPD prioritize parking over their health. Several foundations have offered to pay for the creation of a new play area. Parents from all three schools have written to the Police Department and Chancellor Klein to request the removal of the lot. In December 2003, Deputy Chancellor Kathleen Grimm visited the site and pledged her support, but the Department of Education (DOE) has been unable to come up with a time-frame in the months since.

Department of Education Strikes Out on School Sports as Childhood Obesity Rate Soars

Betsy Gotbaum, NYC Public Advocate:
On Tuesday, I released a report that found that out of 100 NYC public elementary schools surveyed across the five boroughs, 14 schools did not have a gym teacher, and 20 schools either had no gym classes at all or had them infrequently. Only four percent of schools surveyed had an athletic team.

This is outrageous, considering that 43% of NYC public schoolchildren are either overweight or obese.

Going without gym classes is not simply unhealthy for kids; it's actually illegal. NYC public schools are in violation of New York State regulations that mandate daily physical education for students in grades K-3 and a minimum of three gym classes per week for students in grades 4-6. All elementary schools surveyed were in violation of NY State law. I am calling on the Department of Education to immediately develop a physical education curriculum

March 30, 2004

Department of Education Strikes Out on School Sports as Childhood Obesity Rate Soars

Public Advocate Cries Foul for Non-Compliance With State Regulations

Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum released a report that blows the whistle on the Department of Education (DOE) for depriving New York City public school kids of their right to gym classes. The report found that out of 100 NYC public elementary schools surveyed, 14 schools did not even have a gym teacher, while 20 of the schools either had no gym classes at all or had them infrequently.



"When so many of our children are overweight, it is deplorable that more resources are not put toward their physical education," Gotbaum said. "This is about helping kids in schools across all five boroughs," she said. New York City has a high rate of child obesity, with 43 percent of NYC's public elementary school students either obese or overweight.



According to the Surgeon General, skimping on sports is a major factor in childhood obesity. Moreover, overweight children have a 70 percent chance of growing up into overweight adults. While the DOE has launched the initiative Operation Healthy Kids, it is only being implemented in select middle schools. This initiative must be expanded to all elementary schools.



Going without gym classes is not simply unhealthy for kids; it's actually illegal. NYC public schools are in violation of New York State regulations that mandate that students in grades K-3 have daily physical education, while students in grades 4-6 must have a minimum of three gym classes a week, or 120 minutes per week.



Gotbaum's findings in the report, All Work and No Play , include:

All elementary schools surveyed are in violation of NY State law.
Only ten percent of schools surveyed have an after-school athletic program.
Only four percent of the schools surveyed had an athletic team.

"Given the epidemic of childhood obesity, we must get our children moving right now both in school and at home. We urge the Chancellor to convene an emergency meeting about this immediately. Better physical health has a big impact on the ability of children to learn. This is a problem as urgent as the need to improve reading and math scores. In addition and equally important, is the fact that the long range consequences of neglecting this epidemic are catastrophic rates of type 2 diabetes and heart disease," said Maureen Cogan, chair of the New York City chapter of the Coalition for a Healthy and Active America.

"To address the epidemic rise in childhood obesity, health care professionals need to work with the Department of Education to help implement better physical activity programs and to promote healthy nutrition in our schools. School Based Health Centers such as the one North General Hospital created at P.S. 57 can bring together health professionals with educators to teach the entire school community the importance of combating obesity," said Dr. Adam Aponte, Chairman, Depts. of Pediatrics & Ambulatory Care, North General Hospital .

Recommendations include:

Work towards complying with New York State law by offering at least two physical education classes per week
Provide proper athletic facilities to promote a healthy school population
Develop an effective physical education curriculum
Recruit qualified physical education teachers

Contact:
Anat Jacobson (212) 669-4743 or (646) 321-4400;
James Vlasto, Communications Director
212-669-4166 or (17-414-2915