State lawmakers have introduced bills meant to create a first-in-the-nation wellness policy for schools, meant to promote nutrition and healthy lifestyles for students.
The bill, backed by state Sens. Alessandra Biaggi and Robert Jackson, comes as an effort to create a statewide wellness policy for schools has gained ground in recent weeks.
The budget proposal from the New York State Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus backed $21 million in funding and technical assistance for the implementation of wellness policies in New York schools, especially in high-needs school districts.
The effort is backed by The WELL Campaign, started by the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy, Program in Nutrition, Teachers College Columbia University.
"As the Trump administration continues to roll back vital school nutrition standards, New York has an opportunity to be a national leader in the fight for our students' health and wellbeing," Biaggi said. "In the Bronx, 37 percent of children experience hunger which can have a direct impact on their educational growth. The purpose of this bill is to ensure that schools in every district are invested in the nutritional, emotional, and physical health of their students through comprehensive wellness policies, and to increase access to resources that will provide holistic support for our children's academic success."