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 yearState 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.