On April 6, the State Board of Education began holding public roundtables on a proposal that would allow Pennsylvania to join eight states and the United States Department of Agriculture in strengthening student nutrition and physical activity standards.

“Today’s schoolchildren are part of what may be the first generation with a shorter life expectancy than its predecessor,” said State Board Chair Joe Torsella. “Getting junk foods out of our schools – and getting healthier food options and 30 minutes of daily physical activity into them – are simple steps that can have a tremendous impact for our young people.”

Dr. Corrinne Caldwell, Chair of the Board’s Student Health and Wellness Committee, will lead the forums scheduled for Fort Washington on April 6, Lancaster on April 20 and Clarion on April 26.

“The State Board relies on stakeholder input to craft policies that will move Pennsylvania closer to the goal of a rigorous, relevant and rewarding academic program for every child,” said Dr. Caldwell. “We urge members of the public – and especially educators, parents and child health experts – to join these important conversations.”

Presented with mounting evidence linking student health to academic outcomes, the Board in 2009 identified nutrition and physical activity as policy priorities and formed a standing committee to examine best practices nationally and develop a state-level response. With the support of 43 stakeholders representing more than two-dozen organizations, the Board has drafted regulations that would set baseline nutritional standards for foods provided outside reimbursable school meals, including items dispensed from school vending machines and sold through fundraisers. Torsella notes that the regulation takes a “common sense approach,” by exempting homemade and home-baked goods from the requirements and providing schools with “important flexibility to ensure successful integration of the standards with local food service programs.”

The regulation also requires 30 minutes of daily physical activity for every student while giving schools broad discretion in implementation. Students could satisfy requirements through physical education classes, recess, classroom “energizers” or curriculum-based physical activity.

“The research is clear: young people need at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day,” said Dr. Caldwell. “With children spending eight hours in school each day, we have an obligation to meet them halfway on a critical public health goal.”

The backdrop to the Board’s action is unprecedented public awareness and activism on the need to curb rising child obesity rates. According to the state Department of Health, more than one-third of all Pennsylvania students are overweight or obese.

Policymakers at all levels of government are focused on the enormous public impact of this epidemic, including more than $14 billion in annual prescription drug, emergency room, and outpatient costs. The American Heart Association has endorsed the Board’s approach, calling it “decisive action to create sensible and achievable standards to address childhood obesity by updating physical education and school nutrition regulations.”