What's happening
This bill requires all New York schools to include instruction on food, agriculture, and nutrition as part of health education.
Why it matters
Promotes lifelong healthy habits. By integrating food, agriculture, and nutrition into health education from elementary through high school, the bill aims to build students' understanding of healthy eating, food systems, and self-reliance, which may help combat childhood obesity and related health problems.
Supports diverse learning needs. The curriculum is designed to be adaptable based on students' ages, abilities, and the unique needs of different school districts, potentially making lessons more relevant and effective for various communities across the state.
Elevates the importance of food education. Requiring certified health teachers and supportive resources for this instruction underscores food and nutrition as core educational priorities, rather than optional or extracurricular topics.
Allows for local flexibility with state standards. The bill lets districts choose between a state-prescribed curriculum or locally-developed courses (with state approval), balancing consistency in educational outcomes with the ability to tailor content to local agricultural, cultural, or health contexts.
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Who cares
School districts and school administrators
The bill would require food, agriculture and nutrition instruction within health education and require school authorities to provide facilities, instructional time and learning materials.
Classroom teachers and certified health teachers
Elementary instruction would be taught by regular classroom teachers or certified health teachers, while required secondary health courses would be taught by teachers certified to teach health.
Elementary and secondary students
Students would receive instruction aimed at promoting healthy eating, with elementary lessons tailored to their needs and abilities at successive grade levels.
State education commissioner
The bill would authorize regulations and require districts to use either a commissioner-prescribed curriculum or a course approved under the commissioner’s criteria.
Headline styles
Teach Food and Nutrition
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to education
- Referred to education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Teach Food and Nutrition
In Senate Committee · Education · Sponsor Kevin S. Parker
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
877
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 11, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, BARRETT, PERRY -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to instruction in food, agriculture and nutrition
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to read as follows:
§ 804-e. Health education regarding food, agriculture and nutrition. 1. All schools shall include, as an integral part of health education, instruction on food, agriculture and nutrition to promote eating behavior that enhances the health and well-being of the students.
2. Instruction regarding food, agriculture and nutrition shall be included in the health education provided for all elementary school pupils and shall be taught by the regular classroom teachers or by teachers certified to teach health education. Such instruction shall be designed according to the needs and abilities of the pupils at successive grade levels with the purpose of developing desirable health behavior, attitudes and knowledge, as well as self-reliance and problem solving capacity.
3. Instruction regarding food, agriculture and nutrition, in addition to continued health guidance in high schools, shall be an integral part of a required health education course at each level in the secondary school's curriculum. Any such course shall be taught by teachers holding a certificate to teach health. Related courses in the secondary school curriculum shall be taught in a manner supportive of health education regarding food, agriculture and nutrition.
4. The commissioner may prescribe such regulations regarding instruction on food, agriculture and nutrition as the commissioner may deem necessary and desirable for the health and welfare of pupils and the community. The contents may be varied to meet the needs of particular
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02588-01-9
A. 877 2
school districts, or portions thereof, and need not be uniform throughout the state, provided, however, that school districts shall utilize either the curriculum for health education instruction regarding food, agriculture and nutrition prescribed by the commissioner or a course approved by the commissioner in accordance with criteria established by the commissioner.
5. School authorities shall provide the needed facilities, time and place for the instruction set forth in this section and shall provide learning aids and curriculum resource materials which contribute to effective teaching methods and learning in health education regarding food, agriculture and nutrition.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.