What's happening
This bill requires all New York public schools to provide instruction on the prevention of eating disorders for grades 5-12.
Why it matters
Aims to address a growing mental and physical health issue by requiring formal education on eating disorder prevention, reaching students at a formative age (grades 5-12) when many disorders begin to develop.
Mandates collaboration between the Department of Education and Department of Health, ensuring that the curriculum is rooted in current medical and psychological understanding, and is tailored to the needs of both students and the school community.
Expands the audience of education beyond students to include parents and school personnel, recognizing that prevention and early intervention require broader awareness and support networks.
Directs the commissioner to provide technical assistance and model resources, which could help ensure consistency and quality of instruction across diverse districts, and reduce the burden on individual schools to develop their own programs from scratch.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Teach Eating Disorder Prevention
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 7
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to education
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
7056
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2020
Introduced by Sen. KAPLAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring a course of study in the prevention of eating disorders
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. Courses of study in eating disorders. 1. All pupils in grades five through twelve in all public schools in the state shall receive instruction designed to prevent eating disorders. Such program shall be defined by the commissioner in regulations after consultation with the department of health and be designed to educate students, parents and school personnel about the prevention of eating disorders in grades five through twelve. Such program shall include, but not be limited to students and parents. Nothing in this section shall prevent the department from making model curriculum and resource materials available on the department's website.
2. The commissioner may provide technical assistance to assist in the development of curricula for such courses of study which shall be age appropriate and developed according to the needs and abilities of pupils at successive grade levels in order to provide awareness, skills, information, self-confidence and support to aid in the prevention of eating disorders.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14200-04-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring a course of study in the prevention of eating disorders
Purpose
This legislation seeks to ensure that students in grades 5-12 receive instruction as it relates to preventing eating disorders.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 adds a new section 804-e to the education law by requiring students in grades 5-12 receive instruction as it relates to preventing eating disorders. Specifically SED would work with DOH to work towards creating a program aimed at educating students, parents and school personnel about the prevention of eating disorders. This section allows SED to promote model curriculum and resource material on their website.
Section 2 is the effective date.
Justification
With New York developing groundbreaking mental health education curric- ulum we need to make sure that all aspects of our educational system implements all aspects that are components of mental health. This legis- lation seeks to ensure that schools in their already mandate nutrition curriculum include eating disorder prevention, a key component to student's mental health needs.
Nearly three percent of adolescents report having an eating disorder with a higher concentration on middle and high school students. Unbe- lievably, nearly fifty percent of women and thirty-three percent of men have used unhealthy behaviors to control their weights. By ensuring, that schools nutrition curriculum includes key aspects of eating disor- der prevention we will take significant steps to recognizing that disor- dered eating behaviors such as anorexia and bulimia pose amongst other disorders pose serious mental health concerns to our young people.
Legislative history
None.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect July 1 next succeeding.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.