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May 9, 2008

We are all feeling the crunch of escalating food prices, and school districts are no exception. Two articles that came out this week, one on CNNMoney.com and the other on EdWeek.com, show that many school districts are currently facing a food service dilemma: either they cut down on fresh fruits and vegetables or they may have to lay-off some of their food service staff.

Unfortunately, offering less nutritious meals can put a strain on children’s health. To counter that, school districts are trying to be creative: they’ve been substituting fresh vegetables for frozen vegetables or serving more ground beef instead of chicken. This is hard to do when schools have carefully planned their menus and are trying to comply with school lunch regulations and mandated “wellness policies” that require schools to offer healthier food options. In an effort to keep kids healthy and their staff in place, some school districts have even resorted to increasing lunch prices.

In times like these, being creative may not be the perfect solution, but it’s a good place to start.

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May 6, 2008

A new study out of Massachusetts shows that smoking bans in restaurants effectively discourage young teenagers from becoming smokers, and suggests that restaurant smoking bans are even more powerful than the effect of whether a parent or close friend smokes. According to the study, kids in towns with strict restaurant smoking bans were a full 40 percent less likely to smoke than kids in towns with weak or non-existent restrictions.

This is big news for several reasons: Smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death in the US, and fully ninety percent of all smokers start before the age of 18 – tobacco use is a pediatric disease.

Perhaps most encouraging, this study shows that while tobacco use may be an individual decision, there is much that we can do to influence the environment in which that decision takes place. If we work to make tobacco use socially unacceptable, kids are much less likely to try it and get addicted.

World No-Tobacco Day is coming up May 31. Why not take this chance to review and update your school district’s tobacco use policy? For information or technical assistance on comprehensive tobacco free school policies, email info@schoolhealth.org.

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April 22, 2008

Seems like everyone's talking about going green these days (including BoardBuzz--here). Newsweek made it their cover earlier this month. And the phrase "green collar" jobs has entered the business and political lexicon. So in honor of Earth Day, BoardBuzz offers up a few resources on environmental education and green schools.

The EPA features an Earth Day Web site in English and Spanish, with classroom-related tools.

Our blogger pals at the Learning First Alliance (yeah, we plugged Public School Insights last week, but they're sharing stories worthy of your attention) profiled and posted an interview with an award-winning high school science teacher.

Want to know more about green schools? The U.S. Green Building Council has a website dedicated to the issue. And green schools was the Spring cover story ofCalifornia Schools Magazine, the top-notch publication of the California School Boards Association.

Even the publishers of the Dr. Seuss classic The Lorax are jumping on the bandwagon. So maybe Kermit needs a new song?

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April 17, 2008

BoardBuzz was shocked to learn that bullying has reached (yet another) new height. It seems that, according to this article via ABCNews.com, some students are exploiting students food allergies to make their lives miserable. Now bullies aren't just picking on the smallest or weakest kids in class--they're ganging up on children who have severe food allergies.What will they think of next?

"There was a group of five girls ... and they decided they didn't want me sitting at their lunch table anymore," said [Sarah] VanEssendelft. To get her to leave, they all brought in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

For VanEssendelft, it might as well have been arsenic.

Two weeks later, a boy in the back of her class opened up a peanut butter cup. The smell was enough to trigger VanEssendelft's peanut allergy and send her to the emergency room with breathing problems.

"My throat felt tight and my lips were getting really swollen, really fast," said VanEssendelft. "I looked like Angelina Jolie."

On the one hand, mean tricks or sneaking candy looks like mild behavioral problems to school administrators. On the other hand, given VanEssendelft's serious peanut allergy, those sandwiches might very well have been weapons.

And how can schools protect kids from this kind of attack? Who would consider a PB&J sandwich a weapon?

While it appears that school violence has decreased, unfortunately bullying increasing. "Between 1999 and 2003, the NSSC reported an increase of the student population who were bullied across grades 6-12." Troubling news for school districts.

And it seems that even though the students are hatching these ever-more-creative plots to torment other kids, they aren't thinking of the consequences.

"I think a lot of times kids get wrapped up in the experience and they don't think," said Susan Swearer, associate professor of school psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "Actually, it's true they don't think — they've done studies, the whole myelination in the brain is not complete."

The best way to tackle the thinking problem in adolescents, Swearer explained, is to repeat conversations. "Say it 500 times: someone can die of a peanut allergy."

School districts often have their hands tied -- some may say they aren't doing enough to help these students, and others who might say schools are overreacting. Either way, someone is going to second-guess what schools are doing to deal with this kind of issue.

It might be tempting for schools to do away with peanuts altogether, but [Dr. Kathy Sheerin, of the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic], who is also a mother of a child with a tree nut allergy, has different ideas.

"I think it's great that day cares and up to kindergarten are peanut-free," said Sheerin. "But the mall isn't peanut-free, the movies aren't peanut-free, your next door neighbor's house isn't peanut-free. The kids are going to have to learn to deal with it."

Most kids, in fact, want other kids to learn to deal with it, as well.

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April 15, 2008

Do as I say not as I do? Not for the teachers at one Michigan high school. BoardBuzz is excited and inspired by a group of teachers at Orchard View High School who have implemented a wellness plan. This according to a posting on the Muskegon Chronicle's blog.

About a dozen teachers have banded together this school year to promote the importance of exercise and diet. Their efforts so far have included forming an after-school teachers' running club and successfully lobbying for healthier cafeteria food. They also hope to start a similar running club for students this spring.

As motivation for themselves, the teachers decided to compete in the Fifth Third River Bank Run, a popular race scheduled for May 10 in Grand Rapids.

"The first thing we did was form a health committee," said history teacher Nicholas Cole, one of four teachers who formed the committee last fall. "We realized that we had no programs directed at health and fitness for staff."

Nothing like leading by example! What's more, "With the support of the high school's food service director and a registered dietitian, new, healthier food was added to the school's menu. For example, whole wheat, whole-grain breads took the place of less nutritious 'sub buns.' Cookies and cheeses were replaced with reduced-fat versions. And lower-sodium recipes were created."

What's especially exciting about this is that the teachers have taken this initiative on their own. And that's what good leadership is all about. Run on, Orchard View, run on!

Posted at 4:45 PM | Link to this story | Comments (2)

April 14, 2008

BoardBuzz is jumping on the green bandwagon. And just in time for Earth Day. Actually, we're just reporting on the cool stuff that's going on over at the Learning First Alliance's new Web site, Public School Insights.

There's a great list of coming attractions in advance of Earth Day, which include (according to the site):

Renowned polar-explorer Will Steger, whose current expedition through Ellesmere Island is being broadcast on-line to schools across the country;
Journalist Richard Louv, whose best-selling book Last Child in the Woods has helped spark a national movement to "leave no child inside;"
Portland, Oregon principal Tamala Newsome, who leads one of the nation's most celebrated green schools;
Other people leading the environmental education movement in public schools nationwide.

One of our favorites include the story of Simon Hauger's students and their high-performance hybrid car. It's definitely a warm fuzzy!

You've got to check back in the coming days and weeks, because the interviews and original content are not to be missed!

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April 11, 2008

BoardBuzz was interested and concerned by this story from CNN. As the anniversary of the violence at Virginia Tech approaches and other incidents of school violence come to light, school officials, parents, teachers, and community members are as concerned as ever about school safety and violence prevention.

What makes this story stand out, though, is that the parents of the student involved recognized some pretty scary behaviors in their son and acted to prevent the violence.

Elaine Sonnen found out about her son's plan during a conversation with him. She ordered him to write down the names of the eight students he wanted dead and then gave the list to his caseworker the very next day. Later, he added a teacher and his own mother and sister to the hit list.

She took immediate action and had her son committed to an Idaho mental institution. Over the next 16 months, he received treatment at several mental health facilities throughout Idaho.

"There, I opened up. I felt better. I moved on with myself," Richard said.

"They felt at that point ... they had done everything they could do for him," added Elaine Sonnen. "He was doing great. He could make it on his own. They had no question."

During NSBA's Conference last month, experts addressed the issue of violence prevention in schools in a session and at a press conference. NSBA's Senior Staff Attorney, Lisa Soronen was also interviewed on the subject. You can watch her interview by clicking here. For more information about disaster preparedness, check out this article in ASBJ.

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March 25, 2008

BoardBuzz wants to remind you to log in to the two online discussions that we'll be hosting from NSBA's Annual Conference in Orlando.

The Tipping Point on School Vouchers: Has Time Run Out for the Privatization Movement? Join NSBA Director of Federal Affairs Marcus Egan for an online discussion Sunday, March 30 at 1 p.m. ET to get the latest information on research, legislation and the political landscape impacting vouchers. You can submit a question in advance or log in to the discussion as it happens.

Straight Talk on Tobacco Join NSBA school health experts, Karen Lewis and Brenda Greene for an online discussion Monday, March 31, at 12:45 ET, to get the full scoop on tobacco free schools and to learn more about what school districts can do to make campuses tobacco free.You can submit a question in advance or log in and watch as the discussion unfolds.

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March 20, 2008

NSBA will host two lively online discussions during the Annual Conference in Orlando.

The Tipping Point on School Vouchers: Has Time Run Out for the Privatization Movement? Although well funded and with a vocal, albeit small network of supporters, the school voucher movement has run into troubles of late. From another crushing defeat of vouchers by voters in Utah, to a slew of recent research debunking private schools’ purported superiority in raising student achievement, to cautionary words from longtime voucher advocates downplaying vouchers’ alleged competitive benefits for public education, it has been a rough stretch for proponents of spending taxpayer dollars on private school tuition. While voucher proposals remain on the table in some states and in Congress, have the best opportunities for enacting new programs passed?

Join NSBA Director of Federal Affairs Marcus Egan for an online discussion Sunday, March 30 at 1 p.m. ET to get the latest information on research, legislation and the political landscape impacting vouchers. You can submit a question in advance or log in to the discussion as it happens.

Straight Talk on Tobacco Most people assume that all schools are completely tobacco free – it just seems to make too much sense not to be true! Unfortunately, the truth is more complicated than that, and according to the latest available (school health data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 58 percent of states, 55.4 percent of districts, and 63.6 percent of schools prohibit all tobacco use in all locations at all times. So, there is plenty of room for improvement in making all schools tobacco-free!

Join NSBA school health experts, Karen Lewis and Brenda Greene for an online discussion Monday, March 31, at 12:45 ET, to get the full scoop on tobacco free schools and to learn more about what school districts can do to make campuses tobacco free.You can submit a question in advance or log in and watch as the discussion unfolds.

Be sure to check it out! And be sure to visit the Annual Conference blog, which will detail all the events of the conference as they happen.

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March 13, 2008

No, not the Vice President. A class vice president in New Haven, Conn. And you're not going to believe why. The story has all the makings of a real political scandal, that's for sure. BoardBuzz had to chuckle when we read the story on CNN.com. It seems one student's Skittles craving has landed him in hot water.

Michael Sheridan was stripped of his title as class vice president, barred from attending an honors student dinner and suspended for a day after buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate.

School spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo said the New Haven school system banned candy sales in 2003 as part of a districtwide school wellness policy.

Michael's suspension was reduced from three days to one, but he has not been reinstated as class vice president.

Ouch. And all for a sugar jones. To be sure, schools and states are targets of constant sniping from the other direction that they aren't waging zealous enough campaigns against junk food. And the media often sensationalize stories like this that turn out to be more complicated when you know more of the facts. In this case, our friends at the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education note, the state has a strong wellness law that provides schools with an opportunity to get some additional funding if the school or district has a policy of only allowing sales of food items—by anyone—that are on a state-approved list for nutritional standards.

But here's the problem: It's the degree of punishment that often makes for the embarrassing headlines. NSBA Council of School Attorneys board member Dean Pickett of Mangum, Wall, Stoops, and Warden in Flagstaff, Arizona said it best years ago: "Zero tolerance for the conduct doesn't mean zero thinking about the consequences."

Perhaps the most interesting part of the article includes this tidbit, "Michael says he didn't realize his candy purchase was against the rules, but he did notice the student selling the Skittles February 26 was being secretive." Spoken like a true politician.

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March 4, 2008

BoardBuzz couldn't resist quoting our favorite commercial from the '80s (bonus points if you remember Clara Peller) when we read this article in USA Today. It seems that since last month's beef recall, some schools are quite literally wondering, "Where's the beef?"

The recall has caused school districts to reexamine the health of meat that ends up in the lunch line.

Based on prepared congressional testimony to be delivered today, two officials with the School Nutrition Association are expected to urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to update its recall communications system.

Delays in getting complete information about the recall of 143 million pounds of beef from the Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. in Chino, Calif., kept school food officials in the dark about details, officials say.

"Until all products are properly disposed, we will be traveling uncharted territory in making sure we obtain all information from all sources that are available to us," says Dora Rivas, director of child nutrition for Dallas schools.

The recall was in response to "videos showing workers at the plant inhumanely handling downer cattle bound for the slaughterhouse. Federal regulations ban slaughtering cattle that can't walk for fear they're infected with mad cow disease." Burgers anyone?

But in all seriousness, and it is serious, that's for sure, the way the recall worked, schools ended up (in some cases) ill-equipped to handle the barrage of inquiries from concerned parents and community members.

School Nutrition Association President Mary Hill says in her testimony that on Feb. 17, "we did not have the information we needed to respond to the many questions we immediately received from very concerned parents."

Kate Houston, deputy undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, defends the agency in her testimony. The automated, Web-based alert system was activated to contact meat recipients, with repeated follow-ups, she says. The USDA also worked with the Department of Education to spread the word, she says.

How did your school district handle the beef recall? Leave a comment here and tell us about it.

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January 11, 2008

A recent piece on ABCNews.com caught our attention because it strikes a nerve with students, teachers, parents, and administrators. In recent months, BoardBuzz has spent a lot of time and attention on social networking sites and the value they provide to education in the 21st century. Therefore, you can understand how a story titled "Have Boozy Photos on Facebook?" would cause some consternation.

A group of 42 students in a Minnesota high school were questioned and 13 had a disciplinary action taken against them when they left school to protest the questioning by administrators. Photos of students with alcohol were posted on Facebook and since students are required to sign a pledge to be involved in extracurricular activities, and they broke this pledge, they were punished.

What seems like a routine disciplinary action has touched different people in different ways. Parents and students say that this is just average high school behavior. Some students claim everyone drinks in high school, so the school should stay out of their business. It's no secret that Hollywood glorifies high school drinking in movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Dazed and Confused, and Clueless, but does that make it okay? Is it the job of the administration to look at Facebook regularly and be the Internet police for the students in their school? It's still unclear how the administration found out about the photos in the first place. Or is it a matter of free speech since the photos were taken off school property and parents should be aware of what their children are posting on Facebook and they should handle discipling their children for underage drinking? Perhaps the parents should follow the example of the "meanest mom in the world."

Need help getting through the muddled mess of social networking? Check out our discussion on the educational benefits of social networking. Believe it or not (after reading a story like this), there are some!

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January 8, 2008

BoardBuzz was not particularly surprised by a new report linking girls' popularity and weight. Anyone who's ever been to school knows that the popularity contest is never pretty, and now the research supports it.

This article which came to us via the Associated Press points out that "Where a teenage girl sees herself on her school's social ladder may sway her future weight, a study of more than 4,000 girls finds. Those who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular. Researchers said the study showed how a girl's view of her social status has broader health consequences."

Of course this is dismaying on a number of levels, least of all the cafeteria hierarchy. It just proves that mental health and physical health do go hand in hand. On the brighter side, the girls, all of whom were still growing, did fall into the "normal" weight category for BMI (which BoardBuzz discussed last week here). "But a gain of two BMI units over two years is more than the typical weight gain for adolescent girls, the researchers said."

"'How girls feel about themselves should be part of all obesity prevention strategies,' said the study's lead author, Adina Lemeshow, who began the study as a Harvard School of Public Health graduate student. She now works at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene."

The research supports just how important it is for schools to make all students feel safe and comfortable. "Experts know little about how to intervene in teenagers' peer groups to improve health, McNeely said, but when adults set standards in schools, students treat one another with more respect."

For more information on BMI, check out NSBA's School Health Program's Web site.

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January 2, 2008

Now that many of us are back on diets and hitting the gym more frequently, BoardBuzz would like to refocus on how schools can contribute to preventing – or reducing – the epidemic of childhood obesity. Some school districts are collecting students’ Body Mass Index (BMI) scores, but there has been little evidence that this is a useful strategy for schools to undertake.

In December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a long-awaited report in the Journal of School Health that offers school officials recommendations based on science and experience for how best to use BMI. The bottom line is that there is no clear consensus on the value of BMI measurements. A key point made in the report, however, is to differentiate between BMI data used for surveillance and data collected to screen individual students for being overweight.

Check out the report in the Updates and Announcements section of the School Health Programs website. And if you want to ask questions of one of the authors, CDC’s Allison Nihiser, drop by her session at the NSBA Annual Conference in Orlando on Monday, March 31, from 2:00-3:15 p.m. in the Orange County Convention Center. For more information on the conference and how you can register, click here.

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December 14, 2007

At first, BoardBuzz was pleased to see the results of the University of Michigan’s 2007 Monitoring The Future study released earlier this week, showing a 33 percent decline in teen cigarette use between 2001 and 2007. Wow! Digging just a little deeper, however, it appears that while there was a decline in smoking among 8th graders for the first time in four years, there has been no significant change in smoking rates for 10th or 12th graders during that same period. Other recent surveys also indicate that smoking declines have stalled among youth and adults.

The decline in youth smoking that occurred in the last decade indicates that we know how to reduce students’ smoking, but the stalled progress in more recent years is a clear warning to resist complacency. With the national smoking rate for adults still hovering above 20 percent, it is important to continue to fight this pediatric disease: four out of five smokers start before the age of 18!

Even more troubling is the fact that while states cut funding for tobacco prevention, tobacco industry marketing has gone from $6.9 billion in 1998 to $13.4 billion in 2005, according to the most recent Federal Trade Commission report on tobacco marketing. That makes our lungs hurt just thinking about it.

BoardBuzz knows that healthy students are students who stay in school and who achieve, and smoking is no way to stay healthy. Unfortunately, while our nation has made remarkable progress in reducing smoking in recent decades, this battle against the leading preventable cause of death is far from won. Tobacco-free school policies are an important contribution schools can make to reducing tobacco use by young people. For more information on the Center for Disease Control’s guidelines for 100 percent tobacco-free school policies, click here.

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December 10, 2007

BoardBuzz, like much of America, has been saddened by recent high profile and senseless acts of violence by young people, including the Virginia Tech massacre and the recent shopping mall tragedy in Omaha. It's understandable that educators, administrators, and school districts are wondering what we can do now to help prevent this kind of tragedy down the road. And now an article on CNN.com has some recommendations.

Everything from video games to poor parenting to lack of education has been blamed for the outbursts, but the article asserts that by taking steps to intervene now can actually prevent troubled youth from acting out.

"We've learned a lot about what works," said Tom Simon, deputy associate director for science for the Centers for Disease Control's Division of Violence Prevention. "There's only so much we can do as a society to keep the places where we gather safe -- metal detectors, guards, cameras. The need, really, is to focus on primary prevention. We need to start early."

And just how can we get started early?

In nearly every case of rampage shootings by youths, a clear pattern emerges -- after it's too late.

Warning signs of emotional disturbance are usually there, [Terry Cline an administrator with the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)] said. But those who see it -- typically a youth's friends or fellow students -- are "not quite sure what to do with that."

In addition, he said, the stigma still attached to mental disturbances prevents people from asking for help or talking to someone about it.

"We want to make certain that people have a better understanding of those early warning signs and know what to look for," Cline said.

The article goes on to suggest that intervention programs in schools may help curb the violence.

Students who participate in such a universal school program -- aimed at impacting all the children in a school, not just those who are at risk for future violence -- have shown a 15 percent relative reduction in violent behavior, Simon said.

SAMHSA has launched a program called "What a Difference A Friend Makes," Cline said. It is aimed at educating young people on the signs of mental illness and emotional disturbance and encouraging them to provide support to friends who may be experiencing difficulty, rather than becoming awkward and uncomfortable and turning away.

"Their support may be critical to that person's recovery," he said.

The program, which targets 18- to 24-year-olds, involves public service announcements and other ads. In addition, information packets have been distributed to college students nationwide. SAMHSA is retooling it to target ethnic and racial minorities and will relaunch it in the near future, Cline said.

Focusing on the age group is important, he said. Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness are diagnosed by age 14, and three-quarters by the age of 24.

After-school programs can provide a youth with the opportunity to learn new skills and build a positive relationship with at least one adult, and mentoring programs can provide teens with a "supportive, nonjudgmental role model," according to the National Youth Violence Prevention Center, an organization that evolved from the White House-established Council on Youth Violence, the CDC and other agencies following the Columbine shootings.

It's clear that communities as a whole need to make every effort possible to help troubled youngsters before they act out in violence. Does your school district have any programs in place to support students in crisis? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

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November 27, 2007

Burgers or broccoli? Tater tots or tangerines? Pizza or parsnips? When it comes to school lunch, students seem to gravitate to the less healthy options. Or do they? A new study out of the University of Minnesota suggests that students are willing to eat the healthier alternatives being offered at schools.

In fact, "school lunch sales don't decline when healthier meals are served, and that more nutritious lunches don't necessarily cost schools more to produce." And that sure is good news for school districts looking for healthier options for kids.

The study, which appears in the December issue of the Review of Agricultural Economics, analyzed five years of data for 330 Minnesota public school districts. It looked at compliance with federal standards for calories, nutrients and fats.

When the researchers crunched all the numbers they found that schools serving the healthiest lunches did not see a falloff in demand.

While serving better meals does entail higher labor costs, the study found, that's offset by lower costs for more nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables compared with processed foods. However, many districts need to upgrade their kitchens and train their staff to prepare these foods, the researchers said.

The study's conclusions rang true for Jean Ronnei, director of nutrition services for St. Paul Public Schools, which serves more than 46,000 meals daily. The district was held up by the authors as a model for others.

Ronnei said the percentage of St. Paul kids eating school lunches has increased in recent years at the same time the district has been offering more fruits and vegetables.

"That doesn't mean we don't have a hot dog on our menu. We do... In our case it's a turkey low-fat hot dog," she said.

It sounds like a step in the right direction to BoardBuzz. What is your district doing to help kids live healthier lives? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

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November 8, 2007

Election Day came and went on Tuesday without as much fanfare as we're used to seeing in most states. With no presidential election or mid-term elections to entice people to go to the polls, the more local matters became the center of attention. Yesterday we highlighted the Utah voucher vote which was watched closely in education circles, but what about some of the other issues? From Seattle to Miami, and everywhere in-between, there are some big challenges to address, especially in urban districts.

A recent study from the Southern Education Foundation found that poverty is on the rise in the south, requiring school districts to accept the fact that, according to our friends at Ed Week, "low-income students are now a majority in the public schools of the U.S. South, and that schools in the West may cross that line in the near future." This undoubtedly brings health issues to the forefront of public schools, and it seems that you can't open the newspaper or go to the web without seeing a blurb about childhood obesity. In Houston, they're facing the issue with a pilot program that brings in chefs to discuss healthy eating, cook great food, and change the way students choose what to eat. An article in the Houston Chronicle on election day outlines the program and discusses the challenges. But poverty, health, and obesity are not alone...

National academic standards, school choice, school safety, conquering the achievement gap, NCLB, and pre-kindergarten (just to name a few) are on the minds of Americans, but are they on the minds of the candidates? Now that election day 2007 has come and gone, these issues could actually be addressed by the 16 presidential candidates. So far, other issues have dominated the debates and the rhetoric so in some cities, it's the students who are chiming in with ideas. In Washington, D.C., almost 200 students participated in a town hall meeting to tell Mayor Adrian Fenty and School Chancellor Michelle Rhee how they thought the D.C. schools could be improved. What's happening in your part of the country? Leave a comment to share the issues that you feel should be addressed.

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October 23, 2007

BoardBuzz always likes to hear some good news about healthy kids, and this story from the AP (via CNN) was no exception. It seems that some students in New York City are making a run for it.

Twenty thousand students are enrolled in the "Mighty Milers, a program run by the New York Road Runners Foundation that aims to get kids up and running." It's targeted at combating childhood obesity, and seems to be working. "The children earn prizes like medals and certificates each time they notch 26 miles (42 kilometers) -- a marathon -- and they can track their progress on personal Web pages."

Not only that, but

At this year's November 4th marathon, 1,200 runners will collect fundraising pledges for the Mighty Milers and the foundation's other youth programs.

In New York City, a 2003 Health Department survey found that only 53 percent of public elementary school students were at a healthy weight. Overweight children are more likely than their slimmer peers to become overweight or obese adults and to develop health problems including heart disease and diabetes.

Principal Israel Soto said Public School 57 in East Harlem is addressing the obesity challenge through a range of measures including a gym for the staff and nutrition classes for parents.

Mighty Milers fits in with his goal of nurturing healthy bodies and healthy minds.

"The research is very clear that when children are healthy, when you provide opportunities for them to get healthy, it raises their achievement level," he said.

Sperber said Mighty Milers costs just $50 per child per year, including T-shirts, prizes and training for the physical education teachers at participating schools.

And can you really put a price on something that is so clearly good for kids' health? The kids seem to be enjoying it too.

Nine-year-old Cierra Agosto said she loves the program.

"When we didn't have Mighty Milers, we didn't have so many activities," she said. "We never got to do push-ups and sit-ups before."

Cierra boasted that her friend Katherine Rojas, also 9, is the fastest runner in the class; she can do a lap in 15 seconds.

"That makes me feel good about myself," said Katherine, petite and ponytailed. "And it helps you get muscles."

Does your school district have similar programs to help kids get fit? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

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October 18, 2007

The school board of Portland, Maine voted last night to allow an independent clinic located at a district middle school to provide birth control to students engaging in risky behavior. According to this article in the New York Times, "All but two members of the 12-person committee voted to approve the plan." Additionally, the article noted, "The school principal, Mike McCarthy, said about 5 of the school’s 500 students had identified themselves as being sexually active."

One important point to note is that this plan includes prescriptions for the birth control pill. Condoms have been available to students with parental permission since 2002. This has, of course sparked vigorous debates, both within the community in Portland, and in the national news.

The conference room at the Wednesday night meeting was packed with parents, students and television cameras as school board committee members discussed the issue and heard testimony from experts and residents.

“It has been shown, over and over again, that this does not increase sexual activity,” said Pat Patterson, the medical director of School-Based Health Centers.

Reaction was mixed.

“This is really a violation of parents’ rights,” Peter Doyle, a Portland resident, told the committee. “If there were a constitutional challenge, you guys would be at risk of a lawsuit.”

Others argued for approval.

“Not every child is getting the guidance needed to keep them safe,” said Richard Veilleux, who said his child attends King Middle School. “This is about giving kids who are sexually active the tools that they need.”

BoardBuzz would like to point out that this is exactly the kind of situation that illustrates why local decision making is so important. The Portland officials are clearly striving to meet a need that exists in their community, but may not in other districts in the state or across the nation. Using data to make decisions about health-related programs is as important as using relevant data to make decisions about academic programs.

But if we were to look into our crystal ball, BoardBuzz suspects that the debate over this issue is not finished yet. What do you think about this policy? Leave us a comment and tell us what you think.

For more coverage, check out additional stories here and here.

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May 16, 2007

Forget dodgeball, kickball, and rope climbing. In some New York middle and high schools, the stodgy classics from P.E. classes of yesteryear are getting a makeover with innovative options like skateboarding, Pilates, yoga, line dancing, and kayaking.

BoardBuzz caught this tidbit in the New York State School Boards Association's On Board magazine, which actually made us want to go back to high school gym class. The goals of P.E. are the same as always, "to give students the knowledge and experience to remain physically active for a lifetime," it's just the techniques that have changed. Seriously, when was the last time anyone besides Ben Stiller played dodgeball? Besides, you need a whole team of people to participate in that activity, but for things like rollerblading, kayaking, and rock climbing, students can go it alone.

The state is even working on assessments to track student fitness and progress. Glen Maisch, Kingston High School's athletic director, summed up nicely by saying, "Students and parents need to see where their school's obesity rate is and fitness rate is because they're just as important as academics."

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May 8, 2007

BoardBuzz caught sight of a pair of editorials (here and here) in today's USA Today on random student drug testing. We've covered the story a few times (here and even hosted an online discussion on the topic here) but we couldn't resist weighing in again.

We checked in with our favorite expert, NSBA Staff Attorney Lisa Soronen, to see what she thought of the editorials. Here's what she had to say:

When it comes to school district issues, one of the media’s darlings is student drug testing. USA Today takes a pro-random drug testing position citing a conversation a principal overheard between two students who were discussing how they were not going to use drugs at a party due to the district’s drug testing policy. Perhaps even more poignant is the same school board’s reasons for initially adopting the drug testing policy: a meth-addicted student attended a board meeting and begged for help.

Of course, there is little agreement regarding whether drug testing is a good idea. Both the editorial and a response to it point out that no research conclusively indicates drug testing actually deters drug use. Moreover, both articles point out that drug testing is not free – and even if it can be fairly characterized as inexpensive, dollars spent on drug testing could be spent on other activities that, for example, could keep children engaged between 3 and 6 p.m., when they're likely to get into dangerous situations.

Regardless of where a school board falls on the pro- or anti- side of the drug testing debate, perhaps the issue of combating drug use shows local control at its best. When the school board featured in the article received a cry for help, it responded. Maybe everyone will not agree with its response, but the board used a solution it felt was best for the local community to confront and hopefully overcome the problem.

Should schools randomly drug test students? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment.

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April 9, 2007

As more schools move towards random student drug testing, school districts find themselves in an interesting dilemma. What should policies cover in drug testing students? How far can a school go to keep its students safe, yet protect their privacy? Find out to navigate through the quagmire by tuning into NSBA's online discussion on the legal implications of student drug testing. The discussion will take place during NSBA's Annual Conference, Sunday, April 15, at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. NSBA Staff Attorney Lisa Soronen will provide expert information and answer your questions. Plan to join the discussion during the live hour or post your questions now.

Another factor that is critical to the success of our students is school climate. In a recent groundbreaking study, “Where We Teach,” by NSBA’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (see previous BoardBuzz coverage here), teachers and administrators candidly expressed their perceptions on safety, expectations for student success, professional judgment, parent involvement, and bullying. Principal Investigator and CUBE Chair Dr. Brian K. Perkins will share why all schools need to pay attention to school climate and will discuss the study’s most important findings on Monday, April 16, at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT. Plan to join the discussion during the live hour or post your questions now.

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March 28, 2007

More and more schools moving towards random drug tests (see previous BoardBuzz coverage here, here, and here) creates an interesting dilemma for school districts. The latest story, out of New Jersey, examines steroid testing. And one district has started using a test that can detect alcohol use up to three days prior (see story here).

For those wondering how to muddle through the quagmire and keep students safe, while still protecting their privacy, you can tune in to NSBA's online discussion on the legal implications of student drug testing. The discussion will take place during NSBA's Annual Conference, Sunday April 15, at 3:00 PT. NSBA Staff Attorney Lisa Soronen will provide expert information and answer questions. Stay tuned for more information about how you can sumbit a question for the discussion.

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March 20, 2007

BoardBuzz was excited to hear about NSBA's own Brenda Greene, director, school health programs who recently participated in a webinar hosted by District Administration and sponsored by Aramark on school wellness policies.

The webinar, "Improving Nutrition and Wellness in Schools" focused on how the reauthorized federal Child Nutrition Act now requires K12 school districts with federally funded school meal programs to put wellness programs in place this year and gave tips for how to implement such programs.

The presentation also offered information on how to develop health-promoting school environments; offer inviting and nutritious menu choices; meet state and national wellness program guidelines; review health and nutrition case studies and success stories; and implement quality wellness programs in your school.

Others on the panel included Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest; Dr. Kenneth M. Arndt, superintendent of Community Unit School District 300, Carpentersville, Illinois; and Dr. David Behlow, superintendent of Oswego Community Unit School District, Oswego, Illinois. You can also download PDF versions of the presentations.

For additional information on school wellness policies, visit the "wellness" section of NSBA's School Health Programs website. And you can download a copy of "Getting to Wellness: Food, Fitness and Learning for Life--What Your Schools Can Do," an American School Board Journal Special Report here.

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February 8, 2007

The debate continues to simmer over Texas's mandatory HPV vaccination, with this article in today's USA Today. BoardBuzz told you earlier this week about the mandate in Texas and pending legislation in other 23 states and the District of Columbia.

The article notes that a group called Concerned Women for America "believes that it is the right and responsibility of parents--not government--to choose whether or not their daughter receives the vaccination." But as we noted before, the Texas order allows for an opt out, as do the pending mandates in every state except Mississippi and West Virginia. And even some in the health community are weighing in against a mandate:

By rushing to mandate HPV immunization, says Samuel Katz, a co-developer of the measles vaccine, "you just throw oil on the flames of the anti-vaccine folks." The measles vaccine, licensed in 1963, launched the debate about mandating immunizations, Katz, pediatrics professor emeritus at Duke University, said Wednesday. But HPV isn't the measles, he says. "It isn't transmitted in a classroom to dozens of children. It's not the same thing as infectious diseases that fly through the air with no boundaries."

There is still much to be learned about the proper use of the HPV vaccine, Katz says. "When you start with a new vaccine, you have to go through a period of public education, as well as health-worker education," Katz says. "I think eventually this (HPV immunization) will spread to the population at large, but I don't think the way to get there is to mandate."

But the debate does have two sides, and the article quotes, "Mark Einstein, director of clinical research for gynecological oncology at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, believes it should be mandated, but 'we weren't expecting anything to happen so soon.' With more education, he says, 'people will realize this is just another method' to prevent cervical cancer."

So, what's a girl to do? Weigh in with a comment.

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February 6, 2007

By now we've all seen those commercials about HPV (human papillomavirus) that causes cervical cancer in women. What's more, there is now a vaccine on the market that is approved to prevent HPV, and thus cervical cancer. But this medical advancement is stirring up controversy from Charlottesville to Corpus Christi, Seattle to St. Augustine, Louisville to Lubbock, as states move toward passing mandates for school-aged girls.

Texas Governor Rick Perry became the first to mandate the vaccine through an executive order, even against the urging of some of his fellow Republicans. AP reported,

Lawmakers should have been allowed to hear from doctors, scientists and patients before the state implemented such a sweeping mandate, said state Sen. Jane Nelson, chairwoman of the health and human services committee.

"This is not an emergency," said Nelson, adding that she plans to ask Attorney General Greg Abbott for an opinion on the legality of Perry's order. "It needs to be discussed and debated."

The critics also argue that mandating the vaccine "trample[s] parents' rights and promote[s] premarital sex." But Perry defends his decision, saying, "Providing the HPV vaccine doesn't promote sexual promiscuity any more than providing the Hepatitis B vaccine promotes drug use. If the medical community developed a vaccine for lung cancer, would the same critics oppose it claiming it would encourage smoking?"

The Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill yesterday that would "require all girls entering middle school to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus," sparking a similar debate in that state. Both states will allow opting out for parents who argue that it violates their religious beliefs.

So what role should schools play? This editorial from The Seattle Times notes,

A public-health affiliate of George Washington University found that state laws requiring immunization as a condition of school enrollment increased the use of vaccines, reduced disease and lessened racial disparities in vaccine coverage.

According to the university's public-health arm, adolescents, especially from minority and low-income communities, have less access to care, and a voluntary HPV vaccine is less likely to reach them, contributing further to health disparities.

Other critics argue that "the government is taking control away from them and that this is simply a money-making venture for Merck, producer of the Gardasil vaccine, the only currently approved HPV vaccine." While proponents of the vaccine point out, "Each year, 10,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer; one-third of them will die from it. The HPV vaccine has the potential to decrease these numbers and one day eradicate cervical cancer, in a way similar to what vaccines did for polio, chickenpox and measles."

What's your take on the issue? Let us know by sharing a comment below.

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January 10, 2007

The verdict is in. The key to a long and healthy life is education. This recent article in the New York Times points out that "The one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race; it obliterates any effects of income." Not only that, but "those factors that are popularly believed to be crucial — money and health insurance, for example, pale in comparison."

Education is not the only factor, however, that affects lifespan. There's smoking, "which sharply curtails life span. There is a connection between having a network of friends and family and living a long and healthy life. And there is evidence that people with more powerful jobs and, presumably, with more control over their work lives, are healthier and longer lived." But education keeps coming up, again and again.

"If you were to ask me what affects health and longevity," says Michael Grossman, a health economist at the City University of New York, "I would put education at the top of my list."

Suprisingly, "It turned out that life expectancy at age 35 was extended by as much as one and a half years simply by going to school for one extra year." That's a rousing endorsement for education, if you ask BoardBuzz. And most interestingly, as Victor Fuchs, a health economist at Stanford, points out "it is not clear how or why education would lead to a longer life."

BoardBuzz loves a feel-good story, and this one makes us feel really good! Hats off to education!

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January 8, 2007

Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list is out and that got BoardBuzz thinking about how many school districts would make the cut.

Google, which nabbed the top spot, offers its employees perks such as free meals, swimming spa, and free doctors onsite. BoardBuzz was especially keen on the on-site volleyball court. The payoff? Happier and healthier employees are more productive and lowers the company's health care costs.

While most school districts don't offer these, there is the gym where motivated school employees can go for a workout. And perhaps it's not haute cuisine, but the school cafeteria is always a good place for a hot meal, especially with the push for healthier foods in schools. The number two company, Genetech, offers staffers a paid six-week sabbatical for every six years of service, while number four Container Store boasts a "family friendly" shift, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., allowing for school dropoffs and pickups.

So how Google-y is your school district? BoardBuzz learned of one district near Chicago that pays for its employees to belong to a nearby gym. The results go far beyond trimmer waistlines: The district saw its health insurance claims drop by 30 percent and health insurance premiums stay at the same level for the first time in years. BoardBuzz wants to know how your district is helping employees become happier and healthier. Leave us a comment!

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December 8, 2006

A new report from anti-hunger group Food Research and Action Center says that "a record 7.7 million low-income children are receiving free and reduced-price breakfasts on an average day during the 2005-2006 school year." This is an increase of 8.7 percent over the past two years. The School Breakfast Scorecard 2006 is designed to measure the reach of the School Breakfast Program.

Studies continue to demonstrate the links between breakfast and learning, making the case stronger for more schools to expand breakfast participation and make sure all children participate. There are now 44.6 low-income children receiving breakfast for every 100 eating lunch, compared to 31.5 for every 100 when FRAC first began the scorecard in 1991, and 43.1 per 100 during the 2003-2004 school year.

"We're glad that schools are seeing and supporting the vital links between education and learning," said Lynn Parker, FRAC's director of child nutrition. "Skipping breakfast in the morning can become an unhealthy routine for some children. We'd like to see more schools move to universal breakfast, which provides school breakfast at no charge to all children who wish to eat, more schools offer breakfast in the classroom to ensure children's access and more districts and states aggressively market the benefits of breakfast to parents and children. These are all proven strategies for success."

For more information about school breakfast, you can check out BoardBuzz's previous coverage here. Find information on school breakfast and the link of breakfast to improved learning by searching the NSBA School Health Programs database. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service has information online too.

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December 5, 2006

This report in today's Washington Post draws some interesting (albeit obvious) conclusions about the health of students and their performance in school.

For example, in Miami-Dade County public schools, eye screenings are mandatory, but frequently test results are not used to ensure that students are able to see the blackboard. Leonard Turkel, a Miami-area "businessman-turned-philanthropist" has a mobile vision lab that he takes to schools providing eye exams and glasses where needed. "The results, school principals say, are remarkable: Many of the kids--and in some schools it can be as much as half of the student population--who wear the glasses show improvement in attendance, focus and achievement. Their behavior often improves, too."

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that a healthy student is one who can perform better in school. Additionally,

In urban school systems across the country, children who live in poverty suffer from higher rates of health problems—asthma, malnutrition, obesity and mental disorders—than the more affluent, and the academic consequences are very real, according to researchers who have studied how health affects academic achievement.

"Good dental care doesn't make you a good student, but if your tooth hurts, it's hard to be a good student," said Geoffrey Canada, president and chief executive of the Harlem Children's Zone, a large-scale initiative designed to improve the social, health and educational conditions in entire neighborhoods of Harlem.

These findings have tremendous implications for the reauthorization of NCLB, with many educators hoping that "health factors are given more attention by, for example, including physical and health education as core subjects and expanding the requirement that teachers 'be highly qualified' in these subjects as well as reading and math."

Here's the take from NSBA's School Health Programs Director Brenda Greene: "This article points out the necessity of schools addressing the "here and now" of students' health issues so they can be ready to learn everyday, and also the need to educate students so they can develop their own health knowledge and skills for a lifetime."

Greene advises, "When schools address health issues, it is best done through a systems approach that supports the needs of students through services while also reinforcing messages about health promotion and disease prevention through education, school environment, and family and community involvement.

"In practical terms, having the data is the first step, and committing to making improvements based on the data has to follow. Because schools lack sufficient resources and expertise to address health issues, schools can benefit from working with community partners, as is described in the article."

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November 29, 2006

In anticipation of World AIDS Day, NSBA has released Living with HIV/AIDS: Students Tell Their Stories of Stigma, Courage, and Resilience. The book focuses on the challenges that students affected by HIV and AIDS have dealt with in growing up and at school, as well as the opportunities school officials have to contribute to their well-being and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.

In addition to World AIDS Day, this book is a timely reminder that 25 years after the first reports of AIDS in the United States, schools are still defining their role in dealing with students living with HIV and AIDS. Anne Bryant, executive director of NSBA, notes in the book's preface, "Ten years ago it seemed that children born with HIV infection wouldn't survive past their early years, many of these children are now in high school or college as a result of effective medical treatments." Bryant goes on to say, "It is time to explore how well children affected by HIV and AIDS are doing in schools and how well schools are doing in fulfilling their responsibility to ensure all students have the opportunity to learn."

In addition to firsthand accounts of children and their parents who are living with HIV and AIDS, the book also includes recommendations for school officials and personnel as they reflect on the policies and procedures in place in their districts. Living with HIV/AIDS serves as a resource, not merely for school districts officials, but also for parents, teachers, and students.

Download your PDF copy of the book from the NSBA School Health Programs Web site.

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October 6, 2006

Good Morning America reported this morning that snack food companies would follow in the footsteps of the soda companies by signing on with President Clinton and the American Heart Association to limit the amount of fat and sugar in snack foods sold at schools, all in the name of the ongoing battle against childhood obesity.

The agreement with Kraft Foods Inc., Mars Inc., Campbell Soup Co., Groupe Danone SA and PepsiCo Inc. sets guidelines for fat, sugar, sodium and calories for snack foods sold in school vending machines, stores and snack bars. Those companies make everything from M&M's, yogurt and granola bars to Frito-Lay potato chips, Snickers bars and canned soups.

Under the guidelines, most foods won't be permitted to derive more than 35 percent of their calories from fat and more than 10 percent from saturated fat. There will be a limit of 35 percent for sugar content by weight.

An example of a snack that would be banned is a Snickers bar, which has 280 calories, 130 of them from fat. The candy bar has 30 grams of sugar out of 58.7 total grams.

While the soda agreement covers about 87 percent of the market, the snack market is a little more diverse, but the the Clinton Foundation and American Heart Association are hopeful that the "industry leaders" who have already signed on will inspire others to do so as well.

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September 20, 2006

Sure, 16 minutes, to be exact. A new report by researchers at Cornell notes that students in an average high school gym class are active for just 16 minutes. CNN.com is carrying the story, which also points out,

The Cornell report found that adding an additional 200 minutes of physical education a week resulted in boys spending only about 71/2 more minutes being active in gym class. For girls, an additional 200 minutes of PE resulted in about 8 more minutes of being active in gym each week.

The rest of the extra gym time is likely spent being sedentary—most likely standing around idly while playing sports like softball or volleyball that don't require constant movement

Researcher John Cawley, lead author of the study and a professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell, pointed out, "We're not saying schools should get rid of (physical education), but that increasing time alone has no effect. There has to be a meaningful change in the curriculum."

Hmm. Physical education should be, well, physical... and education... not just sports.

Posted at 5:17 PM | Link to this story | Comments (0)

September 12, 2006

Being a student these days can be taxing. With the news from BoardBuzz that homework can actually kill you, now there's this report in USA Today indicating that asthma attacks spike when school starts. Go figure.

The article notes that "more than six times as many asthmatic children of elementary school age are admitted to the hospital in early fall compared with the hot, smoggy days of summer."

"Researchers speculate that it has to do with kids getting together in small indoor spaces again and passing around viruses," says Norman Edelman of the American Lung Association. "Getting a respiratory virus such as the flu or a cold can trigger an asthma attack."

Other factors include indoor air pollution, idling diesel-powered school buses, perfumes and body sprays, and parents sending children back to school without informing the school of the child's needs or condition.

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September 7, 2006

Kids lost at least one round recently in the battle over multi-tasking while studying. A recent study conducted by researchers at UCLA indicates that this multi-tasking actually makes them learn less and use the wrong parts of their brains.

An article in the Health section of Washington Post points out that, "According to [Russell Poldrack, associate professor of psychology at UCLA and co-author of the study], results from the UCLA study give researchers a good idea that active tasks—involving 'doing' processes, like counting beeps or singing along with a song in your head—interfere with learning."

But those who need Eminem in the background do have at least a little something on their side. "For some kids, music functions like white noise, drowning out distractions, according to [William Stixrud, a Silver Spring neuropsychologist in private practice], who also teaches study skills to his clients. And for those with attention-deficit disorder, who are constantly seeking stimulation, some distraction may be what they need to concentrate on their studies."

So, how to set up rules for doing homework? And what are some best practices? The Post offers that, too.

BoardBuzz thinks that kids and parents are likely to continue to butt heads on this one.

Posted at 3:35 PM | Link to this story | Comments (1)

August 25, 2006

Here's another example of problematic research/advocacy of the type BoardBuzz criticized here.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) this summer issued a School Foods Report Card that gives 23 states a failing grade in nutrition policies. The misnomer here is that the report cards about "schools" are based on state laws, not necessarily on what's actually happening in school districts.

The curious thing is the report itself acknowledges that, "there has been tremendous activity at the local level to improve school foods. Large school systems, such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia, have strengthened their school foods policies." And at another place it cites one study in which volunteers actually went to the trouble of visiting schools to see what was happening nutrition-wise (which in this case, they say, wasn't pretty).

But then it goes on to say this:

While policies for school meals are determined at the federal level, states have broad authority to address the nutritional quality of foods sold outside of meals. Thus, we analyzed state policies for foods sold outside of meals through vending, a la carte, school stores, and fundraisers.

So CSPI did online research of state laws and called state officials to see what mandates their states had. And they issued the grades based solely on how much regulation the state imposes. That's a whole lot easier than finding out what school districts may be doing on their own, but, as we said, convenience of benchmarking and lobbying is not the same as what's ultimately best for communities and children.

Nonetheless there's some predictable fretting going on in response to the grades. "Illinois was handed a report card Friday, but it wasn't one to brag about," says this item.

This op-ed by Washington state senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Shelley Curtis of the Children's Alliance says, "Clearly, we need to do more in our public schools and communities to address childhood obesity more effectively" and "public schools can, and should, be a proactive part of the solution." But then only one of their recommendations specifically is about how the state can "assist local school districts." Some of the others are, or could be, more state mandates instead of exhortations and assistance to school boards.

But maybe the best example is this reaction from Utah's state assistant director for national schoo