According to this local news report from CBS Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emmanuel is teaming up with parents, school administrators, Child Protective Services (CPS), the Chicago police, and the Department of Streets and Sanitation, to make streets safer for children as they walk to school during the Fall semester of 2013. In order to develop safe passage routes, officials are working to create a safety plan, which will feature the new routes to be used at the beginning of the school year. At the end of the 2012-2013 school year forty-nine schools were forced to shut down, due to underperformance, forcing many students to transfer to new schools. As a result, officials are doing all they can make the journey to new schools for children safe and inviting. Close to $8 million will be invested ...
The Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic has published a toolkit intended to serve as a reference for food policy councils, food advocates, state policymakers, and non-profit entities.This toolkit is composed of nine sections that cover a range of potential topics that a state food policy council may wish to explore--- from food assistance programs to land use and ...
Team Nutrition, through the USDA, provides a guide called Dig In! for those looking to engage 5th and 6th grade students in gardening, and the nutritional and educational experiences that go with it! They provide lessons, handouts, and posters. For teachers they provide a guide that discusses how to feature different items of produce in fun educational lessons that teach food safety, have tasting activities, teach food preparation, and gardening techniques. The resources created by Team Nutrition are made to be fun lessons, that give students hands on experience with new foods and teach them how to create sustainable gardens so that they may use this knowledge throughout their lives. ...
In an effort to get more people biking, a local volunteer group by the name of Open Austin has partnered with the Office of Council Member Chris Riley, the City of Austin Public Works Neighborhood Connectivity Division, and other bike organizations in Austin to create the Bike Buddy website. The Bike Buddy website aims to connect novice cyclists with experienced bikers to encourage more bike commuting in Austin. On the Bike Buddy website, one can also gain access to the Movability Austin website, which encourages individuals to break the habit of driving and consider adopting an alternative means of transportation. Learn more about Austin's Safe Passing Ordinance, which protects cyclists while on the road, by watching the ...
Parents in New Haven called for change after realizing that children in some schools were not given time for recess. One parent, Tanhee Cookson Muhammad learnedthat her son Enaji was denied the right to recess as a form of punishment. At some schools children only have recess on days that they don’t have PE class. This led Muhammad to join up with a group of local parent advocates, who decided to create a petition as part of a campaign called Recess For All. The petition requests that all public school children, in grades K-8, receive at least 20 minutes of recess a day. Accordingto a state bill passed in 2012, children in grades K-5th are required to receive at least 20 minutes of physical activity throughout the schoolday. Still, not enough schools are enforcing this ...
The World Fit Walk organization, a program sponsored by Olympic athletes, is working to get children moving in 50 schools across the United States. In a news article, Education Week reports that close to 38,000 students would be logging the amount of miles they walked over the course of a six week period. At the end of the six week period students would compare their results with other schools in the area. Those who log 120 miles or more are eligible to receive the President's Active Lifestyle Achievement Award. To learn more about the World Fit Walk organization visit their webpage and Facebook page. Read about how Daniel Herrera a student from Los Olivos School worked towards achieving his goal by participating in the World Fit Walk ...
In order to address the rising trend of obesity in the state of Utah, public and private partners gathered to develop the Utah Nutrition and Physical Activity Plan. This 10-year strategic plan provides strategies and addresses environmental issues that may impede individuals from participating in physical activity. Those who participated in the development of the plan are listed. The plan outlines specific goals for specific settings along with short-term, medium-term, and long-term strategies to get there. Examples of settings where changes may occur include, the work place, schools, and community settings. The plan also addresses health equity and acknowledges that lower income and minority populations are less have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Plans for ...
The Wake County School Health Advisory Council of North Carolina is proposing that schools eliminate junk food or unhealthy options from school fundraisers, including the sales at sporting events. They believe that by cutting junk food and candy sales, they can help increase the healthy options at all school affiliated events. However the policy remains very controversial and is not being supported by all staff or coaches. The amount of profit brought in each year from the sales at their sporting events make up a major component of the booster club's annual budget. Those who do no support the change do recognize the health benefits for students and the community, but do not believe that they will make enough money to support their athletes if this policy goes into affect. In the ...
Residents of the Chamizal neighborhood in El Paso, Texas can now enjoy safer roads thanks to the Vulnerable Road User Ordinance. In 2010, while serving as a city council member for El Paso, Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), introduced the Vulnerable Road User Ordinance. This policy requires vehicles to switch lanes if a pedestrian or cyclist is traveling in the same lane. This news article describes how the Vulnerable Road User Ordinance was passed on Dec. 7, 2010 and how it aims to protect people, other than motorists, who use public roadways. Those who fail to comply will now face a $500 fine for violating the Vulnerable Road User Ordinance (No. 017466). Learn more by viewing this fact sheet. This KTSM news report announces that the Vulnerable road user ordinance has gone into ...
