City Schools Learn How To Be Healthier

Four New Haven schools Wednesday celebrated winning national recognition for becoming healthy places — while they also heard a warning about storm clouds brewing at the federal level.

The four schools — Columbus Family Academy and East Rock Magnet Schools earned Silver Awards, and John C. Daniels International Communications Magnet School and Lincoln-Bassett School — earned bronze rankings from the the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a nonprofit established by the American Heart Association and Clinton Foundation. The group awards the distinction to schools that meet a set of criteria supporting student nutrition and physical activity. New Haven’s were the only four schools in Connecticut to qualify for the bronze.

The award-winning New Haven schools have taken creative approaches to fostering student wellness. Columbus, which hosted Wednesday’s joint celebration, has started a cycling program, opened a weight room, and established after-school cooking classes using fresh produce. John C. Daniels and Lincoln Bassett have established yoga programs for students. All four schools offer daily breakfast for students and healthful meals and snacks throughout the day.

Roy Araujo, principal at Columbus Family Academy, attributed the school’s achievement to ​“thinking outside of the box.” Several students in attendance offered suggestions for new programs that would spur further improvement: a baseball team, more recess, and, naturally, a bobsledding program.

For decades, New Haven schools have been leaders at the state and national level in improving student wellness. In 2003, New Haven was one of three school districts nationwide to remove unhealthful foods and beverages from school premises. Four years ago, New Haven rolled out a comprehensive school wellness plan, and each of New Haven’s 32 schools now has a wellness committee.

Schools Superintendent Carol Birks said she has seen these programs lead to lower rates of chronic absence and better school performance. Birks called the national awards ​“a very pleasant surprise.”

Addressing the gathering Wednesday, New Haven U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro described the awards as ​“wonderful confirmation of excellence we have come to know in New Haven public schools.” She congratulated New Haven schools for leading efforts to confront the national obesity epidemic, stating that we must ensure that local schools are ​“models, not the exception.”

But DeLauro also warned that some federal changes threaten to undercut this progress.

Proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and a recent farm bill that would reduce the number of schoolchildren categorically eligible for free and reduced price school lunch could have serious negative implications for student nutrition, she said. These federal changes could be a significant setback for Columbus Family Academy, where over 90 percent of students are eligible for free and reduced price lunch.

Proposed changes to the public charge rule, which would make it difficult for immigrants to obtain long-term permanent residency if they or their dependent use public benefits like SNAP, would also hurt students at Columbus, which is based in Fair Haven. The majority of the school’s students come from immigrant families, and their parents would now have strong incentives to avoid public benefit use.

DeLauro, who serves as ranking member on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said she is already concerned about the implications of spending cuts and school lunch deregulation for New Haven public school students. The proposed changes to the public charge rule, DeLauro explained, ​“would certainly exacerbate these issues,” she said.