Whole Milk In Schools, Recess As Instructional Time, State School Boards Association Resolutions Say

MASSAPEQUA, NY. — The New York State School Boards Association has announced plans to advocate for a trio of policy proposals that would see the return of whole milk to New York’s school lunches, the designation of some recess time as instructional time, and the overhauling of the State’s out-of-district special education reimbursement formula.

The return of whole milk comes 13 years after federal guidelines removed whole and 2 percent milk from cafeterias, the Associated Press reports. The proposed amendment cites “emerging nutritional science” that shows “whole milk contains essential nutrients and healthy fats that are beneficial for growing children, including calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and high-quality protein." Citing data from the National Dairy Council and the USDA, the resolution reads that restricting school lunch offerings to skim-milk-only has “negatively impacted” student milk consumption. That resolution was proposed by the school boards of Carle Place, Cold Spring Harbor, Hicksville, Locust Valley, Massapequa, Mohonasen, Oyster Bay-East Norwich, Plainedge and Sullivan West in June.

As for the resolution to advocate for recess time being designated as instructional time, the proposal submitted by a consortium of 10 districts said, “recognizing outdoor recess as educational minutes would encourage schools to prioritize the whole-child approach without sacrificing compliance with mandated instructional time.”

That proposal, submitted by Carle Place, Cold Spring Harbor, Hicksville, Locust Valley, Massapequa, Mohonasen, Patchogue-Medford, Plainedge and Sullivan West, cited the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization, stating that all three organizations recommend at least 20-to-60 minutes of daily physical activity for kids to achieve optimal academic performance and health.

Finally, a resolution to advocate for increases in reimbursement rates for out-of-district special education placements passed at the Oct. 16 meeting. That resolution was submitted by Carle Place, Cold Spring Harbor, Hicksville, Locust Valley, Massapequa, Mohonasen, Oyster Bay-East Norwich, Plainedge and Sullivan West school boards, said certain specialized instruction plans could only be provided by private, state-approved or out-of-district programs.

“Out of-district placements—while necessary and appropriate—carry significant financial burdens for school districts, including high tuition costs, specialized transportation, and required support services that are only partially reimbursed under current state aid formulas,” the proposal reads. “New York State’s Excess Cost Aid formula fails to fully cover the real, timely costs of these placements, creating long-term structural deficits for districts that are committed to serving every student regardless of need.”

The NYSSBA DEI committee gave neutral reviews of the whole milk and recess time proposals, but offered an affirmative designation for the out-of-district reimbursement proposal. The school board interest advocacy group will now support the policy proposals on behalf of the local boards at the State level.