The New York State Department of Health has selected the City School District of Albany to take part in a survey about childhood weight.
State law requires that a student be weighed and his or her height measured as part of his or her school health exam when entering prekindergarten or kindergarten, first, third, fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th grade. These numbers are used to figure out the student’s body mass index, or “BMI.” The BMI helps a doctor or nurse know if the student’s weight is in a healthy range for his or her height.
The district will be sending the state a summary of 2020-21 “weight status information” – a report of where students’ BMI numbers fall on a scale ranging from underweight to obese. No names of or information about individual children will be provided. However, parents or guardians may choose to have their child’s information excluded from the survey report.
For more information, contact your child’s school nurse.
If you DO NOT wish to have your child’s weight status group information included as part of the Health Department’s survey this year, download this form, complete it and return it to the school nurse by Jan. 14.
