Rep. Sanchez’s bill to bring back teaching life skills – nutrition and cooking classes a start

Rep. Sanchez introduces legislation to require all students take nutrition classes

Rep. Enrique Sanchez has introduced legislation (2023 H-5251) that would require all public high schools in the state to provide students with nutrition, food preparation and cooking courses annually. At this point the freshman representative has secured 9 sponsors and the bill is before the House Education Committee

“The health of our community is so important, it impacts every aspect of our lives from health care to the ability to work,” Representative Sanchez (D-Dist. 9, Providence) said. “As an educator myself, I see how kids just go to Burger King for lunch instead of eating healthy food because that’s the habit they know. We can help change that.”

Currently, RIDE does not require any nutrition, food preparation or cooking courses. By adding such instruction to the curriculum, Representative Sanchez hopes students will gain valuable life and job skills that will help them lead healthier lives. 

“I think our whole curriculum needs to focus more on life and job skills. We need more hands-on career-based opportunities for kids,” Representative Sanchez said. “We can fold this into what kids are already learning. They could learn about history, culture or chemistry through cooking and food, while learning to eat healthy at the same time.”

Rep. Enrique Sanchez will serve on the House Committee on Corporations and the House Committee on Special Legislation,Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick) has announced.

The House Committee on Corporations considers issues relating to financial institutions, business regulation, property and casualty insurance and consumer protection. The House Committee on Special Legislation handles bills pertaining to commissions, resolutions and issues that do not fall within the purview of other standing committees.

Representative Sanchez (D-Dist. 9, Providence), a first-term representative, has made education and health care top priorities.

Sanchez is a freshman representative from District 9 in Providence and he is a teacher in the Providence school system, teaching Spanish at Central High School. His website notes that his grandfather, Enrique Sanchez Mora, opened the first Mexican market, ‘Tortilleria Sanchez,’ in Providence in 1988.

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