Supportive Statements

According to the National Association of State Boards of Education (2000):

  • Every student in each grade, pre-kindergarten through twelfth, shall participate in daily physical education for the entire school year, including students with disabling conditions and those in alternative education programs.
  • Physical education teaches students essential knowledge and skills; for this reason, exemptions from physical education courses shall not be permitted based on participation on an athletic team, community recreation program, ROTC, marching band, or other school or community activity. A student may be excused from participation in physical education only if: 1) a physician states in writing that specific physical activities will jeopardize the student’s health and well-being or 2) a parent/guardian requests exemption from specific physical activities on religious grounds.

According to the Secretaries of Health and Human Services and Education (Fall, 2000):

  • Research conducted to demonstrate a link between physical activity and improved academic performance shows
    • Participation in physical activity increases adolescents’ self-esteem and reduces anxiety and stress
    • Physical activity may help increase students’ capacity for learning.
    • Spending more time in physical education does not have harmful effects on the standardized academic achievement test scores of elementary school students; in fact, there was some evidence that participation in a 2-year health-related physical education program had several significant favorable effects on academic achievement.
  • Children and teens are advised to aim for at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week, preferably daily.
  • Developments in our culture and society over the past few decades have discouraged youth physical activity including the following:
    • New technology (e.g., computers, video games, satellite television) has conditioned our young people to be less active and has made sedentary activities more appealing.
    • States and school districts have reduced the amount of time students are required to spend in physical education classes, and many of those classes have so many students that teachers cannot give students the individual attention they need.
  • Physical education is at the core of a comprehensive approach to promoting physical activity through schools. All children, from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, should participate in quality physical education classes every school day.

In a report released by the American Obesity Association (April, 2000):

  • Some 80% of parents surveyed do not want physical education classes in their children’s schools reduced for academic classes.
  • Almost 30% of parents are “somewhat” or “very” concerned about their children’s weight.
  • “With the length of physical education classes going down and their children’s weight going up, parents want their schools to teach more than reading, writing and arithmetic.” Judith Stern, R.D., Vice President of American Obesity Association.