Phys Ed In Action

[VIDEO] By Farah Dosani – Drew Gordon, 11, dribbles his basketball across the Bonita Springs Middle School gym. The sixth-grader starts each school day with physical education this semester. But he may have to get used to the idea of not having the class at all if the Florida Legislature passes a bill to remove the state law requiring physical education in middle schools. HealthyState.org visited a gym class in Lee County to find out what the kids thought of PE and how the teacher and the school district view PE as a component of a student’s total education.

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Proponents of the bill know exercise is important. (David Castillo Dominici/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Gym Class Villains? The Case For Removing PE From Middle School

By Dalia Colón – This isn’t about hating dodgeball or ignoring childhood obesity statistics. It’s about local control. That was the motivation behind the Physical Education in Public Schools bill, which would eliminate the required daily PE class for sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Those who want to keep gym class a mandate say education on physical health and behaviors are just as important as math and science. But supporters of the bill say making PE a requirement should be decided by the individual school districts, not the state. So does it make sense to remove gym class from mandatory middle school curricula? HealthyState.org explores the case for making PE an elective and not a requirement.

Sports Authority (Photo by Tina Ray / Paraglide / Flickr)

Physical Education Seen As Key To Enable Better Learning

By Kimberly Vlach – Florida lawmakers who seek to remove the physical education requirement from the middle school curriculum argue that it’s a financial burden on cash-strapped schools to provide PE, when there’s no funding mechanism to support the program. But those who want to keep phys ed in grades 6-8 say that physical activity is needed during the day to allow students to release pent-up energy and be able to focus in the classroom. HealthyState.org looks further into the role physical education has in childhood development – physical, mental and social – and how fitness and academics are intertwined.

Numbers_Photo by dariotagliabue at Flickr

Physical Education In Public Schools: By The Numbers

Florida middle schools are required to provide the equivalent of 1 class period per day of physical education to middle school students (grades 6 through 8). Elementary schools are required to provide at least 30 minutes of PE everyday. Take a look at how the numbers stack up surrounding the health and fitness of Florida’s children.

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Phys Ed In Action

Browsing February 16th, 2012

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