By:Scout Hudson
Missouri Independent
A Missouri House bill aims to increase the physical education requirements for K-12 students.
Introduced by Rep. Bishop Davidson, a Republican from Republic, the legislation would require all students to participate in a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity each school day. PE classes, additional recesses and other supervised physical activities could fulfill the new requirement, as outlined by the bill.
The bill does include caveats for students with disabilities.
Student-athletes, who are occasionally excused from physical education requirements, would not be exempt from the required 60 minutes of daily activity under the bill.
Legislators expressed concerns over the bill’s logistics — an additional hour of required learning could disrupt or extend the current school schedule. Davidson told a House committee Wednesday that he does not intend for the bill to add more time to the school day or detract from other Common Core curriculum requirements.
Haley Edwards, a senior at Republic High School in Greene County, testified in favor of the bill.
“We see the signs that tie (exercise) back to physical well-being and mental well-being, and I think that this bill really opens doors to be able to see those effects,” Edwards said.
The National Education Association has not yet determined whether legislative action is necessary to enact the proposed requirement, but a spokesman said the organization believes that increased physical activity would benefit students.
Otto Fajan, who testified on behalf of the NEA, said that the role of physical education has shrunk over the past century in American public schools.
“There’s a flow against (P.E.) caused by the structure of accountability,” Fagen said, “and standardized testing in areas that do not include physical literacy.”
This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.