PE makes a comeback: lawmakers are looking at physical education to improve kids' health and academic achievement.

• Author: Winterfeld, Amy
• Position: Physical education

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Kids are getting fatter. Obesity rates over the last 30 years have more than quadrupled for children ages 6 to 11 and more than tripled for youths ages 12 to 19. Our children and youths are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even asthma.

One way to battle bulging waistlines is to get kids moving. Experts recommend at least 60 minutes of physical activity five days a week for children. Almost 30 percent don't exercise even three days a week.

Lawmakers hope a return to physical education programs will help kids slim down and stay fit. Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas all passed laws this session with requirements for how much time students must spend in physical education classes or organized physical activity during the school day. About 40 laws have passed the past couple of years, but many states still lack PE time standards at all grade levels and classes that keep kids moving and having fun in a variety of activities.

"Everything we want our young people to achieve is contingent upon their basic health," says Texas Senator Jane Nelson, chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. "We have to stop treating PE as optional, because it is as fundamental to the success of our students as reading, writing and arithmetic."

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

There's mounting evidence that physical activity not only reduces the risk of chronic diseases, it also helps academic performance. And exercise contributes to the development and maintenance of healthy bones, muscles and joints, and reduces the risk for depression. Experts recommend that all children, from prekindergarten through grade 12, receive daily physical education taught by certified specialists, and that all schools have appropriate class sizes, facilities and equipment.

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommends that elementary school students participate in physical education for 150 minutes per week at school, and middle and high school students for 225 minutes per week. The association also recommends that qualified physical education teachers provide a developmentally appropriate program, and that a teacher/student ratio similar to other classroom settings is maintained (no greater than one teacher for each 25 students in elementary school and 1/30 for middle and high school). The goal should be to make lifelong exercisers of all kids...