PE as Part of the NCLB Legislation

View the actual bill here. (PDF File)

Wamp, Simmons pump up exercise for school kids
By Edward Lee Pitts Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., joined by fitness guru Richard Simmons, on Wednesday unveiled House legislation aimed at making physical education a part of the federal No Child Left Behind education law’s core curriculum.

Rep. Wamp said physical education has been left behind by the emphasis that the landmark 5-year-old act places on testing. This year Congress must reauthorize the measure, which uses annual standardized tests to hold schools accountable in science and math.

“An innocent victim of No Child Left Behind has been physical education in schools,” Rep. Wamp said.

He said the lack of physical activity among the nation’s youth is causing childhood obesity to skyrocket and leading to increased cases of type 2 diabetes and other health problems. Nationwide the rate of child- hood obesity has more than tripled for children between ages 6 and 11, according to a 2005 federal government report.

Mr. Simmons, who hopes to testify at a hearing on the legislation this month, said he travels 200 to 250 days a year teaching fitness to students of all ages.

“In my career I have never seen so many overweight, obese, out-of-shape children who are not enjoying their journey of youth,” he said. “There is a tear in the American tapestry, and our children are falling through it.”

In Tennessee, 15 percent of children are overweight, according to the 2005 Tennessee Youth Risk Behavior Study.

A 2006 report by Trust for America’s Health found that more than 12 percent of lowincome children in the state are overweight.

Despite these numbers, schools are cutting back on their physical education budgets because of a need for greater investment in math, reading and science, Rep. Wamp said. But he added that students cannot learn those subjects if they are not healthy.

“The brain does not operate as well as it could if (students) had physical education,” Rep. Wamp said.

The House bill would amend No Child Left Behind to provide a national guideline for minimum standards for health and fitness in schools. It also would require physical education assessments for students starting in the 2009-10 school year.

However, the bill met with some skepticism from congressional lawmakers.

“While I firmly believe physical education should be a part of every school’s curriculum, I do not think it should be included as part of No Child Left Behind’s core curriculum,” said Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, which oversees education legislation.

But U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., said the addition of physical education is important because there are health and economic costs associated with obesity that cannot be ignored. He said obesity costs the U.S. economy $100 billion each year.

Rep. Kind, a member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said more fit students would lead to longer attention spans, fewer sick days and higher graduation rates.

“There are a lot of reasons for us to move forward on this,” Rep. Kind said.

If enacted the measure would cost $30 million in 2009, $70 million in 2010 and $100 million a year from 2011 through 2013, according to estimates.

The bill also would create a best-practices model for schools in the Department of Education and set up a competitive grant program for state agencies seeking to revise their physical education programs.

Tennessee mandates that schools offer a physical education program in kindergarten through eighth grade.

Hamilton County schools offer 60 minutes of physical education a week for elementary school students, officials have said. Middle school students take a minimum of nine weeks of physical education each year, while high school students take at least one lifetime wellness course.

In July 2006, Gov. Phil Bredesen signed into law a measure that states schools shall incorporate a minimum of 90 minutes a week in physical activity into instructional days.

E-mail Lee Pitts at lpitts@timesfreepress.com

View the actual bill here. (PDF File)