| When students in Orlando Schools return to school | | | | provide 2 ½ hours of PE weekly to K-5 |
| this fall they should prepare to shape up. Physically | | | | students. It "encourages" 3 ¾ hours per week |
| speaking anyway. Florida Governor Charlie Crist just | | | | for both middle and high school students. If Governor |
| signed into law a new requirement for daily physical | | | | Crist has his way daily gym classes will be required |
| education (PE) classes for all kindergarten through 5th | | | | for all K-12 students by 2012. Some pretty specific |
| grade students. Historically Orlando Schools, and all its | | | | things need to happen for Orlando Schools to comply |
| Florida counterparts, have allowed local governing | | | | with these requirements. |
| agencies to set PE requirements. But new governor | | | | First of all, Orlando Schools will need to hire more |
| Crist thinks it is time for a change. | | | | teachers. Teacher requirements have been raised, |
| Prompting his action are numerous reports pointing to | | | | making the pool smaller than ever. On the plus side, |
| the increase in obesity and obesity related diseases in | | | | sunny Orlando Schools lure some well-educated |
| children nationwide. A 2003 task force found that | | | | transfers from colder climes, so it's unlikely that |
| millions of American children are at risk for juvenile | | | | finding teachers will be a major issue. The second |
| diabetes, which is often caused by obesity and a | | | | issue of when Orlando Schools will teach PE is a |
| sedentary lifestyle. Add to that these shocking | | | | stickier point. There are no more hours in the school |
| statistics: the percentage of overweight children has | | | | day, so the time that Orlando Schools devote to PE |
| tripled since 1980, while the number of schools | | | | will have to come from somewhere else. Many |
| requiring daily PE classes has dropped from 42% to | | | | educators fear that the already dwindling time |
| 28%. | | | | devoted to art and music will suffer. Others fear that |
| Orlando Schools, which are part of the Orange | | | | academic advances in math and reading are bound to |
| County District, will need to make some significant | | | | decline. Still others point to the non-tested areas of |
| changes to meet the new requirements. While | | | | science and social studies as the most likely losers. |
| Orlando Schools have shown some improvements on | | | | Even with all these concerns, no one really seems to |
| statewide test scores, much of that success is | | | | oppose the idea of increasing physical fitness for the |
| attributed to the additional time devoted to intensive | | | | children in Orlando Schools. On the contrary, many |
| math and reading instruction. A recent inquiry of 100 | | | | teachers and principals applaud the ability to finally let |
| Orange County Schools found that 4 had replaced PE | | | | children use their energy in productive and healthy |
| time with academic instruction in math and reading. | | | | ways. Childhood development research has long |
| This has some teachers in Orlando Schools scratching | | | | supported the fact that physical fitness and good |
| their heads as to where this "extra" PE time is going | | | | health help students in all other academic and social |
| to come from. | | | | areas. Orlando Schools just need to figure out the |
| The new mandate will require Orlando Schools to | | | | best ways to make that happen. |