Senate File 2253 - Introduced SENATE FILE 2253 BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION (SUCCESSOR TO SF 2041) A BILL FOR An Act relating to physical education and physical activities 1 requirements under the educational standards. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5506SV (2) 88 kh/jh

S.F. 2253 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph g, 1 subparagraph (1), Code 2020, is amended by adding the following 2 new subparagraph division: 3 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH DIVISION . (c) Show choir or marching 4 band, if the student’s participation per week in show choir 5 or marching band is at least equivalent to the per-week 6 participation required for one-eighth unit of physical 7 education. 8 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph g, 9 subparagraph (2), Code 2020, is amended to read as follows: 10 (2) Students in grades nine through eleven may be excused 11 from the physical education requirement in order to enroll 12 in academic courses not otherwise available to the student 13 if the board of directors of the school district in which 14 the school is located, or the authorities in charge of the 15 school, if the school is a nonpublic school, determine that 16 students from the school may be permitted to be excused 17 from the physical education requirement. A student may be 18 excused by the principal of the school in which the student 19 is enrolled, in consultation with the student’s counselor, 20 for up to one semester, trimester, or the equivalent of a 21 semester or trimester, per year if the parent or guardian of 22 the student requests in writing that the student be excused 23 from the physical education requirement. The student seeking 24 to be excused from the physical education requirement must, at 25 some time during the period for which the excuse is sought, 26 be a participant in show choir or marching band, or in an 27 organized and supervised athletic program , which requires at 28 least as much time of participation per week as one-eighth unit 29 of physical education. 30 Sec. 3. Section 256.11, subsection 6, paragraph b, 31 subparagraph (2), Code 2020, is amended to read as follows: 32 (2) All physically able students in grades six through 33 twelve shall be required to engage in a physical activity 34 for a minimum of one hundred twenty minutes per week. A 35 -1- LSB 5506SV (2) 88 kh/jh 1/ 2

S.F. 2253 student participating in an organized and supervised athletic 1 program , show choir or marching band, or non-school-sponsored 2 extracurricular activity which requires the student to 3 participate in physical activity for a minimum of one hundred 4 twenty minutes per week is exempt from the requirements of this 5 subparagraph. 6 EXPLANATION 7 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 8 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 9 This bill permits a high school principal to excuse a high 10 school student from the physical education requirements under 11 the educational standards of Code section 256.11 if the student 12 is participating in show choir or marching band for at least 13 the equivalent amount of time as is required for one-eighth 14 unit of physical education. The bill also exempts from 15 physical activity requirements middle school and high school 16 students who participate in show choir or marching band. 17 For a student in grades 9 through 11, the student must be 18 seeking the excuse in order to enroll in academic courses not 19 otherwise available to the student, the principal must consult 20 with the student’s counselor, and the student can only be 21 excused for one semester, or the equivalent, per school year. 22 For a student in grade 12, the student may be excused for two 23 semesters or the equivalent. 24 -2- LSB 5506SV (2) 88 kh/jh 2/ 2