Senate File 93SENATE FILE BY McCOY Passed Senate, Date Passed House, Date Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays Approved A BILL FOR 1 An Act relating to the physical education requirements for grades 2 nine through twelve under the educational standards for school 3 districts and accredited nonpublic schools. 4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 5 TLSB 1697SS 82 6 kh/es/88 PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph g, 1 2 unnumbered paragraph 1, Code 2007, is amended to read as 1 3 follows: 1 4 All students physically able shall be required to 1 5 participate in physical education activities during each 1 6 semester they are enrolled in school except as otherwise 1 7 provided in this paragraph. For purposes of this paragraph, 1 8 "physical education activities" includes a minimum of thirty 1 9 minutes per day, three school days per week, of activities 1 10 designed to increase cardiovascular fitness. A minimum of 1 11 one=eighthone=quarter unit each semester is required. A 1 12 twelfth grade student who meets the requirements of this 1 13 paragraph may be excused from the physical education 1 14 requirement by the principal of the school in which the 1 15 student is enrolled if the parent or guardian of the student 1 16 requests in writing that the student be excused from the 1 17 physical education requirement. A student who wishes to be 1 18 excused from the physical education requirement must be 1 19 seeking to be excused in order to enroll in academic courses 1 20 not otherwise available to the student, or be enrolled or 1 21 participating in one of the following: 1 22 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph g, 1 23 subparagraph (2), Code 2007, is amended to read as follows: 1 24 (2) An organized and supervised athletic program which 1 25 requires at least as much participation per week asone=eighth1 26 one=fourth unit of physical education. 1 27 Sec. 3. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph g, 1 28 unnumbered paragraph 2, Code 2007, is amended to read as 1 29 follows: 1 30 Students in grades nine through eleven may be excused from 1 31 the physical education requirement in order to enroll in 1 32 academic courses not otherwise available to the student if the 1 33 board of directors of the school district in which the school 1 34 is located, or the authorities in charge of the school, if the 1 35 school is a nonpublic school, determine that students from the 2 1 school may be permitted to be excused from the physical 2 2 education requirement. A student may be excused by the 2 3 principal of the school in which the student is enrolled, in 2 4 consultation with the student's counselor, for up to one 2 5 semester, trimester, or the equivalent of a semester or 2 6 trimester, per year if the parent or guardian of the student 2 7 requests in writing that the student be excused from the 2 8 physical education requirement. The student seeking to be 2 9 excused from the physical education requirement must, at some 2 10 time during the period for which the excuse is sought, be a 2 11 participant in an organized and supervised athletic program 2 12 which requires at least as much time of participation per week 2 13 asone=eighthone=fourth unit of physical education. 2 14 Sec. 4. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 2 15 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 2 16 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 2 17 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 2 18 received by the school district under section 257.16. This 2 19 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 2 20 to meet all the state funding=related requirements of section 2 21 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding shall be 2 22 necessary for the full implementation of this Act by and 2 23 enforcement of this Act against all affected school districts. 2 24 EXPLANATION 2 25 This bill increases the physical education unit requirement 2 26 from one=eighth unit per semester to one=quarter, or from 50 2 27 minutes per week to 100 minutes per week, for grades nine 2 28 through 12. The bill also provides that "physical education 2 29 activities", which all physically able students who do not 2 30 qualify for an exemption must participate in, includes a 2 31 minimum of 30 minutes per day, three school days per week, of 2 32 activities designed to increase cardiovascular fitness. 2 33 Rules adopted by the state board currently provide that 2 34 physical fitness activities include activities that increase 2 35 cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and flexibility; 3 1 sports and games; tumbling and gymnastics; rhythms and dance; 3 2 water safety; leisure and lifetime activities. 3 3 This bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 3 4 section 25B.3. 3 5 LSB 1697SS 82 3 6 kh:sc/es/88