House Study Bill 683 - Introduced HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION BILL BY CHAIRPERSON WHEELER) A BILL FOR An Act relating to education, including by modifying provisions 1 related to the physical education and physical activity 2 requirements applicable to certain specified students 3 and by implementing a graduation requirement related to 4 participation in a cocurricular or extracurricular activity. 5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 6 TLSB 6864YC (1) 91 jda/jh

H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 256.11, subsection 3, paragraph a, 1 subparagraph (6), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 2 (6) Physical education. Each student shall be required to 3 participate in physical education for at least thirty minutes 4 during each school day. In grade six, the physical education 5 curriculum in school districts shall include self-defense. 6 Sec. 2. Section 256.11, subsection 4, paragraph a, 7 subparagraph (8), Code 2026, is amended to read as follows: 8 (8) Physical education. Each student shall be required to 9 participate in physical education for at least thirty minutes 10 during each school day. The physical education curriculum in 11 school districts shall include self-defense. 12 Sec. 3. Section 256.11, subsection 5, paragraph g, Code 13 2026, is amended to read as follows: 14 g. (1) All students physically able shall be required 15 to participate in a minimum of one-eighth unit of physical 16 education activities during each semester they are enrolled in 17 school except as otherwise provided in this paragraph. The 18 physical education activities must satisfy all of the following 19 requirements: 20 (a) Emphasize leisure time activities which will benefit 21 the student outside the school environment and after graduation 22 from high school. 23 (b) In school districts, include self-defense. 24 (2) (a) A student who meets the requirements of this 25 paragraph subparagraph shall be excused from the physical 26 education activities requirement under subparagraph (1) by the 27 principal of the school in which the student is enrolled if 28 the parent or guardian of the student requests in writing that 29 the student be excused from the physical education activities 30 requirement. A student who wishes to be excused from the 31 physical education activities requirement must be seeking to be 32 excused in order to enroll in academic courses not otherwise 33 available to the student, or be enrolled or participating in 34 any of the following: 35 -1- LSB 6864YC (1) 91 jda/jh 1/ 6

H.F. _____ (a) (i) A work-based learning program or other educational 1 program authorized by the school which requires the student to 2 leave the school premises for specified periods of time during 3 the school day. 4 (b) (ii) An activity that is sponsored by the school in 5 which the student is enrolled which requires at least as much 6 physical activity per week as one-eighth unit of physical 7 education activities . 8 (2) (b) The principal of the school shall inform the 9 superintendent of the school district or nonpublic school that 10 the student has been excused. Physical education activities 11 shall emphasize leisure time activities which will benefit the 12 student outside the school environment and after graduation 13 from high school. 14 (3) A student who is enrolled in a junior reserve officers’ 15 training corps shall not be required to participate in physical 16 education activities under subparagraph (1) or to meet the 17 physical activity requirements of subsection 6 , paragraph 18 “b” , subparagraph (2), but shall receive one-eighth unit of 19 physical education activities credit for each semester, or the 20 equivalent, of junior reserve officers’ training corps the 21 student completes. 22 Sec. 4. Section 256.11, subsection 6, paragraph b, 23 subparagraphs (1) and (2), Code 2026, are amended to read as 24 follows: 25 (1) All In addition to the physical education curriculum 26 required under subsection 3, physically able students in 27 kindergarten through grade five shall be required to engage in 28 a physical activity for a minimum of thirty minutes per school 29 day. 30 (2) All physically able students in grades six nine through 31 twelve shall be required to engage in a physical activity for 32 a minimum of one hundred twenty minutes per week. A student 33 participating in an organized and supervised athletic program 34 or non-school-sponsored extracurricular activity which requires 35 -2- LSB 6864YC (1) 91 jda/jh 2/ 6

H.F. _____ the student to participate in physical activity for a minimum 1 of one hundred twenty minutes per week is exempt from the 2 requirements of this subparagraph. 3 Sec. 5. Section 256.11, subsection 6, paragraph b, Code 4 2026, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 5 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (02) In addition to the physical 6 education curriculum required under subsections 3 and 4, as 7 applicable, physically able students in grades six through 8 eight shall be required to engage in a physical activity for a 9 minimum of twenty minutes per school day and one hundred fifty 10 minutes per week. 11 Sec. 6. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, paragraph h, Code 12 2026, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 13 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (02) The educational standards of 14 section 256.11 relating to the physical education and physical 15 activity requirements for students enrolled in grades one 16 through twelve. 17 Sec. 7. Section 256E.7, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 18 by adding the following new paragraph: 19 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0s. Be subject to and comply with 20 the requirements of section 279.89 relating to required 21 participation of students enrolled in grades nine through 22 twelve in at least one cocurricular or extracurricular activity 23 as a condition of graduation. 24 Sec. 8. Section 256F.4, subsection 2, Code 2026, is amended 25 by adding the following new paragraphs: 26 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0q. Be subject to and comply with the 27 requirements of section 256.11 relating to the physical 28 education and physical activity requirements for students 29 enrolled in grades one through twelve in the same manner as a 30 school district. 31 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0s. Be subject to and comply with 32 the requirements of section 279.89 relating to required 33 participation of students enrolled in grades nine through 34 twelve in at least one cocurricular or extracurricular activity 35 -3- LSB 6864YC (1) 91 jda/jh 3/ 6

H.F. _____ as a condition of graduation. 1 Sec. 9. NEW SECTION . 279.89 Required participation in a 2 cocurricular or extracurricular activity. 3 1. For purposes of this section: 4 a. “Cocurricular activity” means any school-supervised 5 activity that occurs outside of the traditional classroom 6 setting and that complements the regular curriculum. 7 “Cocurricular activity” includes but is not limited to all of 8 the following: 9 (1) Student government. 10 (2) Theater. 11 (3) Yearbook. 12 (4) Involvement with the national FFA organization. 13 (5) Competitive mathematics. 14 b. “Extracurricular activity” means any school-supervised 15 activity that occurs outside of the traditional classroom 16 setting and that does not directly complement the regular 17 curriculum. “Extracurricular activity” includes but is not 18 limited to all of the following: 19 (1) Athletic contests or competitions. 20 (2) Dance. 21 (3) Band. 22 (4) Show choir. 23 (5) Robotics. 24 (6) Debate. 25 2. The board of directors of each school district 26 shall require that all students enrolled in grades nine 27 through twelve participate in at least one cocurricular or 28 extracurricular activity as a condition of graduation. 29 3. The state board of education shall adopt rules pursuant 30 to chapter 17A to administer this section. 31 Sec. 10. STATE MANDATE FUNDING SPECIFIED. In accordance 32 with section 25B.2, subsection 3, the state cost of requiring 33 compliance with any state mandate included in this Act shall 34 be paid by a school district from state school foundation aid 35 -4- LSB 6864YC (1) 91 jda/jh 4/ 6

H.F. _____ received by the school district under section 257.16. This 1 specification of the payment of the state cost shall be deemed 2 to meet all of the state funding-related requirements of 3 section 25B.2, subsection 3, and no additional state funding 4 shall be necessary for the full implementation of this Act 5 by and enforcement of this Act against all affected school 6 districts. 7 EXPLANATION 8 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 9 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 10 This bill relates to education, including by modifying 11 provisions related to the physical education and physical 12 activity requirements applicable to certain specified students 13 and by implementing a graduation requirement related to 14 participation in a cocurricular or extracurricular activity. 15 The bill requires each student enrolled in grades one 16 through eight to participate in the physical education 17 curriculum for at least 30 minutes during each school day. 18 Current law requires all physically able students in 19 kindergarten through grade five to engage in a physical 20 activity for a minimum of 30 minutes per school day, which may 21 include physical education. The bill provides that physical 22 education shall not be used to meet this physical activity 23 requirement for such students. 24 Current law requires all physically able students in grades 25 6 through 12 to engage in a physical activity for a minimum of 26 120 minutes per week, which may include physical education. 27 The bill modifies this provision to apply to all physically 28 able students in grades 9 through 12. The bill also provides 29 that all physically able students in grades six through eight 30 are required to engage in a physical activity for a minimum of 31 20 minutes per school day and 150 minutes per week, and that 32 physical education shall not be used to meet this physical 33 activity requirement. 34 The bill requires school districts, charter schools, and 35 -5- LSB 6864YC (1) 91 jda/jh 5/ 6

H.F. _____ innovation zone schools to include self-defense in the physical 1 education curriculum provided to students enrolled in grades 2 6 through 12. 3 The bill provides that each school district, charter school, 4 and innovation zone school is to require that all students 5 enrolled in grades 9 through 12 participate in at least one 6 cocurricular or extracurricular activity as a condition of 7 graduation. The bill defines “cocurricular activity” and 8 “extracurricular activity”. The state board of education 9 is required to adopt rules pursuant to Code chapter 17A to 10 administer this provision. 11 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 12 section 25B.3. The bill requires that the state cost of 13 any state mandate included in the bill be paid by a school 14 district from state school foundation aid received by the 15 school district under Code section 257.16. The specification 16 is deemed to constitute state compliance with any state mandate 17 funding-related requirements of Code section 25B.2. The 18 inclusion of this specification is intended to reinstate the 19 requirement of political subdivisions to comply with any state 20 mandates included in the bill. 21 -6- LSB 6864YC (1) 91 jda/jh 6/ 6