BILL REQ. #:  H-4905.1 

READ FIRST TIME 02/06/04.   

     AN ACT Relating to promoting physical fitness in middle school; adding a new section to chapter 28A.230 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   The legislature finds that the number of overweight children has more than doubled in the past twenty years and that childhood obesity creates risks for significant health problems including type-two diabetes, sleep apnea, orthopedic problems, liver disease, and asthma. The legislature acknowledges that many young people are not physically active on a regular basis and that physical activity declines dramatically during adolescence. The legislature also finds that overweight adolescents have a seventy percent chance of becoming overweight or obese adults creating additional risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
     The legislature recognizes that exercise is an essential component of good health and that teaching children the importance of physical fitness and proper nutrition is vital to improving the health of today's youth. The legislature also recognizes that in addition to health benefits, students can experience greater self-esteem, confidence, and discipline, often leading to greater academic achievement as well. The legislature intends to establish within the common school curriculum a requirement for physical education and fitness instruction and policies most likely to be effective in helping today's youth adopt and maintain a physically active lifestyle.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 28A.230 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The definitions in this section apply throughout this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
     (a) "Elementary school" means a school serving three or more of the grades kindergarten through six.
     (b) "High school" means a school serving two or more of the grades nine through twelve and from which a student may graduate and earn a high school diploma.
     (c) "Middle school" means a school other than a high school or an elementary school and serving two or more of the grades five through nine.
     (d) "Physical education and fitness curriculum" means a daily period of physical activity, a minimum of twenty minutes of which is aerobic activity in the student's target heart rate zone, and which includes instruction and practice in basic movement and fine motor skills, progressive physical fitness, athletic conditioning, and nutrition and wellness instruction through age-appropriate activities designed to:
     (i) Expose students to a wide variety of physical activities;
     (ii) Teach skills to help maintain lifetime health and fitness;
     (iii) Encourage self-monitoring so students can see how active they are and set their own goals;
     (iv) Allow students to individualize the intensity of activities;
     (v) Teach students to focus on their own best efforts; and
     (vi) Foster social development and positive peer interaction.
     (2) By September 1, 2006, within existing resources, each school district board of directors must adopt or amend as necessary a physical education and fitness curriculum for all middle school students. If there is no middle school within a district's schools, this requirement applies to students in grades six through eight. The curriculum required under this section must provide for students to be excused on account of physical disability or religious belief. In order to accommodate a schedule of rotating classes or other scheduling needs, a school district's curriculum may provide for a limited degree of flexibility in meeting the daily requirements for physical activity and aerobic activity, so long as the total number of minutes of aerobic activity each week is equal to or greater than twenty minutes per day. School districts are encouraged to develop a physical education and fitness curriculum for students at the elementary and high school level, and to articulate the instruction across the grades.
     (3) The superintendent of public instruction is encouraged to facilitate the sharing of best practices between districts and to facilitate the dissemination of information and resources that may assist districts in developing their curricula.