Dive Brief:
- Thirty-seven California school districts were asked to present lesson plans proving students had enough physical activity in the day.
- The lesson plan request is part of an October lawsuit filed by parent Marc Babin and Cal200, an organization he runs to advocate for physical education in schools.
- According to Babin's lawyer, Los Angeles Unified School District is one of the worst offenders when it comes to not providing students with enough exercise time. Court documents indicate LAUSD, however, has since rectified any issues it may have had when it comes to P.E.
Dive Insight:
According to California's education code, K-12 students must have 200 minutes of P.E. instruction every 10 days. This does not include recess or lunch time. This lawsuit has not only forced districts to produce lesson plans and assess if they are sticking to this guideline, but also asks the general public to question why this may not be happening.
"People are afraid if you take kids out of the classroom for P.E., they'll lose academic time and their [test] scores will go down, but the brain and the human body work more efficiently when you're physically active and healthy," former California P.E. instructor and current LAUSD adviser Chad Fenwick told the Los Angeles Times.
This pull between academics and physical activity is not limited to California, and with child obesity rates climbing nationally, the importance becomes even more clear.