The battle against childhood obesity has already been moved into the school system with the federal mandates forced on school lunches, but a new change could be on the horizon.
State lawmakers are now considering legislation — Senate Bill 263 — that would require 30 minutes of physical education every day in every Indiana school, whether it takes place in the classroom or the gymnasium.
It’s important to note that most elementary students get one physical education class a week and one recess daily. Once they move to junior high and high school, physical education becomes more frequent, depending on class schedules.
On the surface, the bill seems like a good plan — one that’s sure to get kids moving.
After all, it’s widely recommended that children and adolescents should receive 60 minutes or more of physical activity every day. Physical activity is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. Physical activity helps control weight, builds lean muscle, reduces fat, promotes strong bone, muscle and joint development and decreases the risk of obesity.
Adding a daily physical education class would accomplish that, especially when it’s combined with the time children are allowed to enjoy recess.
But there are valid concerns.
First of all, if passed by both the Senate and House, the proposal would add 30 minutes to every school day. That doesn’t seem like a big chunk of time until you start adding up salaries. That extra time in the day requires teachers, aides and administrators to be in the building longer, meaning school systems must pay them more.
Additional costs associated with P.E. could also mean less money for arts programs or auxiliary staff members — both of which have already been dealt steep budget cuts.
Several health agencies support the bill, including the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Association and the Indiana State Medical Association, according to Sen. Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, the lawmaker who sponsored the bill.
Although the premise of the bill is a good one, the larger concern seems that schools, more often than not, are shouldering the burden of parenting children when parents fall short.
Sixty minutes a day of physical activity isn’t hard to achieve, especially for a child. Thirty minutes of sledding down a hill in the winter or 45 minutes of climbing around on a playground will knock off most of that requirement without the child even knowing that he’s exercising. With basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball and cheerleading practices, most kids can double and triple the requirement in a single day.
But in order to get those 60 minutes, parents must step in and force their children off the couch. Turn off the television, video games and iPad, and push the kids outside to play.
This bill is yet another instance where schools are expected to take on the role parents should be playing. As wrong as it may seem, it’s a reality we all too often must face.
Childhood obesity has sky-rocketed over the past decade. It’s not the fault of school lunches or lack of physical education classes. It’s what happens after children return home when they’re often left to their own devices to snack on unhealthy food choices and zone out in front of a screen.
Parents must step up and take charge of their children’s lives. But, when that’s lacking, more physical education wouldn’t hurt.