PHYSICAL EDUCATION S.B. 282: COMMITTEE SUMMARY




Senate Bill 282 (as introduced 2-27-07)
Sponsor: Senator Buzz Thomas
Committee: Health Policy


Date Completed: 6-14-07

CONTENT The bill would amend the Revised School Code to establish a minimum physical education requirement in public schools for grades K through five.

The Code requires each public school in the State to provide health and physical education, and requires each pupil attending public school in Michigan who is physically fit and capable of doing so to take the course.


Under the bill, as part of providing this physical education, the governing board of a public school would have to ensure that, for each of grades K through five, the school provided for all pupils at least 30 minutes of physical education at least two days per week for the entire school year.


Currently, a school district may credit a pupil's participation in extracurricular athletics or other extracurricular activities involving physical activity as meeting the physical education requirement for the pupil. The bill would delete this provision.


MCL 380.1502 Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy

FISCAL IMPACT
State: The bill would have no fiscal impact on the State.


Local: By removing a pupil's participation in extracurricular athletics or other extracurricular physical activity as a means to meet the physical education requirement in the Code, the bill could require school districts to offer more physical education classes. Offering more classes could require additional physical education teachers, if other teachers and courses could not be switched to physical education, leading to higher costs.


Similarly, if schools were required to provide at least 30 minutes of physical education at least twice per week for pupils in grades K-5, if a school is not currently providing at least this amount, then the schools could see costs from providing these additional courses. A cost estimate is not practicable, however, since it is unknown how schools would be able to absorb these requirements within their current practices, work forces, and course offerings.

Fiscal Analyst: Kathryn Summers-Coty

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb282/0708