Fla. governor signs law requiring P.E. in elementary schools

[Bolt_Gundam510]

DAVIE, Florida (AP) -- Elementary school students must have at least a half-hour of physical education each day under a bill signed Thursday by health-conscious Gov. Charlie Crist.

Crist and state lawmakers say the requirement, which takes effect with the new school year in August, can help prevent childhood obesity and related health problems. A state task force found in 2003 that millions of schoolchildren were at risk for Type 2 diabetes and other ailments because of poor exercise and nutrition habits.

Crist said students will benefit academically by being in better health, and the former high school quarterback recalled that his own grades improved during football season.

"Having a good quality of life and good cross-section of education that addresses the mind, the body and the soul is very important. With the P.E. bill, we get to that," he said.

The slim governor, who has also established a state council on physical fitness, signed the bill after tossing three spirals into a practice net at Miami Dolphins training camp.

The bill will require at least 2.5 hours of physical education each week for students between kindergarten and fifth grade. Middle and high schools are encouraged to provide up to 3.75 hours of gym class weekly.

"We're trying to create a culture of activity in our elementary schools," said state Republican Rep. Will Weatherford, the bill's sponsor.

Crist has said he hopes to have gym class required through 12th grade by 2012, along with money from the state to help schools purchase necessary exercise equipment.

Florida has historically left curriculum decisions to individual school districts. The state's largest school district, Miami-Dade County, already requires 2.5 hours of physical education per week for elementary students.

Source: EDUCATION WITH STUDENT NEWS