State to set guidelines on PE in school

Ohio is one of only two state in the Union without guidelines requiring physical education in schools (Iowa being the other). But state lawmakers, worried about numbers showing that one in seven Ohio kids are obese, have ordered the Ohio Board of Education to create guidelines by the end of the year to "improve physical activity and education in schools." (Source: "State hopes to reverse trend of vanishing gym classes" The Columbus Dispatch, Sept. 11, 2007.)

State Sen. Randy Gardner, R- Bowling Green, pushed the requirement which was included in the recent state budget. In the article, Gardner says that students in some schools attend PE class less than once a week. "Because we have no standards and no state coordinator, we sent a strong message to schools that it was OK to de-emphasize physical education."

The article states that the new guidelines will likely recommend how much physical education students receive, but won't be mandatory. The Ohio General Assembly also ordered the Education Department to "hire a full-time physical-education coordinator to provide guidance and technical assistance to districts. The department also must survey schools to determine how many minutes a week physical education is offered to students this year, compared with last year."