The Importance of Physical Education at the High School Level

Lily Ambler

Aletheia YIG chapter

Current Florida law states that all high school students must have one credit of physical education to graduate. Due to the high rate of students who are obese or overweight, all high school students should instead have one credit of physical education per year. If the student would like to pursue a sport before or after school hours instead of taking the physical education class offered by the school, they can get a physical education credit with proper documentation. This can include being part of a sports team at the school (such as baseball, football, basketball, etc.) and can also include sports done independently at other locations (for example dance classes or karate).

Among Florida's adolescents in grades 9 through 12, 14.7 percent were overweight and were placed in the 85th to 95th percentiles for Body Mass Index(BMI) by age and sex. 10.3 percent of Florida's adolescents were obese, which places them in the 95th or greater percentile BMI by age and sex. As these statistics show, there are many students who need to be healthier and live healthier lives. Having them take physical education (PE) every year will result in more exercise which is needed to live a healthy lifestyle.

Being required to take PE for at least one semester every year would be in the best interest of Florida students. Legislation should be passed to that end. By participating in weekly, monthly, and annual physical fitness classes throughout their high school careers, students will be building excellent lifelong habits incorporating exercise, good sportsmanship, and teamwork. Therefore, this change will make a lasting impact on students.

Every physical education program should also include a health component. Students would then learn about the importance of a healthy diet along with learning about various sports and other different forms of exercise. Since health problems and disease arise not only from a lack of physical activity, but also from eating too much of the wrong type of foods (like fast food, fried foods, processed foods, and a lot of salty foods and sweets), it is important for kids to understand how much is too much of those sorts of foods and to know about the healthier alternatives that are available. Also encompassed in the health portion would be healthy hygiene habits and information about developing and maintaining a healthy self-image.

This change (requiring one semester of physical education each year) should not have a significant impact on academic schedules because there will still be sufficient time for core classes as well as some electives. Although students may have a little less time for electives due to new physical education requirements, they will still have plenty of time for all of their core classes (English, Science, Math, and Social Studies) and some electives. Again, with the option of meeting physical education requirements with before and after school programs, students could choose to take more electives during the school day and meet PE credit requirements during off hours. There is a good deal of flexibility with the extra curricular sports and PE options.

Those that have health issues or disabilities or anything else that might make them incapable of participating in sports and PE classes would be allowed to opt out and just take a different elective. The health benefits are wonderful for those who are lucky enough to be able to participate in sports because daily exercise can help reduce the probability of ending up with different diseases and issues like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. These diseases can significantly shorten a person's life span, diminish their quality of life and can eventually be life threatening.

Clearly the benefits of increasing physical education requirements for high school students are far reaching and will have a life long impact. Students will be healthier overall and it will lessen the likelihood of illnesses like heart disease and diabetes later in life. There will be very little if any impact on academic schedules. There will also be many different options to meet the physical education requirement making this a fun and easy credit to achieve. Most importantly students will be developing excellent habits of physical activities which they will hopefully carry into adulthood. There are so many benefits to adding this requirement so it should definitely be pursued by the Florida legislature.