TIFFANY L. PARKS
Daily Reporter
Despite a wave of opposition blasting a bipartisan bill that would extend class credit to athletic club members, the proposed legislation has continued to move through the Ohio General Assembly.
House Bill 113, known as the School Sponsored Athletic Club Physical Education Waiver, would grant boards of education the authority to waive physical education requirements to all students who participate in a school-sponsored athletic club played as a team sport.
The proposed legislation, jointly sponsored by Reps. Nickie Antonio, D-Lakewood, and Michael Henne, R-Clayton, passed the Ohio House in an 82-9 vote and recently had its first hearing before the Senate Education Committee.
Antonio, who sponsored a similar measure in the last legislature, said the Lakewood City Schools Girls Rugby team approached her about getting a physical education waiver signed into law for their sport.
Students who participate in interscholastic athletics, marching band or cheerleading for at least two full seasons or Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps for at least two full years are already exempt under Ohio law.
“Allowing school-sponsored club sports to receive a waiver, joining those activities previously mentioned, will provide schools and students the opportunity to focus on core classes, electives and advanced placement courses to better prepare them for college and/or career,” Antonio said.
Steve Mitchell from Kent State University has disagreed.
Testifying on behalf of the Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, Mitchell joined several other individuals in opposing HB 113.
“The major goal of public school physical education is to prepare students for a lifetime of involvement in physical activity by providing them with the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to be independent exercisers over the lifespan,” he said.
“This is particularly the case at the high school level which, of course, represents the last few years in which educators have the opportunity to positively influence all young people.”
It is with that influence in mind that OAHPERD has opposed HB 113.
Mitchell criticized the bill for attempting to further decrease physical education requirements in high schools “at a time when we have a statewide and nationwide obesity crisis that contributes directly to escalating health care costs brought about by the onset of health issues related to lack of physical activity.”
“Not only do we oppose this bill, but we call to question the appropriateness of this PE waiver option altogether,” he said.
“Whether it be interscholastic athletics, band, cheerleading (all permitted beginning in 2007), ROTC (later added) or a school-sponsored athletic club, these activities do not address the goals of physical education.”
Nor do they help students learn to be independent consumers of physical activity, Mitchell said, because the activities require only that students follow the direction of coaches or other supervising adults.
“The goals of school PE are evident in our state standards,” he said.
In 2007, Ohio adopted the six academic content standards of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.
The standards call for students to demonstrate competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities; demonstrate understanding of movement concepts, principles, strategies and tactics as they apply to the learning and performance of physical activities; participate regularly in physical activity; achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical fitness; exhibit responsible personal behavior and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings; and value physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression and/or social interaction.
Mitchell said the rigor of the standards “far surpasses that required in any of the activities permitted as substitutes for PE.”
“One argument often made for the PE waiver concerns academic attainment, specifically that by cutting PE from the school day students are able to take a classroom subject instead and thereby enhance their chances of higher test scores,” he said.
“This argument has no support in terms of either empirical or anecdotal evidence.”
In fact, Mitchell said research evidence is conclusive in supporting the positive relationship between quality physical education in schools and variables such as concentration, attention span, on-task behavior and academic attainment.
“In a recent review of research, the Centers for Disease Control examined the results of 14 studies on school-based PE,” he said.
“Eleven of these studies ‘found one or more positive associations between physical education and indicators of cognitive skills and attitudes, academic behavior, and/or academic achievement.’ The remaining three studies found no negative associations.”
Mitchell said since there is no evidence to support the efficacy of PE waivers in improving academic attainment, one can only conclude that a reason such waivers are supported by some public school administrators is that waivers provide a means to help address budgetary concerns.
“Fewer high school students in PE classes means that fewer teachers are needed, this leading to the non-replacement of PE teachers when retirements occur,” he said.
“Extending legislation that has systematically and consistently sought to undermine the effectiveness of our profession is neither appropriate nor in the best interests of Ohio’s children.”