Lawmakers in Kentucky won an approval to pass a bill requiring public elementary and middle schools to make physical activity a part of children’s daily routines.
Under the bill, schools would have to include a half hour of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, or 150 minutes a week, by the 2008-09 school year.
Personally, I think this a fantastic idea. According to an About.com article, experts estimate that 15% of kids are overweight and another 15% are at risk of becoming overweight. Anything that could potentially help get these numbers down should at least be experimented with. I don’t see how teaching children about daily exercise and proper nutrition could ever be a bad thing, especially with obesity being a major problem in U.S. adults too.
Not all are thrilled about the idea, however.
Sen. Jack Westwood, R-Crescent Springs, expressed some misgivings but voted to advance the bill.
“I’m nervous about the potential that this is going to take away some time from the classroom,” he said.
Sen. Westwood has a valid concern, but I doubt 30 minutes of daily exercise is really going to take away from a child’s normal studies. Plus, daily exercise is great for keeping the mind active and alert, which should only heighten a child’s learning capabilities.
