A bill

 

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING SECTION 59-10-10, RELATING TO PHYSICAL EDUCATION STANDARDS, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH EIGHTH GRADE MUST BE PROVIDED A MINIMUM OF SIXTY MINUTES OF OUTDOOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EACH DAY.

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

 

SECTION 1.  Section 59-10-10(A) of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

 

    Section 59-10-10.  (A)(1) The goal of this article is to provide every elementary student with the equivalent of thirty sixty minutes of physical activity daily.Beginning in the 2006-07 school year, students in kindergarten through fifth grade must be provided a minimum of one hundred fifty minutes a week of physical education and physical activity.  In 2006-07, a minimum of sixty minutes a week must be provided in physical education, and as Section 59-10-20 is phased in, the minimum time for physical education must be increased to ninety minutes a week. 

       (2) Beginning with the 2026-2027 school year, students in kindergarten through eighth grade must be provided a minimum of sixty minutes of outdoor physical activity, weather permitting, consisting of physical education, instructional play, or unstructured play each day.

       (3) The certified physical education teacher to student ratio is designed to provide students in kindergarten through fifth grade with scheduled physical education either every day or on alternate days throughout the school year and must be based on the South Carolina Physical Education Curriculum Standards.  The student to teacher ratio in a physical education class may not exceed the average student to teacher ratio of 28 to 1.  An individual student's fitness status must be reported to his parent or guardian during a student's fifth grade, eighth grade, and high school physical education courses.  The physical activity must be planned and coordinated by the Physical Education Activity Director pursuant to Section 59-10-30.

 

SECTION 2.  This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.

----XX----