THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            192
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO CREATE AN ELEMENTARY
    SCHOOL-LEVEL PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM.



 1        WHEREAS, elementary school children need and deserve to
 2   have all of their abilities -- mental, social, and physical --
 3   nurtured and encouraged while they are young, to build the
 4   foundation for a healthy, productive adult life; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, an emphasis on physical education in elementary
 7   school children can help build lifelong health and avoid the
 8   health problems associated with a sedentary lifestyle, such as
 9   heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and osteoporosis; and
10   
11        WHEREAS, public schools emphasize intellectual education
12   and socialization, but do not place an equal emphasis on
13   physical education and development of the elementary school
14   child; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, the lack of training in acquiring a healthy
17   lifestyle also has a negative impact on schoolroom education,
18   as elementary school children who are not able or encouraged to
19   be active during the school day come in from classroom breaks
20   fidgety and unable to focus, causing a slower rate of learning
21   in the classroom environment; and
22   
23        WHEREAS, public elementary schools offer a limited amount
24   of physical education, but often the physical education teacher
25   is a regular education teacher, not a trained physical
26   education specialist, and has neither the training nor the
27   ability to provide a thorough athletic experience; and
28   
29        WHEREAS, physical education specialists are only required
30   in secondary schools, not elementary schools; however, they are
31   also needed at the elementary school-level as it is too late to
32   reach children and encourage them to change a sedentary
33   lifestyle at the secondary school-level; and
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            192
                                                        
                                                        

 1        WHEREAS, the Department of Education should recognize the
 2   synergistic impact that physical education has on performance
 3   in the elementary school classroom; now, therefore,
 4   
 5        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
 6   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
 7   Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is
 8   requested to coordinate and consult with the American Heart
 9   Association, the American Medical Association, and the American
10   Academy of Pediatrics in devising an elementary school-level
11   physical education program for the public schools to encourage
12   and stimulate healthy habits for lifelong health; and
13   
14        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is
15   requested to evaluate the benefits of placing at least one
16   physical education specialist in each elementary school to
17   support this program; and
18   
19        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is
20   requested to report its findings, conclusions, and
21   recommendations on an elementary school-level physical
22   education program to the Legislature no later than twenty days
23   before the convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
24   
25        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
26   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of
27   Education, the Board of Education, the Director of Health, the
28   President of the American Medical Association, the President of
29   the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the President of the
30   American Heart Association.
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35                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________