THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              92
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  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
34   
35        WHEREAS, the Department of Education should recognize the
36   synergistic impact that physical education has on performance
37   in the elementary school classroom; now, therefore,

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              92
                                                        
                                                        

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