STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3216

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 25

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 25 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON THE STATUS OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN HAWAII'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Education to report to the Legislature on the status of physical education in Hawaii's public schools.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Hawai‘i Public Health Institute, American Heart Association, Pioneering Healthier Communities of Honolulu, and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that physical education programs are critical to providing students with the skills necessary to achieve and maintain life-long physical fitness. Regular physical activity and physical fitness can play a significant role in promoting health and preventing chronic illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and osteoporosis.

Your Committee further finds that the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards III for physical education were based on national standards in 2005, but have not been updated since then and do not align with the National Physical Education Standards developed in 2013. Because of the importance and benefits of physical education for students, the State wants to ensure that Hawaii's public schools are maintaining national standards and best-practices for physical education.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 25 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair