Full Text of SR0052 102nd General Assembly
SR0052 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Physical education should be viewed as a public | 3 | | health tool that can be used to educate students and empower | 4 | | them to maintain and improve their life-long physical, social, | 5 | | and emotional well-being; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Physical education is valued as a foundational | 7 | | component for the health and well-being of students by health | 8 | | experts and policy leaders and has been shown to have a | 9 | | positive association with academic performance as well as | 10 | | mental and social-emotional health; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Quality physical education programs enhance the | 12 | | social-emotional learning skills of self-management, social | 13 | | awareness, self-awareness, decision-making, exhibiting | 14 | | responsible behaviors, and relationship skills; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Physical education provides opportunities for | 16 | | students to authentically use and evaluate personal | 17 | | Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies in a safe and | 18 | | inclusive setting; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, Being enrolled in physical education provides an | 20 | | opportunity for students to be active during the school day; | 21 | | the CDC has stated that there are many benefits of physical |
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| 1 | | education in schools; when enrolled in physical education, | 2 | | students can increase their level of physical activity, can | 3 | | improve their grades, cognition, and standardized test scores, | 4 | | and are better able to focus and stay on-task in the classroom; | 5 | | and | 6 | | WHEREAS, All physical education programs should follow the | 7 | | same standards; research suggests there are access gaps from | 8 | | school to school; students are entitled to a comprehensive | 9 | | physical education program; and | 10 | | WHEREAS, Physical education is required to be taught; | 11 | | there is little oversight of compliance to the School Code, | 12 | | and the waiver process is not being strictly followed; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, The National Physical Activity Plan (NPAP) found | 14 | | that budget cuts had differential impacts on physical | 15 | | education, resulting in racial disparities; NPAP maintains | 16 | | that Black and Latinx students are less likely to be | 17 | | physically active and to have access to certified physical | 18 | | education teachers; these factors lead to lower fitness, which | 19 | | is correlated with poor academic performance, among other | 20 | | adverse outcomes; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, Another public health concern cited by the NPAP | 22 | | is the lack of a consistent, equitable opportunity for kids to |
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| 1 | | get physical activity; physical education, through the public | 2 | | education system, can mitigate health disparities; physical | 3 | | education classes may be the only organized way for many | 4 | | lower-income kids to get much-needed exercise; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Physical education classes may be the only | 6 | | opportunity for students in alternative education programs and | 7 | | students with disabilities to be introduced, to learn, and to | 8 | | develop the knowledge, skills, behaviors, attitudes, and the | 9 | | confidence needed to be active throughout their lives; and
| 10 | | WHEREAS, The Society for Health and Physical Education | 11 | | reports that students who have physical education are 2.5 | 12 | | times more likely to be active adults; the patterns of | 13 | | inactivity in childhood and adolescence track to higher rates | 14 | | of inactivity, obesity, and other health issues (diabetes, | 15 | | heart disease, high blood pressure, osteoporosis) in | 16 | | adulthood; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Physical education provides opportunities for | 18 | | movement that in turn lead to decreasing medical costs; the | 19 | | World Health Organization estimates that for every $1.00 | 20 | | invested in physical activity $3.20 will be saved in medical | 21 | | costs; and
| 22 | | WHEREAS, The COVID-19 pandemic has, in some cases, eroded |
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| 1 | | physical education programming; steps need to be taken to | 2 | | ensure that all students have standards-based physical | 3 | | education programming when they return to school without the | 4 | | constraints of COVID-19; these steps should include, but are | 5 | | not limited to, making sure that physical education programs | 6 | | teach the Illinois Physical Development and Health Goals and | 7 | | Standards; therefore, be it
| 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL | 9 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that physical education is | 10 | | an essential and integral part of educating the whole child | 11 | | and that ALL students in the State of Illinois should have | 12 | | access to equitable, high quality, standards-based physical | 13 | | education programming being supported by equitable resources | 14 | | and funding; and be it further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That all physical education programs are urged | 16 | | to be in compliance with and accountable for following the | 17 | | Illinois School Code; and be it further | 18 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 19 | | delivered to the State Superintendent of Education, the | 20 | | Illinois Association of School Boards, the Illinois | 21 | | Association of School Administrators, the Illinois Principal | 22 | | Association, the Illinois Education Association, the Illinois | 23 | | Federation of Teachers, and the Illinois Association of |
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| 1 | | Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance.
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