Florida Senate - 2013                                    SB 1144
       
       
       
       By Senator Thompson
       
       
       
       
       12-01480-13                                           20131144__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to physical education in the public
    3         schools; amending s. 1003.455, F.S.; revising criteria
    4         for waiver of physical education requirements for
    5         students in grades 6 through 8; providing an effective
    6         date.
    7  
    8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    9  
   10         Section 1. Subsections (3), (4), and (5) of section
   11  1003.455, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   12         1003.455 Physical education; assessment.—
   13         (3) Each district school board shall provide 150 minutes of
   14  physical education each week for students in kindergarten
   15  through grade 5 and for students in grade 6 who are enrolled in
   16  a school that contains one or more elementary grades so that on
   17  any day during which physical education instruction is conducted
   18  there are at least 30 consecutive minutes per day.
   19         (4) Beginning with the 2009-2010 school year, the
   20  equivalent of one class period per day of physical education for
   21  one semester of each year is required for students enrolled in
   22  grades 6 through 8. Students enrolled in such instruction shall
   23  be reported through the periodic student membership surveys, and
   24  records of such enrollment shall be audited pursuant to s.
   25  1010.305. Such instruction may be provided by any instructional
   26  personnel as defined in s. 1012.01(2), regardless of
   27  certification, who are designated by the school principal.
   28         (5)(4) The requirement in subsection (4) (3) shall be
   29  waived for one semester each year for a student who meets one of
   30  the following criteria:
   31         (a) The student is enrolled or required to enroll in a
   32  remedial course.
   33         (b) The student’s parent indicates in writing to the school
   34  principal or the principal’s designee, and the principal or the
   35  principal’s designee verifies, that:
   36         1. The parent requests that the student enroll in another
   37  course from among those courses offered as options by the school
   38  district; or
   39         2. the student is participating in physical activities
   40  outside the school day which are equal to or in excess of the
   41  mandated requirement.
   42         (c) The student submits to the school principal or the
   43  principal’s designee a note from a physician licensed under
   44  chapter 458 or chapter 459 which specifies the health reasons as
   45  to why the student should not participate in physical education.
   46         (6)(5) Each school district shall notify the student’s
   47  parent of the options available under subsection (5) (4) before
   48  scheduling the student to participate in physical education.
   49         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2013.