Are Branford Students Being Deprived of Physical Education Time?

In our fight to a beloved Physical Education (PE) at we have come across some significantly alarming data related to Branford’s Physical Education program which I believe would be of interest to many, especially our representatives who have proposed PE cuts due to the budget.  

Thankfully, there exists an abundance of available facts and research supporting the need for increased PE time in schools, especially elementary schools.  The research not only points to the improvements to the health and wellness of our children but also shows  a strong positive correlation between physical activity, academic performance and attitude toward school. 

Realizing this, there are several initiatives currently going on in our country to increase PE time, including the FIT Kids Act, which works to increase the quality and quantity of physical education opportunities in the U.S.  There has also been legislation introduced to make physical education a core academic subject within ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act). 

Additionally, parents are also seeing firsthand, the benefits of a strong physical education program.  According to a recent Harvard Health Forum survey 91 percent of parents polled feel that there should be more PE in schools (see PDF).  These thoughts are also supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, National Association for Sport and Physical Education, American Heart Association, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So where do Branford’s second graders rank in terms of the amount of PE time they receive?  In 2009-2010, the state average of PE for second grade is 35 hours per year.  Branford second graders received 25 hours per year.  Out of 170 schools in the state, Branford’s second graders are in the bottom percentile for the amount of hours of PE offered to our children.  There are 16 Districts with less PE than Branford, six schools with the same amount and 148 districts which offer more PE time than Branford! Connecticut recommends a minimum of PE class time in elementary schools of 60 minutes per week. Three of our five grades of elementary school children receive only 40 minutes.  The national recommended minimum of PE class time in elementary schools is 150 minutes per week.

On top of our low ranking in the state with regard to PE hours in our schools, our children in Branford have been scoring low in PE in that limited time.  The physical fitness assessments given to our children show that the average number of students who passed all four tests for the past five years was only 35.2 percent.  Are our low scores attributed to our kids not receiving the minimum amount of PE time in school?

It is my understanding that principals in the elementary schools have been formally requesting additional PE time for the past few years and now I can see why.  Not only are we not meeting the recommended state minimum requirements in our district, our test scores on the physical education assessment test are disheartening to say the least.  I ask our leaders of our school system to take a moment to revisit their original proposed cuts of PE teachers and look at the research as well as our district’s results. Making cuts to an already deficient area cannot be the answer. Our new and the have an opportunity as well as an obligation to address this area of dire need. Both entities have shown an incredible ability to listen, now is the time to show the same ability to act.