Legislature(2015 - 2016)SENATE FINANCE 532
04/09/2016 10:00 AM Senate FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB201 | |
| SB200 | |
| SJR12 | |
| SB8 | |
| SB163 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 201 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 200 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SJR 12 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 163 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 8 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SENATE BILL NO. 200
"An Act relating to physical activity requirements for
students in kindergarten through grade eight."
10:27:22 AM
SENATOR MIA COSTELLO, SPONSOR, offered a sponsor statement
on the legislation:
Senate Bill 200 amends state law to ensure Alaskan
students receive a minimum recommended amount of
physical activity at school. Under the bill, school
districts would provide at least 90% of the
recommended exercise time for adolescents by the U.S.
Center for Disease Control &
Prevention (CDC). School districts would have the
flexibility to meet this requirement, equating to 54
minutes, through physical education classes, recess,
or a combination of activity types.
The amount of time students spend in school has grown
over the years. Changes to the school day and
curriculum have led to less time for students to
participate in unstructured physical activity. Lack of
exercise can have a detrimental effect on youth, and
can cause obesity and other health concerns. This bill
aims to ensure Alaskan students in kindergarten
through eighth grade are involved in physical activity
and have breaks from the classroom that allow youth to
destress and improve their focus. Currently, slightly
more than half of school districts in Alaska have a
written policy for elementary and middle school
recess. This bill will set a minimum standard to
ensure students receive adequate opportunities for
physical activity.
Breaks in the school day have been proven to aid
information retention and focus. Unstructured physical
activity, like recess, lets students process classroom
lessons and allows for an education outside the
classroom from their peers. A CDC report reviewed 50
peer-reviewed studies and documented links between
physical activity and academic performance, including
achievement, behavior, cognitive skills, and attitude.
The American Association of Pediatrics has also found
that recess, either indoor or outdoor, led to more
attentive and productive students, in addition to
learning on playgrounds from peers.
Ensuring adequate physical activity will allow
Alaska's students the opportunity to learn from each
other, to improve their academic performance, to fight
childhood obesity through exercise, and to reduce the
stress levels that have adverse effects on our
children. This bill helps them grow into successful
adults.
Representative Costello shared that she suffered from
scoliosis as a child, which had prompted her to become a
life-long swimmer. She stressed that the benefits of
regular physical activity were numerous.
10:30:31 AM
SORCHA HAZELTON, INTERN, SENATOR MIA COSTELLA, stated that
the legislation would ensure that Alaska's kids were
physically active and mentally healthy, setting a balance
of structured and unstructured time during the school day.
She said that the bill would amend state law to ensure
school districts provided a daily minimum of physical
activity for kindergarten through 8th grade students. She
stated that the state did not have a policy requiring or
recommending recess or physical activity breaks at any
grade level. She furthered that only half of Alaska's
school districts had a written policy for elementary and
middle school recess, and one-third of the school district
policies for elementary schools did not meet the CDCs daily
recommended amount of physical activity in a full school
week. She stressed that physical activity had many benefits
for students, such as: combating childhood obesity,
improving academic performance, and fighting the rise of
youth mental disorders.
10:32:32 AM
Ms. Hazelton relayed that physical activity allowed
students to learn from their peers outside of a classroom.
She lamented the growing issue of childhood obesity in the
state and the associated medical healthcare costs. She said
that 26 percent of Alaskan high school students were
overweight or obese, while 36 percent of K-12 students were
overweight or obese in the 2010-2011 school year. 40
percent of Alaskan 3 year-olds were either overweight or
obese according to the 2014 Alaska Obesity Facts Report.
She shared that the legislation would address the issue
through a simple, daily activity. She noted that recess and
P.E. had been cut in schools across the nation in order to
implement more instructional time. She stressed that
physical activity had been proven to improve focus and
information retention. She noted that the American Academy
of Pediatrics had found that children's brains processed
information best if given a period of interruption after
instruction; best served through unstructured breaks,
rather than shifting subject matter. She expounded on the
merits of recess and physical activity for children and
young adults.
10:36:09 AM
Co-Chair MacKinnon referred to an inability to hold recess
due to inclement weather. She wondered whether schools
would suffer repercussions for not getting students outside
due to bad weather.
Ms. Hazelton stated that inclement weather was always a
challenge. She asserted that many of the physical
activities listed in the bill could be done indoors; the
bill would not rule out in-classroom exercises. She added
that many students did not mind playing outside in the
rain.
10:38:03 AM
Senator Dunleavy commented on the issue of students being
inappropriately dressed for outdoor recess. He acknowledged
that appropriate dress for appropriate climate would need
to be stressed.
10:39:01 AM
Co-Chair MacKinnon discussed the safety issue of ice on the
playground. She thought that children could move indoors to
a gym or auditorium for exercise, but noted that all
schools in the state were not equip with those facilities.
10:39:35 AM
Co-Chair MacKinnon OPENED public testimony.
10:40:04 AM
ALISE GALVIN, SELF, JUNEAU, testified in strong support of
the bill. She expressed that as a mother of four children
she believed that all children needed more physical
activity. She expressed concern with limited adult
supervision during outdoor playtime, and training for those
overseeing physical activities indoors.
10:41:59 AM
EDDIE GRASSER, SELF, JUNEAU, discussed the bill. He
mentioned a program sponsored by the Department of Fish and
Game called the National Archery in the Schools program,
which he believed mirrored the goals discussed by the bill
sponsor. He asserted that getting children active and
outdoors was a positive thing.
10:43:31 AM
DAVID NEES, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), offered
some history of recess and physical education in public
schools. He relayed that physical activity was important
but worried about the cost of paying trained, licensed
professionals to instruct children. He shared that poorly
taught physical education could be detrimental to students.
He stressed the need for clear language in the bill that
recognized the difference between physical education and
recess as ways for children to be physically active.
10:46:59 AM
Co-Chair MacKinnon asked whether he was advocating that the
bill call for licensed professionals to administer physical
education to students.
Mr. Nees thought that programs in the state's schools
should be reviewed by a licensed professional to ensure
that the curriculum was safe.
10:47:44 AM
Co-Chair MacKinnon CLOSED public testimony.
10:48:07 AM
Vice-Chair Micciche discussed the zero fiscal note.
SB 200 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB 8 Public Testimony Packet 1.pdf |
SFIN 4/9/2016 10:00:00 AM |
SB 8 |