Legislature(2005 - 2006)CAPITOL 106
03/03/2005 11:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB13 | |
| HB128 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 13 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 128 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 128-SCHOOLS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TASK FORCE CHAIR NEUMAN announced that the final order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 128 "An Act establishing the Alaska Schools Physical Activity Task Force." 11:50:45 AM SHALON SZYMANSKI, staff to Representative Lesil McGuire, presented the background information on HB 128 on behalf of sponsor, Representative McGuire. She stated that, according to the American Obesity Association, more than 30 percent of U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or obese and studies have shown that overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults with a variety of medical problems, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers and high cholesterol. She said that a recent study in the Anchorage School District found that 36 percent of Anchorage school students are either overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. She continued: The National Association of Sports and Physical Education recommends elementary school students receive at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week, and that middle and high school students receive at least 225 minutes per week. The Center for Disease Control recommends at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day. With all of these known recommendations from experts, Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Valdez school districts are requiring that only middle school students receive daily physical education. Elementary school students in these districts are receiving only two 30 to 40 minute physical education periods per week ... the four years that students are in high school, they're required to take only a year and a half of [physical education] in order to graduate. The level of [physical education] required in these schools is clearly lower than what is recommended by health education and health experts. This task force, if established, would be made up of school officials from both urban and rural areas, physicians, a member from the Department of Education and Early Development, and legislators. We do recognize different schools have different facilities available to them, for [physical education] and it would be up to this task force to determine an effective and economical way to increase [physical education] within the existing school infrastructure. The task force will also look into whether new laws or regulations are necessary to provide more physical activities in schools and consider whether school construction requirements should be changed to facilitate more [physical education]. Many other state legislatures across the nation have taken similar steps in addressing the problem of the growing number of overweight children ... Alaska should consider following their lead. Creating this task force would be a step in the right direction. 11:55:05 AM JENNIFER APP, Alaska Advocacy Director, American Heart Association, stated her support of HB 128. She opined that Ms. Szymanski covered many of the statistics that are important around childhood obesity. She highlighted the remarkable connection between childhood obesity and later incidents of cardiovascular disease. She related that new studies have shown that young teenagers are exhibiting the kinds of heart health traits that typically have not been seen until middle age [of adults]. She said that usually, the average lifespan of [Americans] increases every year, but this is the first time in decades that average lifespans are decreasing [due to obesity]. She emphasized that this bill is a step in the right direction. She explained that childhood obesity is caused by two major problems, lack of physical exercise and poor nutrition. She said that different schools will need different solutions, but beginning to proactively address this problem with a task force is an important way to show that the legislature cares about child health and recognizes that obesity is a serious problem. She pointed out that a task force could really give input and guidelines to elementary schools, middle schools and high schools to improve children's health and insure that kids are learning how to be active throughout their life. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO inquired as to the obesity rates of children entering Kindergarten. MS. APP stated that as children move through the school system, they are exceeding the normal weight limit. She explained that the percentage of overweight children in Kindergarten is smaller than the percentage of overweight students in the eighth grade. In response to Representative Gatto's question about family responsibility with obesity, Ms. App explained that there are a combination of responsibilties. She continued, "A couple of trends have happened over the past couple of decades, and they ... accompany this rise in obesity ... a decrease in physical education in schools ... as we've seen that [physical education] requirement decline, we've seen childhood obesity increase ... we know that some kids, the only exercise that they are going to get is at school...the one other thing ... a ... correlation between physical activity in schools and a child's ability to learn ... some schools are cutting recesses, as well as cutting [physical education] and teachers are having a harder time controlling children who don't get outside and burn off some energy ... studies ... show that kids ... learn better if they get out and exercise a little bit. 12:02:08 PM REPRESENTATIVE WILSON stated that another correlation with obesity is the presence of televisions in homes, and in children's bedrooms. She opined that schools cannot be expected to act as parents and that prevention is the key to obesity problems. She expressed her hope that the American Heart Association promotes the education of parents on healthy lifestyle practices, such as getting physically active outside with children and good nutrition. MS. APP agreed that the education of parents is important and that those programs are being undertaken by the American Heart Association. She explained that the school environment is the only place for some children to learn physical activity skills. She said that this bill is about setting up a task force to figure out the best ways to improve the physical activity of Alaskans. She reiterated that regular physical activity has a direct correlation to improving test scores. TIM WALLSTROM, Ph.D., University of Alaska at Anchorage, stated that he is on the board for the Alaska Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and is the chair of Alaskans Promoting Physical Activity Committee which is a subcommittee of the Take Heart Alaska Coalition. He said that he is encouraged by the introduction of this bill and hopes that it passes from the committee so the task force can begin its work. He explained the importance of physical education at the elementary school level where fundamental movement skills are taught and currently, too many schools in Alaska do not have educators who know how to teach fundamental movement skills. He pointed out that once children leave sixth grade, it is unlikely that someone will teach them fundamental movement skills, such as throwing a ball. He said, "you have probably heard the old sexist expression, 'throws like a girl' or 'runs like a girl', and those are for folks who exhibit what we call immature motor patterns who have not been taught how to run, have not been taught how to throw, and folks who aren't skilled or competent movers tend to choose activities which don't involve movement ... that is a very strong factor when it comes to choosing sedentary lifestyles which is ... an important piece of the inactivity cycle which leads to obesity ... heart disease, diabetes, and cancer." 12:09:04 PM PHILLIP PETRIE, volunteer advocate, American Diabetes Association, stated that he is in support of HB 128. He explained that the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association, and the American Diabetes Association have developed a joint position statement on physical education and schools and with youth. He said that he has type 2 diabetes and that up until now, type 2 diabetes has occurred primarily in middle aged adults but now, children as young as 4 years old are being diagnosed. He pointed out that this is not the sole responsibility of schools and that parents should be held responsible [for their children's health]. He recalled the program [from his youth] called "the President's physical fitness challenge" and said that everyone in his school wanted to be a member of the president's team. He opined that similar programs are needed in schools today as there has been a terrible decline of physical education. He expressed his hope that priorities are redeveloped so that physical education takes a vital part in schools as well as at home and after school for children. 12:11:00 PM PETER MJOS, M.D., stated that, as a physician, he has been directly involved with obesity related issues for over twenty years. He explained his participation with the "Alaska American Academy of Pediatric Sports Medicine Group" and their success through the 15th Legislature in obtaining a resolution voicing the state's strong support of the concept of daily quality vigorous physical education in grades K-12. He informed that he was one of the founders of Take Heart Alaska, the state's cardiovascular disease prevention task force, and served as vice president for many years. He said that he served on the American Heart Association Northwest Region Advocacy Board I has been a board member of American Circumpolar Society for Cicumpolar health. He pointed out that he represents the American Academy of Family Practice. He added that his involvement in these programs has been motivated by witnessing a steady deterioration of the health of children and adults. He said: We're now in about the fourth or fifth generation of adults who are completely sedentary and subsequently as role models, as parents, the physical activity levels of children has deteriorated almost to nothing, as I will try and demonstrate ... We are no longer merely in the grip of an epidemic, that's not hyperbole, that is the description from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, but we are in fact besieged by ... a crisis of health ... the scope of which includes ... diabetes type 2 ... hypertension ... and a cascade of cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions. American adults are ... 70 percent overweight or obese and children are at least 30 percent obese or overweight and these figures are, according to the CDC, exaggerated in rural Alaska. In weight management, it remains true, it is a matter of calories in, and calories out, it is the calories out factor which HB 128 addresses. For obese children from even the earliest preschoolers, obesity [according to former surgeon general, Dr. David Satcher], "dooms them to a life of illness and societal disfunction from which recovery is nearly impossible and their burden falls not only on themselves but on families and society at large"... DR. MJOS stated that sedentary obese students suffer from a wide variety of disabilities including feeling poorly, eating poorly, sleeping poorly, very risky behaviors including disciplinary problems, substance abuse and smoking. He explained that fit students will likely become fit adults with improved behaviors, less risky behaviors, and the ability to learn. EMILY NENON, Alaska Government Relations Director, American Cancer Society, (ACS), stated her support on behalf of the ACS of HB 128. She explained that ACS is involved in this issue because one third of all cancers are related to lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. She said that ACS's support of this task force is only one of a multi-pronged approach of dealing with this issue; the ACS is working with communties, and participating in city planning. She added that ACS is focusing on schools because that is where children are. 12:18:07 PM MS. FLOYD stated that the MSBSD has a task force that addresses the quality of nutrition in schools and that has been trying to bring in more locally grown produce and introduce that into student lunches. She explained that healthy alternatives to using vending machines are being explored. She said that increased funding from the legislature last year enabled the MSBSD to add Physical Education back to middle school, for each student, every day. She pointed out that now, fighting obesity is a community responsibility and, "the minute it becomes a mandate for schools, it's the schools reponsibility alone, so we would like the opportunity to continue to work in our community as a task force in addressing what is right for our students." REPRESENTATIVE WILSON clarified that the MSBSD does not want any unfunded mandates concerning school repsponsibility with obesity. MS. FLOYD said that she is pleased with the level of physical education teachers in the MSBSD and their understanding of the importance of good programs for children. She added that these teachers are on top of brain research that shows the importance of integrating fundamental movements in physical education class and in the classroom. REPRESENTATIVE GARA explained that if a higher amount of Physical Education is mandated in every school district in the state, [it would not be fair because] some school districts don't have the space or the staff to do that. The approach of this bill addresses that and says that ideas are needed from the experts in the community to figure out a way to help maximize the amount of physical education provided. He explained that no mandates would come out of this bill, but that this bill would come out with ideas and proposals. He commented that Representative McGuire, the Department of Education, Carol Comeau and others sat down and tried to figure out a way to move the forward without mandates. REPRESENTATIVE GATTO stated his concerns about passing legislation for increasing physical education. He said that he was curious about how elementary school teachers would be affected. MS. FLOYD stated that with the current school structure, some part of the curriculum would be displaced but there is room to talk about extended learning opportunities, and other programs that can help improve the physical activity of our students. 12:23:18 PM REPRESENTATIVE GARA stated that Physical Education does not have to displace other parts of the curriculum and the aim of the task force bill is to come up with a way to maximize the amount of physical education taught within the existing resources that exist. He mentioned physical education coordinators and how [in Anchorage] they visit schools and strategize with teachers to incorporate more activity into the school day. He emphasized that the point of HB 128 is to ask people trained in physical education to provide ideas and information to better assist issues that arise as a result of obesity and inactivity within schools. [HB 128 was held over.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|