Sandy - having gone to our elementary principal last year with a concern over (ARGH!!!!!) standardized testing and his adamance to hold my GT child back because she didn't attend school one day that test were being given (Oh yeah, the picnic we attended instead was infectious strep!) - anyway - after going to the district level and being told that it was a decision of TEA, I found my way around the Texas Education Agency website (
www.tea.state.tx.us
), made countless phone calls, wrote letters and faxed them one after the other until the principal called me and asked why I was going over his head. OOPS! I made the mistake of thinking that I had the right to participate in my own child's education - WHAT WAS I THINKING?
Anyway - your question got me thinking so back I went to the site - seems we, in the great state of Texas - have Senate Bill 19 - which addresses the improvement of children’s health through daily physical activity in public schools and a coordinated approach by public schools to prevent obesity and certain diseases.
I cannot tell you where it has gotten - but you could start with your local rep to Austin - call and ask for the status. I think that the bill gave TEA the responsibility of setting guidelines, but from what I've read it calls for "daily" physical activity at the elementary level. P.E. 3 days a week would only be daily if the kids are only in school 3 days a week. And if they are calling computers physical activity - your PTO better start raising serious money for new computers every year. O.K. - off my sarcastic soapbox I climb . . . good luck!
