[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 157 (Wednesday, October 17, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12990-S12991]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. HARKIN:
  S. 2173. A bill to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to improve standards for physical education; to the Committee 
on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing the FIT Kids Act. 
That first word, FIT, is an acronym for ``Fitness Integrated with 
Teaching''. The FIT Kids Act encourages schools to provide children 
with quality physical education that can help them lead healthier 
lives.
  Since the 1970s, the incidence of obesity has more than doubled for 
preschool children aged 2-5 years and for young people aged 12-19 
years, and has more than tripled for children aged 6-11 years. There 
are many reasons of this public health crisis, and addressing this 
crisis will require multiple solutions as well. One critical place to 
start is in our schools. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
has found that fewer than 10 percent of our public schools at all 
levels offer daily physical education or its equivalent for the entire 
school year for all students.
  The FIT Kids Act would amend the No Child Left Behind Act to support 
quality physical education for all public school children through grade 
12, and ensure they receive important health and nutritional 
information. As a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor 
and Pensions Committee, I have been working with Chairman Kennedy and 
my other colleagues to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act in a 
way that improves on existing law, and gives schools and educators the 
resources they need to succeed.
  It is truly alarming to see the discrepancies in achievement between 
children in the United States and children abroad. Here in the U.S., we 
have a wide and persistent achievement gap that is leaving behind 
children of color, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and 
children with disabilities. I believe that the No Child Left Behind Act 
gives us a framework to reduce, and hopefully close, this achievement 
gap to ensure that children from all walks of life are achieving at 
high levels. I believe that we can and will reauthorize the No Child 
Left Behind Act in a way that preserves its essential reforms and 
continues the progress we have made over the nearly 6 years since the 
act became law.
  Unfortunately, despite the law's lofty goals, many educators have 
come to see it as a burden and a hindrance to effective classroom 
practices. I admit I share many of their concerns. I am particularly 
concerned about reports of imbalances and distortions that have come 
about as various States and the Federal Government have pushed for 
higher standards and greater accountability. Earlier this year, the 
Center on Education Policy, here in Washington,

[[Page S12991]]

released a study showing that, as a result of NCLB, many school 
districts have cut back on the time spent teaching subjects other than 
math and reading.
  I am especially concerned by the finding that time spent on physical 
education has dropped by 9 percent, and recess by 6 percent. A new 
elementary school in Atlanta was actually built without a playground! 
This is just plain wrong-headed and short-sighted for two big reasons: 
one, we are fighting a childhood obesity epidemic of frightening 
proportions. Two, as any teacher or parent knows, kids have got to have 
time to play and burn off energy if they are going to be in a proper 
frame of mind to learn.
  This legislation will provide parents with information on the time 
and resources devoted to giving their children a quality physical 
education. Specifically, the bill will amend the State, local education 
agency, and school report cards to include measures of physical 
education tied to nationally recognized guidelines and standards. It is 
important to note, however, that this legislation will not amend the 
school accountability process to include measures of physical 
education. However, by including this new information on report cards 
we will give parents the data they need in order to assess whether 
their children are receiving an appropriate physical education.
  In addition, the bill promotes teacher professionalism in the field 
of physical education in order to promote healthy lifestyles and 
physical activity, and thereby to boost students' readiness to learn. 
The bill promotes physical activity in after-school programs. It amends 
the school counseling program to take into account students' emotional 
and physical wellbeing. It supports efforts to train parents to 
encourage healthy behaviors and physical activity.
  Finally, this legislation authorizes research into the ways physical 
activity can be incorporated into all aspects of the school day, as 
well as research into the impact of physical activity on students' 
ability to learn, and into the best ways to measure student progress in 
increasing physical activity.
  I am pleased that this bill is strongly supported by the American 
Heart Association, the National Parent Teacher Association, the 
American School Counselor Association, YMCA of the USA, National 
Association for Sport and Physical Education, the Campaign to End 
Obesity, and many other leading organizations in the fields of 
education and health.
  The FIT Kids Act shines a spotlight on children's heath and how our 
schools can play a greater role in teaching our children healthy 
behaviors. As we move forward in reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind 
Act, we cannot neglect the importance of proper physical education. 
Students should be learning healthy behaviors and the importance of 
physical activity, and why these lessons will be important throughout 
their lives. The FIT Kids Act provides the framework to accomplish 
this. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
                                 ______