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Participation in interscholastic sports by school socioeconomic status among 
boys and girls, 2009-2011.
NOTE: SES = socioeconomic status.
SOURCE: Colabianchi et al., 2012. 
Figure 6-8.eps
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
40.0
30.0
8th Grade
10th Grade
12th Grade
P
ercentage
Low SES School
Mid SES School
High SES School
35.0

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Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Approaches to Physical Activity in Schools
 
287
similar benefits for students with disabilities, including not only obesity 
reduction but also higher self-esteem, better body image, and greater aca-
demic success; more confidence and a greater likelihood of graduating 
from high school and matriculating in college; and greater career success 
and more career options (GAO, 2010; Active Policy Solutions, 2013; U.S. 
Department of Education, 2013).
To ensure that students with disabilities have opportunities to partici-
pate in extracurricular athletics equal to those of other students, the GAO 
report recommends that the U.S. Department of Education clarify and com-
municate schools’ responsibilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation 
Act of 1973 regarding the provision of extracurricular athletics. Most 
important, the report recommends improving physical education and 
athletic opportunities for students with disabilities and recommends that 
(1) the Secretary of Education facilitate information sharing among agen-
cies, including schools, on ways to provide opportunities, and (2) clarify 
schools’ responsibilities under federal law, namely Section 504 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, through the Office for Civil Rights, which 
is responsible for enforcing Section 504. In January 2013, in a landmark 
response to the release of the 2010 GAO report, the U.S. Department of 
Education, Office for Civil Rights (2013), clarified a school’s role in pro-
viding extracurricular athletic opportunities for students with disabilities.