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Educating the Student Body
between socioeconomic status and sports participation, finding that fewer 
children and adolescents in schools of low socioeconomic status or with a 
relatively high proportion of racial and ethnic minority groups participated 
in sports programs. 
To provide the physical activity and psychosocial benefits of engaging 
in sports at school, education systems need to reevaluate their budgets to 
ensure that equitable sports opportunities are available for youth in all 
types of school settings and at all levels of socioeconomic status. The same 
holds true with respect to ensuring that school-based intramural sports 
opportunities are available before or after school hours to increase partici-
pation in physical activity among all students.
Programs for Students with Disabilities
The 2010 GAO report Students with Disabilities: More Information 
and Guidance Could Improve Opportunities in Physical Education and 
Athletics notes that students with and without disabilities were provided 
similar opportunities to participate in physical education in schools but 
identifies several challenges to serving students with disabilities. Likewise, 
for sports, opportunities were provided for students to participate, but 
students with disabilities participated at lower rates than those without dis-
abilities. Yet sports programs for students without disabilities have shown 
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