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participate for at 
least 30 minutes 
for at least four 
semesters. If this 
is impractical 
due to scheduling 
or other factors, 
the district may 
require a student 
to participate 
in moderate or 
vigorous physical 
activity for 135 
minutes per week 
or 225 minutes 
per 2 weeks on a 
block schedule.
State Board 
of Education 
Administrative 
Code 74.11 
(1997) allows 
for temporary 
or permanent 
medical 
exemption. 
It also gives 
school districts 
permission to 
allow a student 
to substitute 
certain physical 
activities for 
credit toward 
the high school 
graduation 
requirements. 
Waivers may 
be granted 
for credit to 
individual 
students for 
involvement 
in high-quality 
private or 
commercially 
sponsored 
programs 
(minimum of 5 
hours per week) 
and those in 
Olympic-level 
physical training 
(15 hours per 
week). 
The graduation 
requirements 
state that the 
following 
activities can 
be substituted 
for the physical 
education 
requirement: 
drill team, 
marching band, 
cheerleading, 
JROTC, 
athletics, 
dance I-IV, and 
approved private 
programs and 
certain career 
and technical 
education 
courses.
Education 
Code 28.002 
(2009) requires 
a physical 
education 
curriculum that 
is sequential, 
developmentally 
appropriate, 
and designed, 
implemented, 
and evaluated to 
enable students 
to develop the 
motor, self-
management, 
and other skills 
necessary to 
participate in 
physical activity 
throughout life. 
State Board 
of Education 
Administrative 
Code 74.1 
(2004) requires 
each school 
district offering 
K-12 to adopt 
a physical 
education 
curriculum. 
State Board 
of Education 
Administrative 
Codes 116.1 to 
116.52 (1998) 
describe the 
Texas Essential 
Knowledge 
and Skills 
for Physical 
Education.
Education 
Code 38.101 
(2007) 
requires a 
school district 
to assess 
the physical 
fitness of 
students 
enrolled in 
grades 3-12. 
Students with 
a disability 
are exempt 
from this 
requirement. 
Education 
Code 38.103 
(2007) 
requires the 
school district 
to provide 
summarized 
results to the 
Department 
of Education.
No state policy.
One credit 
of physical 
education 
to receive a 
high school 
diploma 
according to 
State Board 
of Education 
Administrative 
Code 74.51 
(2003). 
No state policy; 
however, 
Education Code 
28.004 (2003) 
requires the local 
School Health 
Advisory Council 
to consider and 
make policy 
recommendations 
to the district 
concerning the 
importance of 
daily recess 
for elementary 
school students.
Texas 
Administrative 
Code 76.1001 
(2003) states that 
an extracurricular 
activity is an 
activity sponsored 
by the school 
district that is 
not necessarily 
directly related 
to instruction 
of essential 
knowledge and 
skills but may 
have an indirect 
relation to some 
areas of the 
curriculum.
Transportation 
Code 201.614 
(2001) 
establishes a 
Safe Routes 
to School 
program 
within the 
Department of 
Transportation.
The state Department of 
Agriculture, Food and 
Nutrition Division, has 
implemented mandatory 
guidelines via the Texas 
Public School Nutrition 
Policy (2004) that local 
wellness policies are required 
to meet (and are encouraged 
to surpass).

---

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Appendix C
 
465
continued
State
State Statute
and/or Policy
Waivers
Curriculum
Assessment
Certification
Graduation 
Requirement
Recess
Athletics
Walk/Bike
Wellness Policy
Texas
Education Code 
28.002 (2007) 
requires students 
in grades K-5 
to participate in 
daily physical 
activity for at 
least 30 minutes 
throughout the 
school year. 
This may be 
accomplished 
through the 
physical 
education 
curriculum or 
daily recess. 
Students in 
grades 6-8 are 
required to 
participate for at 
least 30 minutes 
for at least four 
semesters. If this 
is impractical 
due to scheduling 
or other factors, 
the district may 
require a student 
to participate 
in moderate or 
vigorous physical 
activity for 135 
minutes per week 
or 225 minutes 
per 2 weeks on a 
block schedule.
State Board 
of Education 
Administrative 
Code 74.11 
(1997) allows 
for temporary 
or permanent 
medical 
exemption. 
It also gives 
school districts 
permission to 
allow a student 
to substitute 
certain physical 
activities for 
credit toward 
the high school 
graduation 
requirements. 
Waivers may 
be granted 
for credit to 
individual 
students for 
involvement 
in high-quality 
private or 
commercially 
sponsored 
programs 
(minimum of 5 
hours per week) 
and those in 
Olympic-level 
physical training 
(15 hours per 
week). 
The graduation 
requirements 
state that the 
following 
activities can 
be substituted 
for the physical 
education 
requirement: 
drill team, 
marching band, 
cheerleading, 
JROTC, 
athletics, 
dance I-IV, and 
approved private 
programs and 
certain career 
and technical 
education 
courses.
Education 
Code 28.002 
(2009) requires 
a physical 
education 
curriculum that 
is sequential, 
developmentally 
appropriate, 
and designed, 
implemented, 
and evaluated to 
enable students 
to develop the 
motor, self-
management, 
and other skills 
necessary to 
participate in 
physical activity 
throughout life. 
State Board 
of Education 
Administrative 
Code 74.1 
(2004) requires 
each school 
district offering 
K-12 to adopt 
a physical 
education 
curriculum. 
State Board 
of Education 
Administrative 
Codes 116.1 to 
116.52 (1998) 
describe the 
Texas Essential 
Knowledge 
and Skills 
for Physical 
Education.
Education 
Code 38.101 
(2007) 
requires a 
school district 
to assess 
the physical 
fitness of 
students 
enrolled in 
grades 3-12. 
Students with 
a disability 
are exempt 
from this 
requirement. 
Education 
Code 38.103 
(2007) 
requires the 
school district 
to provide 
summarized 
results to the 
Department 
of Education.
No state policy.
One credit 
of physical 
education 
to receive a 
high school 
diploma 
according to 
State Board 
of Education 
Administrative 
Code 74.51 
(2003). 
No state policy; 
however, 
Education Code 
28.004 (2003) 
requires the local 
School Health 
Advisory Council 
to consider and 
make policy 
recommendations 
to the district 
concerning the 
importance of 
daily recess 
for elementary 
school students.
Texas 
Administrative 
Code 76.1001 
(2003) states that 
an extracurricular 
activity is an 
activity sponsored 
by the school 
district that is 
not necessarily 
directly related 
to instruction 
of essential 
knowledge and 
skills but may 
have an indirect 
relation to some 
areas of the 
curriculum.
Transportation 
Code 201.614 
(2001) 
establishes a 
Safe Routes 
to School 
program 
within the 
Department of 
Transportation.
The state Department of 
Agriculture, Food and 
Nutrition Division, has 
implemented mandatory 
guidelines via the Texas 
Public School Nutrition 
Policy (2004) that local 
wellness policies are required 
to meet (and are encouraged 
to surpass).

---

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
466
 
Educating the Student Body
TAbLE C-1 Continued
State
State Statute
and/or Policy
Waivers
Curriculum
Assessment
Certification
Graduation 
Requirement
Recess
Athletics
Walk/Bike
Wellness Policy
utah
According to 
R277-700.3 
(2004), the 
state Board 
of Education 
requires 
instruction 
in physical 
education in 
grades K-2 (as a 
part of integrated 
curriculum) 
and grades 3-6, 
and one credit 
in physical 
education in 
middle school.
No state policy.
The Physical 
Education 
Core—
Secondary 
(2005) and 
Physical 
Education 
Core—
Elementary 
(1997) sets 
standards for 
students in 
grades K-12 
to receive 
instruction 
in physical 
education and 
activity.
No state 
policy.
The minimum 
requirement 
for prospective 
physical 
education 
teachers in 
elementary 
grades prior 
to licensure is 
a bachelor’s 
degree, with 
no additional 
coursework in 
health. 
For prospective 
teachers in 
middle or 
high school, 
a candidate is 
required to have 
a major or state 
endorsement 
in physical 
education, in 
addition to 
a bachelor’s 
degree.
1.5 credits 
in physical 
education.
No state policy.
No state policy.
No state policy.
The Utah legislature passed 
a resolution urging schools, 
school districts, health care 
providers, community-based 
organizations, businesses, 
and families to work with 
the legislature to establish 
comprehensive wellness 
policies to help prevent 
and reduce the prevalence 
of overweight children and 
adolescents.
Vermont
16 Vermont 
Statute Annotated 
906 (1998) 
requires public 
schools to 
provide students 
with a physical 
education course 
of study, although 
duration and 
frequency are not 
specified. 
The Nutrition 
and Physical 
Fitness 
Guidelines (2005) 
recommend 150 
minutes per 
week of physical 
education for 
elementary 
students and 
225 minutes per 
week for middle 
and high school 
students. 
No state policy.
The Vermont 
Physical 
Education 
Grade 
Expectations 
(2004) set health 
knowledge and 
skills standards 
for students in 
grades PreK-12. 
Standard 2 
requires students 
to learn to 
identify healthy 
behaviors and 
learn the benefit 
of exercise.
The Vermont 
Physical 
Education 
Grade 
Expectations 
(2004) require 
student 
assessment 
in physical 
education 
(Fitness- 
gram
®
or other 
nationally 
accredited 
test) for 
grades 5-12.
Board Rules 
5440-08, 5441, 
and 5445 
(2005) require a 
bachelor’s degree 
in physical 
education and 
a practicum 
in physical 
education at 
the appropriate 
grade level. 
The State 
Board of 
Education 
Manual of 
Rules and 
Practices 
(2006) 
requires 1 year 
of physical 
education.
The Nutrition 
and Physical 
Fitness 
Guidelines (2005) 
recommend 
daily recess for 
grades PreK-8. 
The guidelines 
also recommend 
that recess and 
physical activity 
breaks not be 
taken away 
as a form of 
discipline.
No state policy.
No state policy.
The Commissioner of 
Education and the state 
school boards association 
created the Nutrition and 
Fitness Policy Guidelines 
(2004), a model school 
fitness and nutrition policy 
consistent with 16 Vermont 
Statute Annotated 216 
(2004).

---

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Appendix C
 
467
continued
State
State Statute
and/or Policy
Waivers
Curriculum
Assessment
Certification
Graduation 
Requirement
Recess
Athletics
Walk/Bike
Wellness Policy
utah
According to 
R277-700.3 
(2004), the 
state Board 
of Education 
requires 
instruction 
in physical 
education in 
grades K-2 (as a