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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
468
 
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
Virginia
Code 22.1-207 
(1991) requires 
that physical and 
health education 
be emphasized 
throughout the 
public school 
curriculum, but 
the statute does 
not specify grade 
levels or amounts 
of instructional 
time.
No state policy.
The Health 
Education 
Standards of 
Learning (2008) 
require students 
in grades K-10 
to be able to 
explain good 
health and 
the benefits of 
physical activity 
and fitness 
and the role of 
regular physical 
activity.
The Physical 
Education 
Standards 
of Learning 
(2008) require 
a standardized 
physical 
assessment of 
students in 
grades 4-12.
8 Virginia 
Administrative 
Code 20-21-280 
(1998) states 
the minimum 
requirements 
as graduation 
from a teacher 
preparation 
program in 
health and 
physical 
education or 
completion of a 
major in health 
and physical 
education or 45 
semester hours 
of coursework 
in the areas 
specified in the 
code.
8 Virginia 
Administrative 
Code 20-131-
50 (2000) 
requires 2 
credits in 
health and 
physical 
education (out 
of 22).
State Board 
Rule 8 Virginia 
Administrative 
Code 20-131-200 
(2006) requires 
elementary 
schools to 
provide students 
with daily 
recess during 
the school year 
as determined 
appropriate by 
the school.
Code 22.1-276.3 
(2005) requires 
any organization 
governing 
interscholastic 
activities in public 
high schools 
to develop, 
implement, and 
enforce rules 
stating that any 
school athletic 
team member 
determined 
to have used 
anabolic steroids.
No state policy.
The Superintendent of Public 
Instruction issued a memo 
asking each school division 
(district) to report on the 
status of the local wellness 
policy as part of the required 
School Health Advisory 
Board Annual Report.

---

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Appendix C
 
469
continued
State
State Statute
and/or Policy
Waivers
Curriculum
Assessment
Certification
Graduation 
Requirement
Recess
Athletics
Walk/Bike
Wellness Policy
Virginia
Code 22.1-207 
(1991) requires 
that physical and 
health education 
be emphasized 
throughout the 
public school 
curriculum, but 
the statute does 
not specify grade 
levels or amounts 
of instructional 
time.
No state policy.
The Health 
Education 
Standards of 
Learning (2008) 
require students 
in grades K-10 
to be able to 
explain good 
health and 
the benefits of 
physical activity 
and fitness 
and the role of 
regular physical 
activity.
The Physical 
Education 
Standards 
of Learning 
(2008) require 
a standardized 
physical 
assessment of 
students in 
grades 4-12.
8 Virginia 
Administrative 
Code 20-21-280 
(1998) states 
the minimum 
requirements 
as graduation 
from a teacher 
preparation 
program in 
health and 
physical 
education or 
completion of a 
major in health 
and physical 
education or 45 
semester hours 
of coursework 
in the areas 
specified in the 
code.
8 Virginia 
Administrative 
Code 20-131-
50 (2000) 
requires 2 
credits in 
health and 
physical 
education (out 
of 22).
State Board 
Rule 8 Virginia 
Administrative 
Code 20-131-200 
(2006) requires 
elementary 
schools to 
provide students 
with daily 
recess during 
the school year 
as determined 
appropriate by 
the school.
Code 22.1-276.3 
(2005) requires 
any organization 
governing 
interscholastic 
activities in public 
high schools 
to develop, 
implement, and 
enforce rules 
stating that any 
school athletic 
team member 
determined 
to have used 
anabolic steroids.
No state policy.
The Superintendent of Public 
Instruction issued a memo 
asking each school division 
(district) to report on the 
status of the local wellness 
policy as part of the required 
School Health Advisory 
Board Annual Report.

---

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
470
 
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
Washington
Revised Code 
of Washington 
28A.230.040 
(1984) requires 
every student 
in grades 1-8 
to receive 
instruction 
in physical 
education. 
Revised Code 
of Washington 
28A.210.365 
(2007) states 
that a goal of 
Washington 
state is to ensure 
that by 2010 
all students in 
grades 1-9 should 
have at least 
150 minutes of 
quality physical 
education every 
week.
Revised Code 
of Washington 
28A.230.040 
allows only 
those students 
who have 
a physical 
disability 
or religious 
belief or who 
participate in 
directed athletics 
to be excused 
from instruction 
in physical 
education. 
Revised Code 
of Washington 
28A.210.365 
(2007) states 
that a goal of 
Washington state 
is to ensure that, 
beginning with 
the 2011-2012 
school year, any 
district waiver 
or exemption 
policy from 
physical 
education 
requirements 
for high school 
students should 
be based on 
meeting both 
health and 
fitness curricula 
concepts as well 
as alternative 
means of 
engaging in 
physical activity 
and but should 
acknowledge 
students’ interest 
in pursuing 
their academic 
interests.
The Essential 
Academic 
Learning 
Requirements 
for Health and 
Fitness (2003) 
set requirements 
for physical 
education for 
grades 5 and 8 
and high school.
Fitness 
assessments 
mandatory in 
2008-2009 
for middle 
and high 
school grades 
and in 2009-
2010 for 
elementary 
grades.
The minimum 
requirement 
for prospective 
physical 
education 
teachers in 
high school is 
a bachelor’s 
degree, with at 
least 30 semester 
hours in physical 
education.
Washington 
Administrative 
Code 180-51-
061 (2001): 
Beginning 
July 1, 2004, 
students who 
enter the 9th 
grade or begin 
the equivalent 
of a 4-year 
high school 
program will 
be required 
to complete 
two credits 
of health 
and fitness 
courses (out 
of 19 required 
credits). 
Details 
are also 
provided in 
High School 
Graduation 
Requirements 
(2004).
No state policy.
No state policy.
No state policy.
Revised Code of Washington 
28A.210.360 (Senate Bill 
5436, 2004) requires districts 
to adopt local wellness 
policies and mandates the 
creation of a model policy 
and recommendations 
consistent with and above 
the federal requirements 
by a broad-based advisory 
committee. 

---

Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
Educating the Student Body: Taking Physical Activity and Physical Education to School
Appendix C
 
471
continued
State
State Statute
and/or Policy
Waivers
Curriculum
Assessment
Certification
Graduation 
Requirement
Recess
Athletics
Walk/Bike
Wellness Policy
Washington
Revised Code 
of Washington 
28A.230.040 
(1984) requires 
every student 
in grades 1-8 
to receive 
instruction 
in physical 
education. 
Revised Code 
of Washington 
28A.210.365 
(2007) states 
that a goal of 
Washington 
state is to ensure 
that by 2010 
all students in 
grades 1-9 should 
have at least 
150 minutes of 
quality physical 
education every 
week.
Revised Code 
of Washington 
28A.230.040 
allows only 
those students 
who have 
a physical 
disability 
or religious 
belief or who