Use state policies to build buy-in for classroom physical activity
A story from South Carolina
“Children and adolescents should participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. A substantial percentage of students’ physical activity can be provided through a comprehensive school physical activity program which includes quality physical education programs as the foundation; physical activity before, during, and after school; staff involvement; and family and community engagement.”
South Carolina Model District Wellness Policy
South Carolina School Board Association
“Students in kindergarten through fifth grade must be provided a minimum of one hundred fifty minutes a week of physical education and physical activity.”
South Carolina Students Health and Fitness Act of 2005
In 2017, the South Carolina School Boards Association updated the South Carolina model local wellness policy to align with the final local wellness policy rule of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. South Carolina’s model local wellness policy includes language on implementing a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) and specifically references offering physical activity in the classroom as part of a CSPAP. In addition to the model local wellness policy, the Students Health and Fitness Act of 2005 references required minutes of physical activity, which can be achieved through classroom physical activity.
Erica Ayers, School Health Coordinator for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, shared how she uses the state model local wellness policy and the Students Health and Fitness Act to build buy-in with district and school administrators.
Key Takeaway
Explain how policies already being implemented at the district and school level support the implementation of classroom physical activity. Ms. Ayers uses state policies as a tool to build the initial support with district and school administrators for classroom physical activities. To administrators, she explains that “it is in the state policy that you’re expected to implement classroom physical activity, so here are the tools and resources to help make it happen.”