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STATE

2005 Student Health and Fitness Act 102
The South Carolina legislature passed The Student Health and Fitness Act in the spring of 2005. Among other things related to health and nutrition, the legislation does the following:

• Increases elementary PE time to:
  60 minutes PE and 90 minutes PA for the 2006-2007 school year
  (700:1 student/teacher ratio)
  90 minutes PE and 60 minutes PA for the 2007-2008 school year
  (600:1 student/teacher ratio)
  For the 2008-2009 school year the student /teacher ratio will be 500:1
• Requires that each elementary school shall designate a physical education teacher to serve as its Physical Education Activity Director. The Physical Education Activity Director shall plan and coordinate opportunities for additional physical activity for students that exceed the designated weekly student physical education instruction times that may include, but not be limited to, before, during, and after school dance instruction, fitness trail programs, intramural programs, bicycling programs, walking programs, recess, and activities designed to promote physical activity opportunities in the classroom.
• Makes the state assessment program (SCPEAP) required K-12 and puts the scores on the school report card
• Requires fitness reports be sent home to parents in the fifth, eighth and high school.
• Requires the appropriation of funds for additional school nurses in SC schools
• Requires various guidelines on the amount of time for lunch, what can be sold in school vending machines, guidelines for the health curriculum and fundraisers

*You can access the full bill by clicking on the following link: http://www.scstatehouse.net/sess116_2005-2006/bills/3499.htm

Physical Education Advocacy Packet

The South Carolina Governor's Council on Physical Fitness has developed an advocacy packet for physical education and physical activity support in SC schools. The packet is designed to be user friendly to all supporters of physical education-teachers, PTO's, parents, school administrators, etc. It assists in garnering grass-roots support for quality school physical education in SC schools by providing statistics, handouts, action steps, state regulations and sample letters. This is an excellent resource! Call Alan Waln, Executive. Director of the SC Governor's Council at 803-898-0754 or Lynn Hammond, Healthy Schools Coordinator at the Dept. of Education at 803-734-8076 for a copy.

Position Statement on School Recess
The South Carolina Governor's Council on Physical Fitness

All schools should offer convenient opportunities for students and staff to participate in enjoyable physical activity, and this imperative should be embodied in policy. Recess in elementary school is particularly important. Recess, while separate and distinct from physical education, is an essential component of the total educational experience for elementary aged children. Recess should not be viewed as a reward to children or denied in order to punish children. The involvement of children in daily, unstructured physical activity during school hours is critical for their current and future health.

View the complete Position Statement on School Recess

Bicycle and Walking Resolution
SC Transportation Commission

The SC Department of Transportation Commission approved a resolution affirming that bicycling and walking accommodations should be a routine part of the Department's planning, design, construction and operating activities, and will be included in the everyday operations of its transportation system. This resolution comes as a direct result of the statewide conference on bicycle and walking accommodations that was held in Charleston last December. Increasing walking and bicycling offers the potential of cleaner air, greater health of the population, reduced traffic congestion and more livable communities. Executive Director of the SC DOT, Elizabeth Mabry, will be a special guest at the Awards Banquet during the physical activity conference on April 10. She will share her enthusiasm and complete support of this resolution with us!

View the complete Biking and Walking Resolution Statement

FEDERAL

The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act

Congress finally passed reauthorization of the nation’s surface transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU) on July 29, 2005. The Conference Committee worked hard to put forth a bill that all could live with and advocates expect the President to sign the bill into law. The bill retains most TEA-21's physical activity programs with increases in some as well as offering several new programs including a major Safe Routes to School initiative. Physical Activity advocates were pleased with much of the bill but were still a bit disappointed that some initiatives such as a Complete Streets program were omitted. Following is a brief summary of the bill's physical activity provisions.

Safe Routes To School
A Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program was included in both the House and Senate transportation bills but with major differences in their funding proposals. The House suggested $875 million but the Senate had only proposed $312 million. The program actually fared quite well in conference and the final bill includes funding of $612 million over 5 years. The funding will
be distributed to states in proportion to the number of primary and secondary students in the state but no state will receive less that $1 million annually. State programs will be administered by State DOT's and funds will be available to local communities to fix hazards and slow traffic on roads, pathways or trails near schools. Local jurisdictions may also use the funds for focused enforcement and education programs. A directive is included that will require each state to designate a Safe Routes to School Coordinator. The bill will also fund a national SRTS clearinghouse.

Recreational Trails
Funding for the recreational trails program is provided at $370 million over 5 years beginning with $60 million and increasing by $5 million each year until 2009, when funding will reach $85 million. This program is funded by a dedicating a small portion of the revenue resulting from gas taxes paid by off-road fuel users. The final bill approved by the House and Senate increased funding by 64% over TEA 21 and will result in many more opportunities for physical activity throughout the nation. The program has already helped to fund (along with matching grants from local and state trail organizations) 6700 trails across the country and physical activity advocates are hopeful that this number will increase as a result of the SAFETEA-LU The House bill had included funding at $503 million (by including a greater percentage of the gas tax revenue then in previous bills) but the Senate bill only allocated $270 million. The bill requires that at least 30 percent of the funds must be used on non-motorized trail projects.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Clearinghouse
The National Bicycle and Pedestrian Clearinghouse is funded at $300 thousand for 2005 and $500 thousand annually for 2006 through 2009 for a total of $2.3 million. This small but important program provides those working on bicycle and pedestrian projects with the best information available to improve conditions for bicycling and walking. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center has been chosen for this task.

Personal Health Involvement Today (PHIT)-

The National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity has advocated for this tax incentive initiative and was introduced in the House by Representative Jerry Weller (R-IL) in May, 2006. The bill would allow for Flexible Spending Accounts, etc. to be used to pay for exercise equipment and programs. This would include sports league fees, fitness classes, health club memberships, purchase of equipment for self directed exercise programs, etc.

LOCAL

Send in your local successes! The SCCPPA would like to create a listing of local and county policies that have been successful at encouraging individuals to become more active.

Email a short description of the policy and how it has been implemented. Also send in complete contact information so that others may contact you for additional information.

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