Students need more gym time, lawmakers say

Berliner, Ervin join state lawmakers concerned about the school system’s lack of physical education time

As of November, the Montgomery school system — the state’s largest — offered a minimum of 30 minutes per week of physical education in its elementary schools, among the least in the state, according to data released by the Maryland State Department of Education. The Baltimore city and Anne Arundel school systems also offer 30 physical education minutes per week in elementary schools, according to the data.

Conversely, the Montgomery system provides a minimum of 225 minutes of physical education time per week in its middle schools, according to the data. The Prince George’s school system — the state’s second-largest school district — offers a minimum of 450 minutes per week of physical education, the data show.

The board and Superintendent Jerry D. Weast voted last month to oppose a bill, proposed by Del. Jay Walker, to require all 24 school districts to install 150 minutes of physical activity each week for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Walker’s bill — crossfiled by Sen. David C. Harrington (D-Dist. 47) of Cheverly — also calls for 90 minutes per week for physical education.

Montgomery County residents have recently pushed for the bill’s passage, mainly because childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes are on the rise, they say.

But while the school board and Weast said they applaud the bill’s intentions, there simply aren’t enough school days to increase gym time while also preparing students for standardized tests.

School leaders said they did not want state lawmakers infringing on curriculum. Maryland lawmakers — and now some County Council members — are pushing for more gym time without proposing how to fit it within the school year, they say.

‘‘There’s just way too much being pushed down from the state level down to the locals,” said school board member Christopher S. Barclay (Dist. 4) of Takoma Park. ‘‘At some point, I hope we can stop being a slave to the amount of standardized testing we have to administer.”

On top of that, the school system’s figures contradict the state. It says elementary school children get 5 minutes to 15 minutes more phys-ed per week than the state says.

In their letter, sent to the school board Thursday, Berliner and Ervin said they understood the school board’s concern but still want to discuss the physical education time offered to students.

‘‘It’s not as though the County Council has no interest in this issue,” said Berliner (D-Dist. 1) of Potomac. ‘‘Council members are well within their rights to share their perspective with the school board. There are some of us that don’t accept the premise that phys-ed takes away from learning.”

The impetus for increased gym time should not fall squarely on the county board’s shoulders, said Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring.

‘‘I think there’s a way to do this, but I don’t put all the responsibility on our local school board,” she said. ‘‘There needs to be more understanding of the implication of having children sitting for hours and hours and hours a day. Physical activity and achievement are linked.”

If passed, Walker’s bill would require high school students to complete two years of physical education to graduate. The state school board would also have to adopt regulations to implement the bill.

‘‘If you keep producing these obese children, it increases the need for health care spending for all children,” said Walker (D-Dist. 26) of Fort Washington. ‘‘We’re trying to bring P.E. back. This state is so based on test scores. Physical activity helps with test scores.”

The bill would take effect Oct. 1, but a school system can apply for an extension until July 1, 2011. Any school system granted an extension must have a plan to show compliance by the July deadline.

The school board would respond in writing this week to Berliner and Ervin’s letter, said board President Nancy Navarro (Dist. 5) of Silver Spring. But while Walker’s bill aims to increase the amount of gym time for students, officials ought to look at more afterschool programs for physical activity, she said.

Ervin, a former school board member, said the phys-ed discussions should take place before the council’s education committee, where state school board members and state education officials could take part. As the committee’s new chairwoman, she has not set a timetable for the talk.