In the crazyworld we live in, there is shockingly no federal law that requires schools toprovide physical education. The power, instead, lies with the state, and it is the school district’s responsibility to implement physical education. This is why many schoolsare cutting physical education altogether because of the little funding thatthey receive. Schools have sort of gave up on physical education in favor of a more academicfocus so that the United States can compete in the competitive global market.However, according to studies by NASPE and the Centers for Disease Control,attending physical education classes is directly related to better academicperformance and attitude toward school. Physical activity promotes brainfunction and psychological well-being, reduces anxiety, and increases overallenergy and attention span. This is exactly what I will stress to my futureadministration. Also, the more obvious consequence is the increased number ofunhealthy children. Overweight and obese children are at high risk of heartdisease, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, lowself-esteem, joint, bone, and muscle problems, and more. The CDC reports that17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are obese, which equals twelveand a half million children that are obese in America. Considering that these children are thefuture of our generation, it is my responsibility and physical educationteachers all over to ensure that we make a stop to these devastatingstatistics. There is also a myththat getting rid of PE programs will save money. In short- term this can betrue, but when looked at in the long term, lack of physical education meansfewer healthy lifestyle choices. This will lead to more sedentary lifestyles, inturn increasing the presence of heart disease and other weight-related healthissues, ultimately causing higher health care costs for America. It isestimated that $147 billion is spent yearly on obesity-related health carecosts, which means that money and time spent teaching youth how to live ahealthy lifestyle are worth billions to the already tight budget of America.
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