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Is this a flip or a flop?

Just a year ago, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY’-uh-vitch) said he wanted to end exceptions to daily physical education classes in public schools.
Now his State Board of Education is suggesting ways to make it easier for schools to eliminate P-E. A report to the Legislature says state law could be changed to allow automatic exemptions in certain cases like for kids who play sports.

Spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch (ROWSH’) says Blagojevich is not reversing his position. She says Blagojevich believes schools should require physical activity but he is willing to help them eliminate bureaucracy to cut PE classes.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jan 24, 05 @ 4:20 pm

Comments

Interestingly, participation in “the flip-flop” — for 30 minutes, three times a week — satisfies the Board of Education’s physical education requirement.

Comment by So-Called Austin Mayor Monday, Jan 24, 05 @ 5:01 pm
Rod got to jog all the time because he had skate jobs through Dick Mell, so he doesn’t care if the kids get fat just take their video games away from them.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Jan 24, 05 @ 6:12 pm
Why shouldn’t HS athletes be excused from PE during their sport season? They already are getting plenty of exercise, why not help the schools save money? We’re not talking about kids who are trying to avoid exercise. Besides, they probably could use the study hour. Sounds like a teacher union complaint rather than a taxpayer complaint.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 25, 05 @ 9:17 am
All these people that want to get rid of PE so that kids will have more time to study math and reading make me sick. Our kids are fatter than ever before as recent studies that show the obesity levels of children are at an all time high. My generation, I am 35 tuned out fine as we had PE. Maybe if these self-indulgent parents would take away their kids play stations, video games and tv’s in the kids rooms, they could get their homework done. The bottom line is that our children need PE. By the way, neither I nor my wife are teachers.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 25, 05 @ 9:53 am
Just another example of government by press release. Did G-Rod ever do more than just posture on this issue? Gee - he’s against obesity and for exercise. Meanwhile - my two kids attend Chicago public schools and get gym class once a week unless the one gym teacher for 500 kids is sick, then they get nothing.

The press just keeps letting him get away with it - how about a simple “what’s the plan Rod”?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 25, 05 @ 11:44 am
Athletes shouldn’t be excused because PE is, or should be more than simply exercising–it should include lessons on taking care of ones health–in a well run program that can include lessons that are structured around health and nutrition for their sport–in fact, this was done in my high school as an option for athletes. They could also partake in activities like rehab during the class if injured.

Comment by ArchPundit Tuesday, Jan 25, 05 @ 1:20 pm
I’m certainly not a huge fan of Blagojevich, but on this one he’s right. As the parent of a high school athlete, I can tell you that these kids are certainly getting all the exercise they need — and then some. The hours they have to spend in practice are grueling, and eat up huge amounts of study time.

During the season, my daughter used those athletic study halls — free class hours in place of PE — to catch up on the homework she couldn’t do during the two- to three hours of practice after school every night.

So I don’t think our ever-mercurial governor is pulling one of his patented flip-flops on this one. He’s just making it easier for high schools to make a sensible call on their students’ behalf.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 4:01 pm
This is a solution in search of a problem. I’m young enough to remember high school, and while the rest of us were playing dodgeball, the athletes were in the weight room, training. Schools can already deal with this issue.

Rod’s big government solution (which, by the way, thickens the school code he was bashing just one year ago) creates a whole other problem — what do you do when soccer season, football season, etc. is over? Tell those kids to sit on their tails?

And how about the parity issue — are we going to exempt drama club participants from literature? Chess team participants from math? Debate society from writing? More importantly, who defines athlete? Can my school start a juggling troupe? How about it’s own bocci or ultimate frisbee or skateboarding leagues?

If these are the paltry fruits of the Gov’s education reform tree that he hopes to distract us with so we’ll forget about education funding reform…and the $2.1 billion structural budget deficit…good luck with that.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Jan 26, 05 @ 7:03 pm