As a stakeholder and parent, I am opposed to the exemption of physical education for Dunlap HS juniors and seniors.  This proposal was made at the Dunlap School Board meeting on 9/25/19.  This exemption is short-sighted. 

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, CDC guidelines state that high school students should have at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day.  USA Today reports that only one in five teenagers meet this standard.  The University of Rochester Medical Center states that the human brain is not fully developed until 25 and physical activity is shown to improve academic achievement and to help the brain with cognitive development.   

Physical activity is well documented to improve student’s academic performance, increase memory, improve physical and mental health, increase restful sleep, and decrease stress. Physical education teaches young adults valuable skills like building grit, endurance, stamina, mental resiliency, the fulfillment of long-term goal setting, promotion of teamwork, persistence, communication skills, and self-confident.  Physical exercise promotes life long habits of healthy living beyond high school.  The benefits of physical education in HS outweigh any immediate short-term gains of additional free time, even if it is to study. 

The mission of Dunlap School District is to empower all students to reach their potential.  By supporting this petition, against the removal of physical education for Dunlap HS juniors and seniors, we are promoting the message that physical activity is a necessary habit.  This will provide our students with better physical and mental health to succeed not only in the short-term but for the rest of their life.