Bill to increase physical activity in elementary school delayed
A House education subcommittee voted to delay advancing a bill by a Northern Neck delegate that would require public elementary schools to provide students with 10 more minutes of physical activity daily.
The bill, HB 873, patroned by Hillary Pugh Kent, R-Westmoreland, sought to raise the minimum amount of physical activity from 20 minutes to 30 minutes, through a combination of programs such as physical education classes, extracurricular activities, recess and any other programs approved by the local school board. The House K-12 Education Subcommittee, on a voice vote, moved to continue the bill until the 2027 General Assembly session.
“As a mom of some young boys, when I ask them what their favorite class is it normally is either recess or lunch,” Kent said. “With recess taking top of the ticket.”
The bill would bring kindergarten through fifth grade requirements in line with those for middle and high school students. Kent said she wanted to create a continuum of physical education from K-12.
Committee Chair and Del. Shelly A. Simonds, D-Newport News, proposed that the bill be sent to the School Health Services Committee, so it could provide their recommended amount of physical activity.
“It might be more than 25, more than 30 minutes,” Simonds said. “I’d like to continue this robust discussion. And I think you may have more than one bill here, you may have two bills here.”
During public comment, Matthew Stanley, director of advocacy and outreach for Richmond Public Schools and Chad Stewart, lobbyist from the Virginia Education Association, voiced support for the bill.
Lauren Schmitt, a lobbyist representing the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said the AAP also supported the bill.
“Recess is a crucial, non-negotiable component of child development,” she said. “We absolutely support the goal of 30 minutes a day, especially not using it as a punitive measure for children that truly need it.”
No one spoke in opposition to the bill.
