Bill > H3195

This bill mandates minimum periods for physical education and outdoor recess in South Carolina public schools for students in four-year-old kindergarten through eighth grade, with full implementation by July 1, 2028. Specifically, students in kindergarten through fifth grade must receive at least 150 minutes per week of physical education and physical activity, and all students in these grades must have at least 20 minutes of unstructured outdoor recess daily, with indoor recess provided during inclement weather. Students in sixth through eighth grade are required to have 60 hours of physical education and physical activity annually. The bill also clarifies that recess cannot be used to fulfill curriculum or physical education requirements and cannot be withheld as punishment more than twice a week. Additionally, it makes conforming changes related to physical education activity directors and renames the relevant article of law to "Physical Education and Activity," while also outlining specific criteria for exemptions from physical education requirements.