In many Minnesota school districts, physical education is losing out to pressure to increase class time for math, science, English, social studies and the arts. In many cases, schools plan to change physical education from a requirement to an elective. The likely result will be fewer children taking the classes and fewer gym and health teachers instructing them.

The rationale behind some districts’ decisions to make gym an elective is simple: Their schools are pressured to pump money into their main courses, improve their students’ test scores, and free up kids to take other subjects such as music, art, and foreign languages, thanks once again to the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act. With money and time at a premium, something’s got to give.

The timing for some districts to put less emphasis on physical education could not come at a worse time. We’re living in a world where obesity is becoming an increasing concern. Studies have shown that health-care costs caused by obesity add up to tens of billions of dollars annually and that physically active kids tend to be better students.

Sadly, physical education classes are the only type of physical activity some children get. Anybody who was ever a kid or has ever had children knows the importance of getting them some type of break from the books and into a physical activity. Many have that &uot;extra energy&uot; just waiting to be burned, and can come back to learning much easier if they’ve had a chance to do so.

We don’t necessarily blame those schools who have chosen to make physical education an elective. They’re between a rock and a hard place. The problem started last year when the Legislature swept away the old Profile of Learning graduation rule, which had a state requirement that schools teach phy. ed.

There are plenty of state requirements for schools to teach other subjects, however, and lots of tests to make sure their kids are mastering those subjects. Combine that with widespread money problems and, all of a sudden, phy. ed. takes on the look of a luxury &045; overpriced and expendable. Plus, federal and state testing requirements mean schools have to work harder to make sure all of their students are mastering language arts, science and math skills. They’re being mandated to death.

As legislators continue to debate what children need to spend time on each day, we encourage them to remember the benefits of physical education &045; not just courses that on the surface improve test scores.