Iowa Association For Health, Physical Education, Recreation And Dance (IAHPERD)

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• .... protect and increase physical well-being with attention given to experiences relating to the development of life skills and human growth and development. 281-IAC 12.5(2)
  

Grades 1-6
The following shall be taught in grades 1-6:

• Health instruction shall include personal health; food and nutrition; environmental health; safety and survival skills; consumer health; family life; substance abuse and nonuse, encompassing the effects of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and poisons on the human body; human sexuality, self-esteem, stress management, and interpersonal relationships; emotional and social health; health resources; and prevention and control of disease, and the characteristics of communicable diseases, including acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
• Physical education instruction shall include movement experiences and body mechanics; fitness activities; rhythmic activities,; stunts and tumbling; simple games and relays; sports skills and activities; and water safety. 281-IAC 12.5(3)

Grades 7-8
The following shall be taught in grades 7 and 8

• Health instruction shall include personal health: food and nutrition; environmental health; safety and survival skills; consumer health; family life; substance abuse and nonuse, encompassing the effects of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and poisons on the human body; human sexuality, self-esteem, stress management, and interpersonal relationships; emotional and social health; health resources; and prevention and control of disease and the characteristics of communicable diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases and acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
• Physical education shall include the physical fitness activities that increase cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, sports and games; tumbling and gymnastics; rhythms and dance; water safety; leisure and lifetime activities. 281-IAC 12.5(4)

Grades 9-12.

• Health (one unit). Health instruction shall include personal health; food and nutrition; environmental health; safety and survival skills; consumer health; family life ; human growth and development; substance abuse and nonuse; emotional and social health; health resources; and prevention and control disease, including sexually transmitted diseases and acquired immune deficiency syndrome, current crucial health issues, human sexuality, self-esteem, stress management, and interpersonal relationships.
• Physical education shall include the physical fitness activities that increase cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and flexibility; sports and games; tumbling and gymnastics; rhythms and dance; water safety; leisure and lifetime activities.

All physically able students shall be required to participate for a minimum of one-eighth unit during the each semester they are enrolled except as otherwise provided in this paragraph. A twelfth grade student may be excused from this requirement by the principal of the school in which the student is enrolled under one of the following circumstances:

(1) The student is enrolled in a cooperative, work-study, or other educational program authorized by the school which requires the student’s absence from the school premises during the school day.
(2) The student is enrolled in academic courses not otherwise available.
(3) An organized and supervised athletic program which requires at least as much participation per week as one-eighth unit of physical education.

Students in grades nine through eleven may be excused from the physical education requirement in order to enroll in academic courses not otherwise available to the student if the board of directors of the school district in which the school is located, or the authorities in charge of the school, if the school is a nonpublic school, determine that students from the school may be permitted to be excused from the physical education requirement.

A student may be excused by the principal of the school in which the student is enrolled, in consultation with the student's counselor, for up to one semester, trimester, or the equivalent of a semester or trimester, per year if the parent or guardian of the student requests in writing that the student be excused from the physical education requirement. The student seeking to be excused from the physical education requirement must, at some time during the period for which the excuse is sought, be a participant in an organized and supervised athletic program which requires at least as much time of participation per week as one-eighth unit of physical education.

The student’s parent or guardian must request the excuse in writing. The principal of the school shall inform the superintendent of the school district or nonpublic school that the student has been excused. 281-IAC 12.5(5)

Unit
A unit is a course which meets one of the following criteria: it is taught for at least 200 minutes per week for 36 weeks; it is taught for the equivalent of 120 hours of instruction; or it is an equated requirement as a part of an innovative program filed as a prescribed in rule 12.9(256). A fractional unit shall be calculated in a manner consistent with this subrule. 281-IAC 12.5(14)

To meet the requirement for high school students should receive 50 minutes of PE a week, 1/8 unit per semester. There is not a time requirement for students in K-8.

Student Waiver
A pupil is not required to enroll in either physical education or health courses if the pupil's parent or guardian files a written statement with the school principal that the course conflicts with the pupil's religious belief. Iowa Code section 256.11