Target: USD 343  Starting this school year, 2011/2012, USD 343 has downsized our Physical Education program. PE use to be a part of our elementary school children's daily routine, but is now only occurring twice a week and every other Friday. There have been a couple reasons given for this action. One has been due to budget cuts. Another has been due to increased academic standards resulting in more classroom time needed.   Several research studies have shown PE is becoming increasingly important to students for many reasons. Obvious reasons would be health issues for children today. Obesity is one of the most pressing health concerns. One study notes that more than 1/3rd of children and teens, approximately 25 million kids, are overweight or obese. Type 2 diabetes and heart disease are on the rise in kids. PE is important during childhood to establish healthy living habits that the child will carry on into their adult life. Studies also are showing, though, that PE has an impact on cognitive learning and improved classroom behavior as well. One article notes that according to several research studies, kids who are more physically active tend to perform better academically. In some cases, more time in physical education lead to improved grades and standardized test scores. Other studies showed on-task behavior and concentration significantly improved after completing physical activity. In 2010, the California Court of Appeal ruled that California public schools have to provide at least 200 minutes of PE every ten days for an average of 20 minutes per day not including lunch or recess. The national recommendation for school physical education is  150 minutes per week in elementary schools, and 225 minutes per week in middle and high school. Quality, daily physical education is recommended by more than 30 national organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Heart Association, Action for Healthy Kids, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Association of State Boards of Education, and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.  We feel Physical Education is important to our children's overall education. Let USD 343 know that we would like PE added back to our kid's daily schedules.  See websites www.actionforhealthykids.org and www.activelivingresearch.org for more information on the importance of PE.