Testimony of Leo Casey before the New York State Assembly Committee on Physical Education Compliance: January 31, 2008
Jan 31, 2008 1:03 PM
Good morning Chair Nolan and members of the Assembly Education Committee. I am Leo Casey, vice president of academic high schools for the United Federation of Teachers. I commend you for holding this hearing into the various problems surrounding physical education in the schools and I appreciate the opportunity to present the views of the UFT today.
Ladies and gentlemen, I know you have heard that there is an epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States. This is much, much more than merely a passing trend that has only cosmetic consequences. This is an ongoing calamity that has major long-term consequences for the health of children and, indeed, for the health of the country.
Here are some of the startling — and distressing — facts, according to the Mayo Clinic, which is just one among many health institutions that are very concerned about this problem:
• In just two decades, the prevalence of overweight individuals has doubled for U.S. children ages 6 to 11 and tripled for American teenagers.
• The annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about one-third of U.S. children are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight.
• In total, about 25 million U.S. children and adolescents are overweight or nearly overweight.
And the reason why this is so troubling is that being overweight starts these kids on the path to health problems that were once confined to adults, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some forms of cancer.
The U.S. Surgeon General’s office notes that Type 2 diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, has increased dramatically in children and adolescents. Overweight and obesity are closely linked to type 2 diabetes — and overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight or obese adults.
And as everyone — everyone — who has studied this problem says, as does the Mayo Clinic: “A critical component of weight loss, especially for children, is physical activity. It not only burns calories, but also builds strong bones and muscles and helps children sleep well at night and stay alert during the day.”
Yet, in the face of all this, what is the attitude of the New York City public school system? Well, it might as well be “Let ’em eat cake” for all the concern school administrators have shown about the obesity epidemic.
Physical education, as far as they are concerned, like art and music, is a peripheral subject. It doesn’t contribute to higher math and English test scores so it is of secondary importance.
In the testing mania that has had such a stranglehold on our public school system in the last few years everything is secondary to preparing kids to do their bubbling act on math and English. So, even when kids do have a phys. ed. class, they often are pulled out for yet another test prep session.
The minimum state requirement for physical education in middle schools and high schools is called 3/2, that is three periods per week in one semester and two periods per week the next — or vice versa. In other words, an average of 2½ periods per week. In elementary schools it is a mere one period per week — when the kids actually get it. Because the reality is that with the increased frequency of pulling students out of physical education for all sorts of remediations, conferences, laboratory sessions for science classes or test preparation, the reality is that many students do not see even a 3/2 program throughout the school year. Often, it is the very students for whom physical education is most important who receive the least actual class time.
Physical education should be a daily class, providing not only the needed exercise each day for developing strong and healthy bodies during a growth time that will never be repeated, but physical education also provides a necessary release that allows students to perform better in the classroom having worked out the excess energy and need for movement that often develops in students — especially frustrated students who can’t sit still, are easily distracted and cause others difficulty during classes.
Beyond this, the large class sizes endemic to physical education often result in little actual activity and exercise.
And, on top of this, the New York City Department of Education has now mandated more of the excessive testing being done in the physical education classroom. Intent on collecting tons of data for the Department of Health, the DoE has mandated a project which requires days of testing simply for the purpose of recording and reporting fitness data — all in place of actual physical education.
In most schools, even those that meet the minimum hourly requirements, the idea of a well-rounded program of physical education providing activity and developing a lifelong love of exercise and the desire to maintain fitness, hardly exists. This is inevitably the first place administrators look to pull out students for other instructional and administrative needs.
In New York City there is no consistency in programming phys. ed. classes in elementary schools and many schools have eliminated recess — another opportunity for little kids to burn off excess energy. Daily recess needs to be restored and we need to make sure that every elementary school student gets to go to phys. ed. and it should be more than just once a week.
Another problem is the sorry state of phys. ed. facilities in far too many schools. Many gyms are converted space with structural pillars in the way. In many schools necessary gym equipment is either missing altogether or in terrible condition. Such equipment is often a safety hazard for the students using it. And in many, if not most, schools, phys. ed. classes are huge, far larger than they should be or is even reasonable for one teacher to supervise properly.
With the influx of small high schools and with the breaking up of large high schools into school complexes we find that, for example, four separate schools have to share one gymnasium. How can you adequately schedule classes from four different schools in one gym?
While strictly speaking this may not be on your agenda, after school programs have traditionally been a vital part of physical education in New York City. We now have many problems that have diminished these programs. One of the problems is that the extended day cuts into the time for after-school sports. Schools, for example, that use Central Park facilities find that they no longer have time to complete even a seven-inning baseball game before leagues with park permits, that start at 6 p.m., force them off the ball fields. Another problem is disappearing facilities. We used to have Basketball City next to the Chelsea Piers on the West Side, where hundreds of school basketball games were held. Now, as the city opens Hudson Park on that site, Basketball City is a thing of the past. There are many other after-school programs, girls soccer and cricket, for example, that are stifled due to lack of facilities citywide.
But the primary problem as that physical education is continually given short shrift by school and system administrators. It should be an integral and important part of the education we provide to our children in New York City schools. But like so many other subjects, physical education is constantly being sacrificed on the altar of test prep. You have heard this before but the malady goes on: We are teaching to the test. We are not educating the whole child. We are not piquing the interest of children by giving them the full panoply of subjects and activities that often entice even reluctant learners. We are not offering all our children the kind of broad, well-rounded, inclusive education that leads to truly educated adults. And by failing to do that we are failing our children.
Thank you.
