Civil Rights Violation in Physical Education

By Ame Hossen

Physical Education is offered in most schools to provide children with physical activities they would otherwise not have access to that are rigorous, yet simultaneously build confidence, discipline, and instill teamwork. The state of California has long tried to enforce a law that requires every child in California have access to P.E. classes at school. Last Thursday, six health advocacy organizations filed a federal complaint stating that African-American and Latino children have been involved in many instances that rejected them of access to these classes. From denying these students physical education altogether, or providing a lower level of the course compared to their classmates, many forms of racial discrimination have occurred. These acts violate Title VI of the Civil Rights act of 1964. California’s Education code requires that middle school and high school students receive a minimum of 400 minutes of physical education every 10 days, while elementary schools need at least 200 minutes. As recorded from an audit performed by the California Department of Education, at least half of the 155 districts reviewed did not meet those requirements, occurring more in Latino and African-American prominent districts, and less in Caucasian and Asian ones. According to data from the University of Southern California, only 32 percent of students passed the state’s physical fitness test. Along with that, 26 percent of Latinos and only 22 percent of African-Americans met the requirements to pass the test. With passing scores far below the expected average, discrimination is not the only bad thing to arise from these ongoing issues – without access to physical education, a child risks a possibility of developing obesity, which can lead to serious health issues such as heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and even premature death. For more information on physical education requirements for the state of California, visit www.cde.ca.gov.

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