From Houston Chronicle:
AUSTIN, Texas — Health class will no longer be a state requirement for high school students this fall, making Texas one of the few states in the country with no required health education, officials said.
Education Commissioner Robert Scott announced the move in a recent letter to school districts, causing some to worry Texas students will miss out on critical topics like alcohol awareness, sex education and basic nutrition.
“It was very surprising to a lot of people,” said Diana Everett, executive director of the Texas Association for Health Physical Education, Health, Recreation and Dance. “We’ve all been in shock.”
Individual school districts still can require students to take health classes, but Scott eliminated the state requirement to comply with a new law that bumps up the number electives required to graduate. Starting this fall, students must take six elective courses, instead of the currently mandated three-and-a-half.
Officials wanted to give students more flexibility to pursue electives of their own choosing, so while two required semesters of fine arts were maintained, a semester of physical education and two semesters of a technology class also were removed from the state’s recommended high school program.
“It’s a major statement about where we’re going,” Everett said. “We’ve been trying to address the issue of childhood obesity, but we seem to be losing ground every time the Legislature meets.”
