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Health Class No Longer Required In Texas High Schools

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 16:44:22 +0000

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.”

Full Article Here

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:21:31 +0000

From The Huffington Post:
“This Independence Day weekend marked the second incarnation of the fabled Tea Party movement, protesting the government’s growing involvement in economic matters. And, just like the first go-around, the July 4 protests saw an elected Republican official, undoubtedly hoping to harness some of that the popular unrest, taking the stage to a chorus of boos.”

[Video]:

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In Texas, Gov. Perry Crows About His Endorsement by Palin

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:11:39 +0000

From Politics Daily:

Facing a tough Republican primary fight next year in his bid for a third term, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas is brandishing the heavy artillery: Sarah Palin’s endorsement of his campaign. “If there’s a bigger endorsement in the Republican universe, I don’t know who it is than Sarah,” he declared in a telephone interview over the weekend. He described the Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee as a “close personal friend” who knows my heart.”

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File This Under Silly

Mon, 11 May 2009 18:49:33 +0000

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) quoted in a NY Times article (under the “Preaching Patience” section):

In an interview, Mr. Sessions cited rising unemployment in asserting that the administration intended to “diminish employment and diminish stock prices” as part of a “divide and conquer” strategy to consolidate power.

Mr. Sessions, in his seventh term, said Mr. Obama’s agenda was “intended to inflict damage and hardship on the free enterprise system, if not to kill it.” By next fall, he predicted, voters may regain appreciation for the era of Republican governance when “many dreams were achieved,” the size of the economy doubled and employment and financial markets hit record levels.

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