Task Force To Recommend Health Classes, But Not Pe

A task force has decided to recommend requiring health courses, but not physical education, in new rules on public school operations in Idaho.

An earlier version proposed by the task force called for elimination of the requirement for health and physical education, but stirred protests at statewide hearings.

Proposed revisions in public school rules are to be presented to the state Board of Education at a three-day meeting opening today in Pocatello.

Cal Lathen, a division director at the University of Idaho, organized a statewide campaign against the proposals.

“Well, that’s 50 percent,” Lathen said Tuesday. “I’m elated that the health requirement was added back in, but of course disappointed that they did not also include physical education.”

Lathen hopes the rules will be modified by the state board or the Legislature, which has final say before the regulations become law.

“I’m hopeful that the board will weigh our testimony and won’t just rubber-stamp this, so there still is a window of hope,” Lathen said.

The initial proposal removed graduation requirements of physical education, health, humanities and reading courses to make room for additional math and science courses. Moscow teacher Sue Hovey said the math and science courses remain in the final proposal but, aside from health, the other courses will be offered as electives.

The task force decided to make no changes in another proposed new rule that parochial school representatives say would sharply increase their transportation costs.

A new application of transportation rules would require districts to charge each parochial school student the average cost of transporting all students, not just the extra cost that might be incurred by allowing parochial or private students to use public school buses.

Hovey said the committee sympathized with the Catholic schools’ concerns, but decided the issue was beyond its scope.