Marco Rubio bill would require schoolchildren to exercise

Make America Great Again? That’s old news.

For Florida’s senior Senator, the new move is MAAA: Make America Active Again.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is introducing legislation that would compel elementary schools in the federal school lunch program to require students to exercise in physical education classes for at least 150 minutes a week.

“As public health outcomes increasingly trend in the wrong direction, it is obvious that the elimination of recess and physical education from public school has been a tragic mistake,” Rubio said.

“The habits our public schools instill in our children will carry forward for the rest of their lives, and it should be a priority to promote health and wellness. Every elementary school student in Florida is guaranteed daily recess or PE. With the Make America Active Again Act, we will ensure every child in the United States has the opportunity to participate in physical activity during the school day.”

Rubio’s Office notes that “only nine states require daily recess for elementary school students,” while “many public schools across the U.S. have reduced or completely eliminated opportunities for students to engage in physical activity.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that roughly 1 in 5 U.S. children and adolescents suffer from obesity, though the pandemic actually increased that proportion temporarily. This means their Body Mass Index, or BMI, is over 30. To put that in perspective, the ideal range is from 18.5 to 24.9.

Florida students actually face greater weight challenges than the average American. Recent estimates are that 1 in 3 students are obese or simply overweight.