In 2005, the Texas State Legislature passed Senate Bill 42 (SB 42), building on the 30 minutes of daily physical education requirement for elementary school students to include middle school students. Bill implementation occured in the 2006-2007 school year and also mandate that middle schools implement an approved coordinated school health program. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of SB 42 on school physical education, child physical activity, and child overweight in 129 public middle schools. The researchers used school staff questionnaires, direct observation of physical education, and student self-reported levels of physical activity to gauge the impacts of SB 42. Particular attention was paid to schools in regions heavily populated with low-income and Hispanic families. The project complimented another Active Living Research project The Impact of Senate Bill 19 on Elementary School Children’s Level of Physical Activity by Principal Investigator Dr. Steven Kelder.
