In 2001, the Texas state legislature passed Senate Bill 19 (SB 19), allowing the Texas State Board of Education to require elementary school children to participate in 30 minutes of daily physical activity. The Bill also requires Texas elementary schools to implement a coordinated school health plan by September 1, 2007. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact this bill has on school physical activity, school P.E. policy, child physical activity, and child overweight. The researchers are using school staff questionnaires, direct observation of physical education, and comparative studies to gauge the effects of the SB 19. Particular attention is being paid to schools in regions heavily populated with low-income and Hispanic families. Once better understood, SB 19 has the potential to become a model for other states to increase childhood physical activity.
