ATLANTA -- Georgia legislators voted in favor of a bill that requires annual fitness assessments for students in grades 1-12, beginning in the 2011-2012 school year.
The Student Health and Physical Education Act (SHAPE), previously passed as Georgia’s House Bill 229, was passed by the Senate on Thursday by a vote of 34-14. The SHAPE Act is now on Gov. Sonny Perdue’s desk for final approval.
The bill mandates that each local school district conduct an annual fitness assessment program, as approved and funded by the state Board of Education (BOE).
The districts also would be responsible for sending a physical fitness report card to parents or guardians and sending aggregate test results to the state BOE.
A similar bill failed to pass last year because it required body mass index (BMI) tests to gauge student fitness levels. Opponents to that bill said BMI tests could lead to student embarrassment, The Chattanooga Times Free Press reported.