(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that the physical fitness and motor development of children in the public elementary schools is of equal importance to that of other elements of the curriculum.
(b) It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature to encourage each school district maintaining an elementary school composed of any of grades 1 to 6, inclusive, to do one of the following:
(1) Employ a credentialed physical education teacher to provide instruction in physical education for each class of grades 1 to 6, inclusive, within any elementary school in the district for a total period of time of not less than 200 minutes each 10 schooldays, exclusive of recesses and the lunch period.
(2) Provide each teacher providing instruction in physical education to any of grades 1 to 6, inclusive, within any elementary school in the district with yearly theoretical practical training in developmental physical education, as set forth in the Physical Education Framework adopted by the State Department of Education pursuant to Section 33350, except that any teacher who has successfully completed one college level course in elementary physical education shall not be subject to this paragraph.
(Added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 943, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2003.)