Education Code-Physical Education
EDUCATION CODE
51222. (a) All pupils, except pupils excused or exempted pursuant
to Section 51241, shall be required to attend upon the courses of
physical education for a total period of time of not less than 400
minutes each 10 schooldays. Any pupil may be excused from physical
education classes during one of grades 10, 11, or 12 for not to
exceed 24 clock hours in order to participate in automobile driver
training. Such pupil who is excused from physical education classes
to enroll in driver training shall attend upon a minimum of 7,000
minutes of physical education instruction during such school year.
(b) The governing board of each school district that maintains a
high school and that elects to exempt pupils from required attendance
in physical education courses pursuant to paragraph (1) or (2) or
both of subdivision (b) of Section 51241 shall offer those pupils so
exempted a variety of elective physical education courses of not less
than 400 minutes each 10 schooldays.
SECTION 51240-51246
51240. (a) If any part of a school's instruction in health conflicts with the religious training and beliefs of a parent or guardian of a pupil, the pupil, upon written request of the parent or guardian, shall be excused from the part of the instruction that conflicts with the religious training and beliefs. (b) For purposes of this section, "religious training and beliefs" includes personal moral convictions. 51241. (a) The governing board of a school district or the office of the county superintendent of schools of a county may grant a temporary exemption to a pupil from courses in physical education, if the pupil is one of the following: (1) Ill or injured and a modified program to meet the needs of the pupil cannot be provided. (2) Enrolled for one-half, or less, of the work normally required of full-time pupils. (b) (1) The governing board of a school district or the office of the county superintendent of schools of a county, with the consent of a pupil, may grant a pupil an exemption from courses in physical education for two years anytime during grades 10 to 12, inclusive, if the pupil has met satisfactorily at least five of the six standards of the physical performance test administered in grade 9 pursuant to Section 60800. (2) Pursuant to Sections 51210, 51220, and 51222, physical education is required to be offered to all pupils, and, therefore, schools are required to provide adequate facilities and instructional resources for that instruction. In this regard, paragraph (1) shall be implemented in a manner that does not create a new program or impose a higher level of service on a local educational agency. Paragraph (1) does not mandate any overall increase in staffing or instructional time because, pursuant to subdivision (d), pupils are not permitted to attend fewer total hours of class if they do not enroll in physical education. Paragraph (1) does not mandate any new costs because any additional physical education instruction that a local educational agency provides may be accomplished during the existing instructional day, with existing facilities. Paragraph (1) does not prevent a local educational agency from implementing any other temporary or permanent exemption authorized by this section. (c) The governing board of a school district or the office of the county superintendent of a county may grant permanent exemption from courses in physical education if the pupil complies with any one of the following: (1) Is 16 years of age or older and has been enrolled in grade 10 for one academic year or longer. (2) Is enrolled as a postgraduate pupil. (3) Is enrolled in a juvenile home, ranch, camp, or forestry camp school where pupils are scheduled for recreation and exercise pursuant to the requirements of Article 24 (commencing with Section 880) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. (d) A pupil exempted under paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) or paragraph (1) of subdivision (c) shall not attend fewer total hours of courses and classes if he or she elects not to enroll in a physical education course than he or she would have attended if he or she had elected to enroll in a physical education course. (e) Notwithstanding any other law, the governing board of a school district also may administer to pupils in grades 10 to 12, inclusive, the physical performance test required in grade 9 pursuant to Section 60800. A pupil who meets satisfactorily at least five of the six standards of this physical performance test in any of grades 10 to 12, inclusive, is eligible for an exemption pursuant to subdivision (b).
