Bill Text: IL SB2572 | 2017-2018 | 100th General Assembly | Veto Message


Bill Title: Amends the School Code. Provides that an approved waiver from or modification to a physical education mandate may remain in effect for a period not to exceed 2 school years (rather than 5 school years like other mandate waivers) and may be renewed no more than 2 times upon application by an eligible applicant. Provides that an approved waiver from or modification to a physical education mandate may be changed within the 2-year period by the school board or regional superintendent of schools, whichever is applicable, following the procedure set forth in the Code for the initial waiver or modification request. Provides that a school board may determine the schedule or frequency of physical education courses, provided that an elementary school pupil engage in a course of physical education for a minimum of 150 minutes per week and a high school pupil engage in a course of physical education for a minimum of 225 minutes per week (rather than engaging in a course of physical education for a minimum of 3 days per 5-day week). Effective July 1, 2018.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 59-4)

Status: (Failed) 2018-11-28 - Total Veto Stands [SB2572 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2017-SB2572-Veto_Message.html

August 19, 2018

To the Honorable Members of

The Illinois Senate,

100th General Assembly:

Today I veto Senate Bill 2572 from the 100th General Assembly, which changes the mandate for students’ physical education requirement from requiring 3 days a week to 150 minutes a week.

I fully support efforts to encourage our students to be active and healthy. However, this legislation represents an attempt to block reform of the many mandates on our schools that are inflexible and overly burdensome. Last year’s school funding reform legislation included adjustments to the physical education mandate, changing it from requiring pupils to attend physical education daily to a minimum of 3 days per 5-day week. This was an attempt to recognize that students have a wide variety of needs that our school districts need to balance, and prioritizing one above all others was not always in the best interest of students, as determined at the local level.

The new standard in this legislation fails to recognize that depending on schools’ scheduling, this minute-based mandate may result in the very daily requirement that was just rolled back last year. Further, this rigid requirement doesn’t account for weeks where students are not in attendance for 5 days, and will further push out other subjects and priorities on the days they are at school to satisfy the PE mandate.

Therefore, pursuant to Section 9(b) of Article IV of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return Senate Bill 2572, entitled “AN ACT concerning education,” with the foregoing objections, vetoed in its entirety.

Sincerely,

Bruce Rauner

GOVERNOR

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