U.S. schools do not focus enough on PE.

What is the only school subject that engages a child's mind, body and spirit while simultaneously promoting physical and emotional health? What subject helps students learn better and cultivate character? And what subject is consistently underfunded, understaffed and underscheduled? If your answer to all three questions is "physical education," you deserve an A grade.

60 Minutes Per Day

At a time when American children are increasingly absorbed in their screens and one-third are overweight, the need for good physical education, or PE, is serious. In November 2018, the federal government updated its recommendations for physical activity for the first time in 10 years. The guidelines now include recommendations for children as young as age 3. For children ages 6-17, the guidelines recommend a minimum of 60 minutes per day of medium to vigorous activity. Alas, only 1 in 5 teenagers meets this standard.Physical inactivity has been called "the new smoking." The prevalence of inactivity and obesity today may mean that today's children will lead shorter lifespans than their parents. Obesity is when a person is very overweight or has too much body fat. Having too much body fat can lead to health problems, such as heart disease, later in life. To counter the rise in inactivity and obesity, children need to learn the importance of physical fitness, how to achieve it and how to maintain it. Well-taught physical education keeps students moving and motivated. It also builds their skills and confidence so that they can stay fit over a lifetime.Yet, just when children need it most, PE has slipped to the bottom of the curriculum ladder in many school districts. The Society of Health and Physical Educators is an organization of health and PE professionals. According to this group, the median PE budget for American schools is only $764 a year. Operating under this budget, a school with 500 students would spend just $1.50 per child for a year of PE. That is an incredibly tiny fraction of average annual spending per student. Public schools often spend as much as $12,000 per student each year.

A Bigger Problem For Lower-Income Areas

This is of special concern in low-income areas, where families have fewer fitness resources outside of school. However, it is a troubling trend everywhere. A perfect storm of factors has led to increased inactivity in children's lives. This puts them at greater risk for life-threatening diseases later on. It also denies them the demonstrated mental and intellectual benefits of exercise. John Ratey is a neuropsychiatrist at Harvard University. He studies mental and emotional disorders that relate to brain function. Ratey has called exercise "Miracle-Gro for the brain." Hundreds of studies show that exercise improves learning, emotional health and social development, too.Being unfit may also put children at financial risk later in life. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University calculated that for overweight individuals, lifetime medical expenses related to health problems stemming from weight averaged $62,331. Lost wages due to these health issues averaged around $93,100, which is roughly double the costs for a person of healthy weight. That is enough money to put a child through college or make a down payment on a house.

Schools Have Ability To Reach Maximum Number Of Kids

Traditionally, schools have been key in supporting children's health. They have a unique opportunity to reach the maximum number of children over a 12-year period. Schools help to ensure students are immunized against diseases. They provide health screenings and try to serve nutritional meals. Physical education is every bit as important as the right shots and eating your vegetables. Yet not one state follows the Centers for Disease Control recommendations for time spent in PE at all grade levels. Some children with the means and desire to play sports get exercise that way. The reality, though, is that 70 percent of children drop out of organized sports by age 13.The Physical Activity Council is a group that studies the exercise habits of Americans. According to the council, children who have physical education in school are twice as likely to be active outside PE class. They are also more likely to remain active when they become adults. Children who learn good fitness habits in school will probably practice them out of school. It makes sense that a fit childhood can set a foundation for fitness as an adult.I appreciate that schools have limited time and money to meet students' many academic and social needs. Still, I believe it is time to make physical education a core subject on equal footing with academic classes. It is well established that children have a right to a quality education. Physical education is a cornerstone of that right. Teaching children to exercise will give them the knowledge they need to stay healthy. PE also gets them ready for life's challenges by teaching persistence, resilience and positive thinking.

Call For A Fit Nation

Our country has one of the highest standards of living in the world. Surely we can find a way to give our kids the gift of physical education and fitness. We did it in the past, when schools rallied behind John F. Kennedy's call for a fit nation as "a vital prerequisite to America's realization of its full potential." We can do it again today.William E. Simon Jr. helped start a center that is working to end childhood obesity. He wrote a book about physical education called "Break a Sweat, Change Your Life: The Urgent Need for Physical Education in Schools."