Bill would help school kids shed pounds

"It's hard and it takes hard work" said Michelle Aguilar

Jenny Hoff Austin News KXAN.com

March 21, 2009

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Her advice is pretty simple.

"It's hard and it takes hard work," said Michelle Aguilar on the South steps of the State Capitol on Wednesday. "If I had known that and had the resources when I was in high school to avoid what I went through, it would have meant a lot.

Aguilar lost 110 pounds on The Biggest Loser and gained $250,000. However, she said the benefit to her health far outweighed the prize money and that is why she believes Texas schools need to come to the rescue of Texas school children.

SB 891 and HB 3741 are bills that would enhance physical education requirements in middle schools. It would also mandate that at least 50 percent of a students P.E. class consist of moderate exercise. The bill also aims to create more enjoyable physical education programs to encourage student participation.

The reason for the bills stems from statistics released by the American Heart Association, which shows one in every three school-age children in Texas are either overweight or obese. Obesity can lead to diabetes, heart problems, fatty liver, gall bladder problems as well as a variety of other diseases.

"At 13 I was at risk of having Diabetes"

Alano Alvarez, a 14-year-old who lives in Kyle, could be the poster child for the importance of physical activity. At 12 years old, he weighed in at 270 pounds. However, it was not his physical appearance that kicked him into shape; his glucose levels were above 100 when they should have been around 80.

"I was desperate," said his mother Veronica Reyes. "At 12 or 13, no person should have type 2 diabetes."

Reyes decided the only option for her son was a wellness camp. However, as a single mom, Reyes could not afford the camp's rates.

"I decided to go work at the camp and earn his tuition that way," she said.
Alvarez lost 12 pounds his first week at the camp.

"We would wake up and do a three mile walk," he said. "Then in the afternoon, it would be four hours of activities from soccer to football to hiking to biking."

After the first summer, Alvarez lost 40 pounds. During his second summer he lost another 20 pounds.

"It's all about physical activity and eating well," said Reyes. "Now, we don't opt for the cheap, unhealthy option but instead cook together healthy and balanced meals."

Both Reyes and her son strongly support the bills that would mandate more physical activity in schools. Reyes is an elementary school counselor and said she sees too many children who are overweight and unhappy.

"They come to me crying and I understand what they're going through," she said. "My son went through the same thing."

Textbook Education vs. Physical Education

Other bills have been filed in the Legislature that concern physical education in schools. However, one of the major bills filed this session that would overhaul school accountability, HB 3, makes P.E. class an elective instead of a mandatory class. The bill, filed by Rep. Rob Eissler (R-The Woodlands), allows students to have more electives in high school. The reasoning behind the bill is to encourage more kids to stay in school through more flexibility and choice.

Although the bills do not directly contradict, since one deals with middle school and the other deals with high school, it demonstrates two schools of thought when it comes to the education problems in the state.

Opponents to the physical education bill believe students do not have enough time in a school day to worry about physical activity as well as making grades and passing standardized tests.